That I Had the Wings
That I Had the Wings, along with Ellison’s other Riley and Buster stories, presents the black experience through the mundane experiences of two children. What is confusing to me in this story is what exactly Ellison’s point is. The boys constantly put down and told that they cannot do what they want to do because of their race. Aunt Kate, representing the old slave culture remains a constant figure in the boys time, to tell them what they cannot do. When Riley attempts to do something, make the chickens fly, he miserably fails and kills the chickens. He gets the chickens flying for a moment before it all comes crashing down. What exactly does Ellison mean by this? It seems very much like he lacks hope in black advancement. The boys learn that by trying to do something different they may succeed briefly but in the end they will fail.
I too was a bit confused by what Ellison’s point was in all the flying and failing stories. Perhaps he is trying to make the point that when trying to fly (move forward) you won’t necessarily do it on the first try and that it takes failure to get to where you want to be. So instead of arguing that he lacks hope for black advancement, I think he is saying that it will just take time and effort. Especially in the last piece of Flying Home with the image of the black bird rising up into the sunset, Ellison definitely seems to be portraying an image of hope rather than failure.
Hi Marielle, I think Ellison’s point is that the color of the boys’ skin prevents them from flying, i.e. succeeding in life or accomplishing their goals. The chick flying for a moment is an allegory for the Black race’s limited freedoms. Black people are constantly put down and told that they cannot do what they want to do just as the boys are because of their race. The chick crashing down demonstrates that even if Blacks are given a bit of freedom, their success is short lived and they will continue to be reprimanded by society.