Devil In A Blue Dress

“I always tried to speak proper English in my life, the kind of English they taught in school, but I found over the years that I could only truly express myself in the natural, ‘uneducated’ dialect of my upbringing.”

Easy’s feelings about and use of language foreshadow Mouse’s later suggestion that Easy sometimes tries to think or act in ways that Mouse associates with white people. The conflict between Easy’s natural expressiveness and his attempts to conform to external linguistic standards mirrors his inner conflicts over identity and responsibility. Though Easy wants to believe that following rules and laws of society will guarantee him fair and equal treatment, his experiences demonstrate otherwise.

“I loved going home. Maybe it was that I was raised on a sharecropper’s farm or that I never owned anything until I bought that house, but I loved my little home. […] That house meant more to me than any woman I ever knew. I loved her and I was jealous of her and if the bank sent the county marshal to take her from me I might have come at him with a rifle rather than to give her up.”

Here, Easy personifies his home, comparing it to a romantic partner, to emphasize how much value he places on it. Easy’s infatuation with the idea of home ownership symbolizes his larger desire to be allowed to live a peaceable, independent life. His personal version of prosperity can be considered within the context of the American Dream, as well as the barriers that impede his progress toward his desired outcome.

“Easy, walk out your door in the morning and you’re mixed up in something. The only thing you can really worry about is if you get mixed up to the top or not.”

In contrast with Easy’s live-and-let-live philosophy, Albright presents a more cutthroat outlook. Albright’s comment about walking out the door becomes ironic, given his later invasion of Easy’s home and privacy, showing that not even staying home can protect Easy from the chaos that ensues.