Magical Negro
The magical negro (sometimes called the mystical negro or magic negro), according to some critics and commentators, is a stock character who appears in fiction of a variety of media. The word "negro", now considered offensive, is used intentionally to emphasize their belief that the archetype is a racist throwback. The term has been in use since at least the 1950s, but has since been popularized by Spike Lee, who dismissed the archetype of the "super-duper magical negro"[1] in 2001 while discussing films with students at Washington State University[2] and at Yale University.[3]
Description
When he first encounters the (invariably white) protagonist, the magical negro often appears as someone uneducated and in a low station of life, such as a janitor or prisoner. The black character is depicted as wiser and spiritually deeper than the protagonist, and the magical negro is often used as a plot device to help the protagonist get out of trouble, and to help the white character recognize his own faults and overcome them. As a plot device, the magical negro is similar to the Deus ex machina; a simple way for the protagonist to overcome an obstacle almost entirely through outside help.
The black character may literally have special powers, or he may be mysterious in a way that suggests otherworldliness. Although it is usually a well-meaning attempt to portray a positive black character, critics like Lee, Ariel Dorfman, and Aaron McGruder believe that the use of this stock character is racist, because it perpetuates the idea that blacks should be subordinate to whites. The racial roles of the archetype are rarely reversed (lower-class white character helps a troubled black character).
The magical negro's power arises (generally) from his or her closer connection to nature, with a corresponding absence of sophistication, education, and (white) culture. As such, the magical negro can be considered a form of the "noble savage" or "wise old man" archetype. Variants include the Native American who helps pragmatic whites discover their inner spirituality and brings them back in touch with nature, and the servant (of any non-white race) who sacrifices himself to save his master.
Examples
Examples of magical negroes as published by social commentators include:
- Noah Cullen (Sidney Poitier) in the film The Defiant Ones (1958) [1][2]
- The magical negro is a recurring archetype in novels by author Stephen King:
- Dick Hallorann in The Shining (1977), and either the 1980 film adaptation (Scatman Crothers) or the 1997 TV miniseries (Melvin Van Peebles) [2]
- Mother Abigail in The Stand (1978), and the 1994 TV miniseries (Ruby Dee) [2]
- John Coffey in The Green Mile (1996), and the 1999 film adaptation (Michael Clarke Duncan) [1][2][4]
- Oda Mae Brown (Whoopi Goldberg) in the film Ghost (1990) [1]
- Moses the Clock Man (Bill Cobbs) in the film The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) [1][3]
- Cash (Don Cheadle) in the film The Family Man (2000) [1][3][4]
- Bagger Vance (Will Smith) in the film The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000) [1][2][3][4]
- Angel/Cellmate (Gabriel Casseus) in the film Bedazzled (2000 film)
Note that black characters with apparent supernatural powers who are portrayed as independent, have a level of power roughly equivalent to that of other characters and who are not subservient to whites—such as Mace Windu (Samuel L. Jackson) in Star Wars, Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) in the Matrix series, and Storm (Halle Berry) in the X-Men—are not usually considered weakened magical negroes, nor are helpful non-white characters without some magical or fantastical element.
However, the common repetitive trend remains — that all these non-white characters are still not the main protagonists (heroes) in their storylines. Hence, the definition of the magic negro may also include non-white protagonists who continue to be teamed up with a white hero as well. The concern is that the magic negro may still be covertly used as a subordinate character to white protagonists. Even though they may play a central figure in a storyline, they are portrayed as being unable to solve challenges without the involvement of a white associate.
For these reasons, a black actor performing as God in a film (like Morgan Freeman in Bruce Almighty) is not generally considered an example of the magical negro archetype, although one commentator does.[1] Since God is not a character created by the author, and has neither race nor gender, a person of any race or gender could also be selected to perform the role, like Alanis Morissette in Dogma (although another commentator asserts that, "Chris Rock’s Thirteenth Apostle in Dogma is one example."[4])
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Rita Kempley (June 7, 2003). "Too Too Divine: Movies' 'Magic Negro' Saves the Day - but at the Cost of His Soul". Washington Post. Retrieved 2006-12-03.
- ^ a b c d e f Nnedi Okorafor-Mbachu (October 25, 2004). "Stephen King's Super-Duper Magical Negroes". from StrangeHorizons.com. Retrieved 2006-12-03.
- ^ a b c d Susan Gonzalez (March 2, 2001). "Director Spike Lee slams 'same old' black stereotypes in today's films". YALE Bulletin & Calendar. Retrieved 2006-12-03.
- ^ a b c d Audrey Colombe. "White Hollywood's new Black boogeyman". from eJumpCut.org. Retrieved 2006-12-03.