The "timeless" conflict of racial tension

      The clash between different races has served as a catalyst for social tension ever since emancipation of slaves in 1863. This timeless conflict remains prominent in the 1970’s as well, providing a main plot point for author Tom Franklin in his novel Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter. In the '70's, schools and public places began to desegregate, forcing differing races to coexist despite their contradicting attitudes and beliefs. In the novel, the conflict becomes relevant with the introduction of the protagonists: Larry Ott and Silas Jones. Larry, the son of white, middle-income parents befriends Silas, the son of a single, black mother amidst unavoidable social tension that comes along with racial differences. The general precedent of the conflict suggests that the two boys could never be friends. However, the fact that they do get along so well highlights Larry’s similar feeling of loneliness. Larry feels ostracized for reasons differing from Silas’s. Silas faced racial prejudice daily, even from Larry originally. The first time Larry saw Silas, he wondered what had brought them “this far out,” implying that they had strayed from where most black families subsided (33). Instead of becoming a product of the racial tension of the time, he became a product of judgmental peers and a weak respiratory system. Franklin portrays Larry as a social outcast, explaining that “the white boys laughed at him” (45). Situational irony surfaces with this statement, with emphasis on the word “white”. The blunt tone ultimately evokes pathos for Larry. I believe that Franklin does this on purpose, creating sympathy for a character who later will need any benefit of the doubt he can receive. Already, throughout the novel, Franklin has hinted of Larry’s controversial actions frequently, indirectly characterizing Larry as unstable. He introduces the fact that “the local police…watched him closely” (5). This claim suggests that Larry has gotten into trouble with the law before, further indirectly characterizing him as dangerous and unpredictable. However, even with such foreboding warnings of Larry’s past actions, Franklin arouses sympathy from readers. He not only portrays Larry as an outlier to his peers…but also to his own father. Carl, Larry’s father, completely contrasted his son… and because of their many differences, he “liked most everyone except [Larry]” (38). So, by paralleling the way in which Larry received intolerance from everyone around him to a boy plagued by adversity because of his skin color, Franklin succeeds in creating pathos for Larry, lessening the judgment for his inevitable harmful actions. Moreover, the inclusion of this particular “timeless” conflict allows Franklin to foreshadow events to come, and to prepare those who hold preconceived notions in regards to others' past actions, for these events with an understanding for the person Larry became as a result of being ostracized.