The Power of Music in the Autobiography of a Former Black Man To understand the power of music, this essay analyzes the role of music in The autobiography of a former black man by Johnson a former black man, in the Autobiography, the narrator is able to marry the two halves of his musical identity in a way that he is unable to do with his racial identity. Whether it is the black and white keys of the piano, classical music and popular music, or high versus low art, dichotomous musical relationships coexist harmoniously in the novel. This is demonstrated by the narrator's successful performance of his “ragtime transcription of Mendelssohn's Wedding March” (118). Ragtime music has its roots in African rhythms, while Mendelssohn's piece comes from European classical traditions, and the narrator's successful combination of black and white music earns him “generous applause” (119). The power of art, and more specifically, the power of music, is highlighted by the musical talent and success of the narrator. Johnson uses music to create a world that sees beyond race, ethnicity, class, and gender. As readers, we are deeply attuned to the narrator's musical endeavors; it is the kind of outlet he finds from “all the little tragedies of [his] life” (3). As stated by the billionaire friend, “Music is a universal art; someone's music belongs to everyone; you can't limit it to race or country” (144). The idealization of art and music provides relief from the novel's melodramatic tendencies and the mulatto-like tragic aspects it contains. The music is more than a commentary on the narrator's life; rather, it is the glue that holds the fragments of his shattered identity together. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The narrator's musical identity presents an interesting juxtaposition to his racial identity. During his musical training he chooses not to be "hindered" by notes and tries to "reproduce the required sounds without the slightest recourse to written characters" (9). The ease with which the narrator can manipulate the music to suit his tastes is highlighted by the way he "unintentionally closes Chopin's thirteenth nocturne with [a] major triad" (209) and forces accelerandos and rubati into a piece as he sees fit . The former black man chooses to "break" the rules when it comes to music but chooses to "follow" the rules when he feels his racial identity has been compromised. With music, the narrator never feels like he has to choose between being black or white. He is often “lost in all other thoughts in the pleasures of music and love” and unconsciously plays with strong feeling and musical fervor (37). These unconscious thoughts often oppose the narrator's intense awareness of his physiognomy, being the “ivory whiteness of [his] skin, the beauty of [his] mouth, or “the size and liquid darkness in [his] eyes” (17). The simplicity of constructing a musical identity versus the complexity of constructing a racial one is evident in Johnson's novel, where the author uses music to transcend his own identity and further amplify the power of music. The former black man attempts to cross many boundaries both literally and metaphorically. , but only through music can he successfully overcome boundaries. Because music gives the narrator the potential to complete his identity, it is important to examine the point at which he chooses to abandon his roots. The lynching scene is a crucial moment in the novel; not only causes the narrator to deny his black heritage, but heit also leads to him completely abandoning his musical aspirations. In this scene, Johnson portrays the “cruel and ridiculous” (190) actions of white Southerners, but more importantly, illustrates the dehumanization of blacks, who were “treated worse than animals” (191). This lynching scene is the final turning point of the novel and transforms the narrator from confident to cynical. Society recognizes and embraces musical hybridity during this violent episode, the audience quickly draws the line between the narrator's dual identity. The narrator is torn between his love of black music and the comfort of being a white man. The narrator's constant failure may be frustrating to contemporary readers, but it is important to remember that there was no society that embraced both black and white as there is today. In the novel, society forces the narrator to be black or white, which music never does. The novel contains several melodramatic episodes, and the narrator's abandonment of his musical aspirations conveniently makes his life more tragic. At the end of the novel, music becomes “tangible remains of “a vanished dream, a dead ambition, and a sacrificed talent” (211). It becomes nothing more than a distant memory that the narrator can idealize through his memories. But despite the tragic outcome of his life, the former black man's musical intuitions never abandon him. Even at the end of the novel, he still provides the man with a promise of hope. This is highlighted in the scene with the white woman, as the narrator manipulates Chopin's thirteenth nocturne by ending it with a major triad instead of a minor triad. The narrator rewrites the ending of the piece with a happy sounding chord in hopes of washing away the sadness that has occurred in his life. The original end of Chopin's piece sounded ominous in a minor key, inspiring a darker atmosphere. This shows that for the narrator, music provides the medium for hope, as he states how “the few years of [his] married life were exceedingly happy” (209). Music offers the narrator the kind of reality he wishes to see. The presence of music attracts him to his wife and is the fuel of happiness in their marriage. By comparing the narrator's life to his music, Johnson shows that it is life that disappoints him, not music. For example, he considers the evenings when his mother opened the piano as the “happiest hours of [his] childhood” (9) and wins his father's adoration when he plays a Chopin waltz. The narrator also used music to express feelings of love from his childhood, recalling, “when I played the piano, it was for her” (30). At a benefit concert to honor his mother's death, it is his stirring performance of Beethoven's Pathétique that allows him to raise enough money to attend college. Additionally, the narrator finds financial success by teaching music at night to a couple of pupils and finds greater opportunities by playing privately for his billionaire friend as he travels around Europe. The narrator's musical endeavors allow him to receive love and adoration from his parents and express his passionate love for others. It also provides him with a stable income for most of his life. Unfortunately, it is the circumstances of his life that negate all of the narrator's musical success, from the theft of college money to the tragedy of his wife's untimely death. In this regard, Johnson leads the reader to sympathize with his protagonist's misfortune. While music cannot change the downward trajectory of the former black man's life, it helps him deal with many of his misfortunes. Music is the simple and non-objective outlet for the narrator; can easily change the outcome of.