BERRY

In Berry by Langston Hughes we have the theme of connection, racism, dishonesty, greed,
acceptance, compassion and responsibility. Narrated in the third person by an unnamed narrator
the reader realises after reading the story that Hughes may be exploring the theme of connection.
Milberry through his efforts at the Home manages to connect with the young disabled children. It
is as though he understands their difficulties and rather than ignore them as others do. He helps
them to the best of his abilities. Spending most of his time after he has finished working playing
with the children. Symbolically Milberry’s connection with the children may also be important
as Hughes could be using the physical disabilities of the children to highlight the social disability
that Milberry has to endure due to his skin colour. Everybody, apart from the children, takes
advantage of Milberry. He is paid less than the previous kitchen-boy simply because of his skin
colour and those who work in the home are prepared to see Milberry do their work rather than do
the work for themselves. If anything Hughes may be highlighting how dishonest those in the
Home actually are. Something that is clear to Milberry and the reader by way of the fact that the
children are treated so badly.

If anything the main purpose of the Home is not to take care of the children but rather to make a
profit. Which may suggest that those in charge of the home are monetizing the misfortune of
others for their own gain. Something which some readers may suggest is an example of greed. It
may also be a case that Milberry is wise enough to know that he is being taken advantage of. He
appears to have a good insight into each of the employees at the Home and the reader leans
towards Milberry’s assertions about them. Though Milberry looks unfavourably towards others
he is not wrong in his assessment of each individual’s character. The fact that Milberry is the
only black person at the Home may also be important as Hughes could be suggesting that
Milberry due to his skin colour is in the minority. That he faces an uphill battle when it comes to
the other employees in the home. If this is the case then Hughes is again placing a spotlight on
racism and how widespread it may actually have been at the time the story was written.

The fact that Milberry never complains about the position he is put in by the other employees
might also be important as there is a sense that Milberry due to his skin colour accepts the role
that he must play in the Home. Something that would have been common at the time for many
black people. Not only did black people have to take a lower wage than white people but they
also had to accept that white people considered themselves to be superior and as such would
dictate to black people. Hughes may also be suggesting that Milberry only stays at the Home for
one reason. He knows what it is like to be hungry and does not wish to experience that feeling
again. Though he knows he is being taken advantage of he would prefer to be in employment
than not having a job at all. Also Milberry is attached to the children in the Home. If anything
Milberry is the only one who feels for them or cares about them. This may be important as not
only does it suggest that Milberry has the ability to connect with the children but he also is
compassionate enough to understand their pain.

The end of the story is also interesting as Hughes appears to be exploring the theme of
responsibility. Milberry is blamed for the breaking of the wheelchair yet he is not responsible.
The reader left feeling that should Milberry be white than Dr Renfield would have accepted that
the breaking of the wheelchair was an accident. How dishonest Dr Renfield actually may be is
noticeable by the fact that he fires Milberry and deducts eight dollars from his wages. Leaving
Milberry with no money or no prospects. Which may be the point that Hughes is attempting to
make. It is possible that he is suggesting that black people at the time where reliant on white
people in order to survive. By firing Milberry for no good reason Dr Renfield has created an
obstacle for Milberry. The children too will be at a loss. Something that does not seem to register
with Dr Renfield and further suggests to the reader that the Home is being run for profit. It is also
interesting that nobody helps Milberry or intervenes. It is as though Milberry is being judged not
only for something he did not do but by his skin colour too. If anything there are two injustices in
the story. How the children are treated and how Milberry is treated.

SUMMARY
Berry is about a young black man called Millberry Jones who is employee at Dr. Renfield's
Home for Crippled Children. He was reluctantly employed by Mrs. Osborn, the housekeeper,
because the Scandinavian kitchen boy had left without notice, leaving her no choice in hiring
Berry. Her reluctance to hire Berry stemmed from his race, initiating questions like where he
would sleep? How would the other servants react to the presence of a Negro? She had a meeting
with Dr. Renfield and they decided to hire Millberry on a reduced salary. He was overworked
and underpaid, but took solace in the children, whom he loved. An unfortunate incident occurred,
however, where a child fell from his wheel chair while in the care of Berry. The result was that
Berry was fired and given no salary for the week that he had worked.

SETTING
• Dr. Renfiled's Home for Crippled Children
• New Jersey coast

CHARACTERS
Millbury Jones (Berry)
• A Black male, approximately 20 years old.
• Described as good natured and strong.
• Poor and uneducated.
• Very observant and intuitive about people and places.
• Very good with children due to his gentleness.

Mrs. Osborn
• The housekeeper at the children's home.
• Rumoured to be in love with Dr. Renfield.
• Very high handed with her staff, but docile with Dr. Renfield.
• Displays racist characteristics in subtle forms.
Dr. Renfield
• Rumoured to have romantic affairs with his female staff.
• Berry observes that the Home is 'Doc Renfield's own private gyp game' (Hughes, p. 162),
meaning that he runs his establishment for his own profit, instead of a desire to take genuine care
of the children.
• He is blatantly racist.

THEMES
Racism
This theme is apparent when Berry was being considered for employment at the Home. Mrs.
Osborn was concerned about where Berry would sleep, implying that he could not sleep with the
white servants because he was considered to be beneath them. His salary was also cut due to his
race, and he was overworked, with no discussions of days off, 'everybody was imposing on him
in that taken-for-granted way white folks do with Negro help.' (Hughes, 162). Even more
importantly, when the unfortunate accident occurred with the child, there was no attempt at
discerning what had occurred that led to the incident, but blame was laid on the obvious person -
Berry. As a result, he was relieved of his job a hail of racist slurs.