Assignment 1
“Big Black Good man:” Olaf’s Inadequacies.

Olaf, an average man with an average life has an average job that he sees as respectable and he believes his life is good. However, when he saw Jim for the first time, his life turned upside-down. His own inner fears overcome him. His own insecurities gripped himself. With each passing day, the fears and hatred became more obvious in his thoughts. In “Big Black Good Man”, because the author uses jealousy, insecurity, fear and admiration, the underlying factors of male inadequacy comes to light.

From the onset of the story, Olaf begins to verbalize about how well his life turned out; while he secretly wished that he had had a better life and for a better reality. Whether he referenced his wife, his successful crops or traveling the world, Olaf uses these triumphs as hyperbole of what is really a melancholy life; desiring to rather be with many women, his infertility or the void he felt in not achieving greatness. Olaf questioned that “Maybe I could of got rich if I’d stayed in America” (208). When asked how much money the big black man has to put away, and Jim responds, “Two thousand six hundred” (210), Olaf’s expression brings his jealousy full circle. The smallness in every aspect of Olaf’s life, compared to the perceived largeness of Jim’s, was too much for Olaf to handle.
As evidenced from the initial confrontation with Jim, Olaf is overtaken by a sense of inadequacy, referring instantaneously to Jim as a “black giant” (209). Even though this was Olaf’s workplace, the person in command was Jim. A man never wants to feel like a visitor in his own home. Yet with Jim’s stature and demeanor, Olaf could not help but feel that he was small. Enroute to the room, Jim takes his own bag, suggesting that he knows Olaf is the weaker man. Jim playfully mocks Olaf saying, “That’s too heavy for you, big boy; I’ll take it” (210). Without a word of anger, or any hint of danger, Olaf allowed his insecurities to surrender himself and feel beaten. The chastising that began from the original conversation, to the awareness of his physical weakness made redefined how insignificant Jim considered Olaf.
It is natural for a man to size up to another, almost as natural as it is for one to know his place on the totem pole. Fear often times makes ones place more obvious. It was evident from the script, that both Jim and Olaf knew their respective and appropriate roles, particularly when Jim took such a relaxed tone towards Olaf, “You got a room?” (209), “big boy” (210), “Daddy-O” (216). It was also apparent that Olaf panicked at the pure thought of how big of a man that Jim was when thinking to himself, "too big, too black, too loud, and probably too violent. . ." (209) and “He could kill me with one blow” (210). When Jim wrapped his hands around Olaf’s throat, that motion was the personification of everything he dreaded coming true about this big black giant. During the year that past between Jim’s visits, Olaf’s hatred and fantasies grew.
Throughout the story, just as he misrepresented the accolades of his life, Olaf wished that he were able to switch places with Jim. He admired everything about Jim in a condescending way. He was so detailed in his description, that it can be inferred that Olaf was actually attracted to Jim; not necessarily in a homosexual manner, but as the epitome of what a man should be. Even when Jim first wraps his hands around his neck, scaring Olaf to the point of soiling himself, there was still a sense of respect for Jim. Respect in the form of obeying, not screaming, or even fighting back with Jim “He was showing me how easily he could kill me” (214). It was almost as if Olaf wanted to live through the life of a real man. This admiration only confuses the reader to feel that racism is the reason for Olaf's resentment.
As evidenced above, though Jim was definitely guilty of playing along by making Olaf uncomfortable, there was no tangible reason for the hate expressed so intensely by Olaf toward Jim. The misunderstanding of the aforementioned themes of jealousy, insecurity, fear, and admiration were mere scapegoats for Olaf’s agitation towards his own manhood and life.

Works Cited
Wright, R. (1958). Big black good man. 207 - 216.