The narrator understands that as a 'colored man', he is constantly reminded about the barriers and oppression that surround him. In this passage, in which the narrator shares his musings on what it means to be a 'colored man' in America, he articulates the idea that the a man with black skin is always the “other”. 'He is forced to take his outlook on all things, not from the viewpoint of a citizen, or a man, or even a human being, but from the viewpoint of a colored man.' -The narrator, pg. She thus confuses her son about his paternity and his race at the same time, and he will have to come to terms with both throughout his life.

His mother tiptoes around the truth but then comes to it in a roundabout way, admitting she is not white, but the narrator's “great” father is. This scene also lays the groundwork for the narrator’s persistent quest to unearth his identity. It is difficult for the narrator to ask his mother this question, especially since he he has mocked another kid at school with the same racial epithet not too long before. The narrator is unaware of his true racial identity until a cruel principal at his elementary school points it out in front of his whole class. 'I buried my head in her lap and blurted out: 'Mother, mother, tell me, am I a nigger?'' -The narrator, pg. Keeping these introductory remarks in mind while reading the novel is important, for the reader should be expecting that there will come a time when the narrator decides to conceal his 'great secret', his race. He seems to impart the truth in a grudging manner that bespeaks his internal conflict. Also evident in these introductory words is the intimation that the narrator is conflicted, pained, and anguished. Aware of the title of the book, the reader can already guess what that secret is – that the narrator is (or was) a 'colored' man, and that not many people know this fact. The narrator begins his autobiography by telling the reader that he has a secret to tell, and that it is going to be particularly difficult to divulge. 'I know that in writing the following pages I am divulging the great secret of my life, the secret which for some years I have guarded far more carefully than any of my earthly possessions and it is a curious study to me to analyze the motives which prompt me to do it.' -The narrator, pg.

The biography of an ex colored man