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Melania Rocha

SWC 100

July 28, 2009

FD as the Ideal Black Man of the Future

F.D. arrives at Simple’s apartment towards the middle of The Best of

Simpleclaiming to be Simple’s cousin. Simple soon realizes what a good person F.D. is

and takes himunder his wing and watches over him. F.D. is well educated, polite, and

hardworkingwhich impacts Simple. Simple then wants to change or at least appear to

change in order to set a good example for F.D.. Hughes uses F.D. as a representation

of the “perfect” black man of the future,affecting Simple and making him also come

closer to being this black man of the future. Although there is so much potential in F.D.,

he seems too good to be true and ends up going to the army which shows that the ideal

black man may ultimately be unachievable.

Within the first few moments of meeting F.D., Simple realizes that he is a good

kid and allows him to stay with him. When Simple describes F.D. to the narrator he

says, “About the darkest young boy I ever seen. . . He’s graduated and got a diploma,

too. I know he’s smart because the first thing he asked me for this morning when that

alarm clock went off, was, ‘Cousin Jess, you got any books I can read while you’re at

work?’” (Hughes, “They Come and They Go” 137). The first thing Simple comments on

is F.D.’s color. It makes a difference that F.D. is so dark. The light skinned blacks were

seen as being the better ones and were admired more. The fact that F.D. is a dark

black person, educated, and handsome changes this stereotype. Hughes wants the

black community to know that there really is no difference between their shades of skin

and that anyoneone of them can be seen as handsome and educated. F.D. is also a
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very likeable person. Simple, Joyce, and the landladies all enjoy F.D.’s company.

Joyce even wants to adopt F.D. so that he can be an example to her and Simple’s

children. F.D. also knowshow to behave himself and work hard. “. . . hecomes home in

time to get himself enough sleep to get up and work and play some more. He does not

drink. And he has not taken to dope yet. . . Neither does he smoke reefers. He says he

had rather buy himself some clothes, take his girl to Coney Island, else mambo with his

money” (Hughes, “A Hearty Amen” 161). F.D. is a responsible young man and knows

how to keep himself out of trouble. F.D. is just an all-around good person. He is

educated, handsome, hardworking and polite. He desires to learn more and wants to

become cultured. He is a young boy, barely turning 18,and has already achieved more

than what Simple has. F.D. is a person who grew up under less than desirable

circumstances yet was able to overcome those and not let that affect his character. He

was able to become this personon his own account. Hughes uses this to say that if F.D.

was able to become this wonderful person on his own, then the black community should

be able to raise their children to be like him so that the future will be better.

As this perfect black man of the future, F.D. serves as an inspiration to Simple to

also become a better person. Simple sees the potential in F.D. and does not want him

to turn down the wrong path. When F.D. arrives we see a different side of Simple.

Simple takes on a fatherly role and wants to become an example to F.D.. “I will not let a

fine boy like F.D. down. I might even try to meet a few undrinking folks myself-just to

have somebody to introduce F.D. to” (Hughes, “A Million-And One”140). Simple is

willing to change his ways in order to help F.D.. Simple does not want F.D. to know

about his night life just so that F.D. does not become curious and fall into the path that

Simple has taken. Simple also sees part of himself in F.D. which is one of the reasons
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he is so willing to help him. “But if somebody had of helped me just a little bit when I

were in my young manhood, I might of gotten somewhere further by now, not just

laboring from hand to mouth. I am going to help this boy, and he is going to get

somewhere” (Hughes, “All in the Family” 145). Simple wants to help F.D. because

nobody ever helped him. He knows that F.D. can be a successful person in the future

and he would feel like he was a part of that. Simple is getting tired of the life he’s been

living and is willing to change and help better the future through F.D.. Hughes is

showing how success is contagious. Everyone sees hope and happiness when they’re

around F.D., especially Simple. So as more people become successful like F.D., it will

encourage others to be this way too. Hughes wants for at least one person to make a

change for the future, which will lead others to want change also.

Although Hughes portrays F.D. as the ideal black man, he also leads the reader

to believe that this ideal man is unachievable. F.D.’s story of his trip up north seems

almost too good to be true. He was not expecting to go to New York. He was planning

to join the navy or just run as far as he could, but as he sat outside the train station a

man handed him a train ticket toNew York. It was all by luck that he ended up going to

New York without any problems. Even Simple could hardly believe F.D.’s story. “’If I

had not told so many lies myself in my time, I would believe F.D. was lying’” (Hughes, “A

Million-And One” 137). F.D.’s trip and character all seem like a fantasy making the

possibility of a real person becoming the ideal black man of the future also a fantasy.

F.D.’s story also ends in tragedy when he goes to the army. “’Him and Gloria do not

want to have no children at all until he comes back from the army.’ ‘From the army?’

‘Didn’t I tell you F.D. got his draft call? Soon as this college term is over, he has to go to

his service’” (Hughes, “Four Rings” 189). Throughout the entire series of Simple,
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Hughes critiques the army. In “Income Tax” and “Simple on Military Integration” Hughes

states that there is a problem with Jim Crow in the Army. The black soldiers are

mistreated and given more work than the white soldiers. They are not given the

recognition they deserve for all they put up with. The fact that F.D. has so much going

for him but ends up going to the army takes away all the hope and faith that a normal

black man will ever be fully successful and happy. If F.D., who is so educated,

handsome, polite, and hardworking, cannot have a happy ending, how will anybody else

achieve that?

F.D. represents the ideal black man of the future. He is the all around good guy

who has everything going for him. He pursues both a job and education and is able to

have fun and get married. F.D. is responsible and understands the consequences of

certain actions. He serves and inspiration to others and makes them want to achieve

what he has. Although Hughes pushes the black community to make change and to

become better people, he also puts down the hope of anyone ever being able to have a

happy future. Hughes introduces the character of F.D. with so much pride and elegance

as the ideal black man, yet this man is not able to live happily. He has so much

potential but he will probably not get the opportunity to ever reach it.

Works Cited

Hughes, Langston. “A Hearty Amen.” The Best of Simple. 1961. New York: Hill and
Wang, 1992. 160-162.
--. “All in the Family.” The Best of Simple. 1961. New York: Hill and Wang, 1992. 144-
147.
--. “A Million-And One.” The Best of Simple. 1961. New York: Hill and Wang, 1992. 137-
141.
--. “Four Rings.” The Best of Simple. 1961. New York: Hill and Wang, 1992. 187-190.
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--. “The Come and They Go.” The Best of Simple. 1961. New York: Hill and Wang, 1992.
134-137.