Melissammoore’s Weblog

With the end of the novel, the narrator uncovers a harsh realization in regards to the town and himself. As the history of the town folds out before him, we find that the town was initially founded by freedmen after the Civil War and given by them the name Freedom. Later a white entrepreneur came to the town and renamed it after himself, Winthrop. Winthrop produced barbed wire, a sharp metal material that’s purpose is to contain things or to keep things out. The narrator discovers that Winthrop is a name that represents the repression of the freedmen yet again by the powerful white men. Just as the barbed wire holds things back, Winthrop held back the freedmen from their freedom in their own town. The freedmen were now a force for the wealthy white man to gain more wealth through their work. The narrator realizes this about himself, as he went to a mainly white Ivy league college only to be a part of the work force to increase wealth for a predominantly white male run corporation and as he further discovers a white male run country. As the narrator concludes, “As the weeks went on and he settled into his new life, he had to admit that actually, his foot hurt more than ever.” Although the narrator did what he felt was appropriate, a name only covers the hurt, the struggle and injustices. Nothing can make up for the wrong, and not much in life has changed. In facing this realization of the truth, the narrator is no longer blind to reality but rather is aware of the awful truth which makes moving on with his life difficult.