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“An Extravagance of Laughter”
In Ralph Ellison’s essay “An Extravagance of Laughter”, one has the privilege of journeying back into time to be part of the creative revolution that was just beginning to take over New York at the time. As one delves further into the essay, one comes to realize that there is also a revolution taking place in Ellison’s mind and soul. ... By the end of the essay, one finds that although a lot of his expectations were met, many of them were not and it is interesting to see how Ellison deals with each disappointment and success. ...
One cannot help but share in Ellison’s excitement as he describes his first impression of New York as “dreamlike” and Harlem as the “symbol of Afro-American progress and hope” (Ellison 258). ... Ellison comments on this and says, “that while I was physically out of the South, I was restrained- sometimes consciously, sometimes not- by certain internalized thou-shalt-nots that had structured my public conduct in Alabama. It was as
though I had come to the Eden of American culture and found myself indecisive as to which of its fruits were free for my picking” (Ellison 259). At this point in the essay Ellison has not yet learned about putting on “the mask” (which allows to him to put on the persona of a person who belongs) and he is unable to allow himself to take his freedom. ... It was after making this observation, Ellison decides to become a “pioneer”. ... Just as it seems as if Ellison has pinpointed the reason for his uneasiness, he stumbles across another disturbing revelation. ... He does not know which he prefers and states, “ I missed, in brief, a sense of certainty which the South imposed in the forms of signs and symbols that marked the dividing lines of racial segregation” (Ellison 259). ...
Ellison’s confusion concerning his role not only as an African-American, but also as a Southerner, is apparent in many sections throughout the essay. Concerning an episode on the subway, Ellison remarks, “…the subways were utterly confusing to my Southern-bred idea of good manners, and especially the absence of a certain gallantry that men were expected to extend toward women. Subway cars appeared to be underground
arenas in which Northern social equality took the form of an endless shoving match in which the usual rules of etiquette were turned upside down- or so I concluded after watching a five-o’clock foot race in a crowded car”(Ellison 260).
Approximate Word count = 1973
Approximate Pages = 7.9
(250 words per page double spaced)
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