Incognegro Analysis Essay Example

Incognegro is a graphic novel written by Mat Johnson and illustrated by Warren  Pleece. The graphic novel is set in the early 20th century; during this era, lynchings were common, especially in the southern states of America. Amid these tragic and horrific situations, a few courageous reporters from the North risked their lives to expose these atrocities. These courageous reporters were African American men who could "pass" as white men because of their skin color. Among those was Zane Pinchback, a fair-skinned reporter of African American Heritage from New York who has to don a disguise as a white man and goes by the identity of incognegro.

Nevertheless, he must stay "incognegro" to uncover the murders of black individuals. Thus Incognegro explores the issues of passing and the investigations of lynchings. This paper will closely examine page 18 and how identity is malleable because characters in the novel can transform into different identities and move around without any limits. 

What is compelling about this graphic novel is the use of black and white illustrations. The use of black and white is purposeful in that the removal of color plays an essential role in the theme of identity. Warren Pleece draws the illustration in black and white with the purpose that one should not be able to differentiate the characters' identities, supporting the fact that identity is fluid. Towards the end of the novel, Zane states that he believes that identity is "open-ended, why just have one?" ( Mat 129). Throughout this philosophy, Zane can take on different identities by passing as a white man. Although Zane states that he does not put on a mask when he goes incognegro, his disguise is a form of masking. The idea of masking stems from Francis Fanon's essay "Black Skin, White Mask. " Fanon is a psychiatrist from Martinique who shares his own experiences with racism as he arrived in France.

Similarly, Fanon's essay also talks about the annihilation of black bodies by the white gaze. He states that the white gaze holds great power to demolish one's being. He says that "...in the train it was no longer a question of being aware of his body in the third person but in a triple person (Fanon 259)". At this point, Fanon fully grasps that the racial schemas already predetermine his identity, and he finds himself experiencing psychological stress. Trapped in this identity crisis Fanon realizes that he can only construct his identity based on the predetermined schema. In a sense, his body is no longer his, but instead, it is a product of history. 

On the other hand, Zane's identity is also predetermined by his history as a mulatto. However, unlike Fanon, Zane uses his lighter complexion to take on the incognegro identity to fight for racial justice. One prime example of Zane taking on a different identity occurs on page 18. There are three key ideas that this section explores. First focusing on the second panel, passing is one of the concepts evident here. Zane is in the process of transforming into his white man identity. He lays out the history of how he came to be and why he can pass. Through the reflection of himself in the mirror, a woman can be seen forcefully pushed on the bed by a man. This symbolizes that the rape of Black women was a result of his existence, and that is how he can pass freely as a white man. Secondly, panel three also shows that Zane can take on this identity because of the hypocrisy of the White race. He states that White people refuse to reflect on their wrongdoings, and therefore he can transform and move around as a white man because his physical features are accepted as the norm. This goes to show that, in a way, Zane is criticizing the White man's ideology of "seeing what they want to see." This scene is significant in that, unlike the White individuals, Zane is able to reflect and see the wrongdoings of American history that Whites are not able to see. 

Connecting this to page 19, Zane elaborates on this American ideology. He states that "Race is a strategy" ( Mat 19). Such a concept is also evident in the 13th Amendment documentary. This documentary encompasses the racial injustices that Black people went through after the passing of the 13th Amendment. Using this law, White men in power used race and color to segregate Whites from Blacks. Additionally, racist films such as the "Birth of a Nation." Portrayed  Blacks as animalistic and inhumane, and many were lynched as a result. In the graphic novel, Zane uses the same rhetoric of "Race being a strategy" to his advantage. He recognizes that he can assimilate into the white race and use it as a weapon to find justice for the Black community. 

The third concept that is explored on page 18 is the incognegro identity. It is important to note that the incognegro identity offers Zane an outlet to move across without any limitations. However, we see that this identity does not only refer to Zane. Different characters can take on this identity. For instance, Zane and Carl can take on the identity of incognegro by their own will. However, this same identity is also forced on to the Klansman.

Further supporting the idea that identity is fluid, it can be shared, transformed into, and even forced onto others. This is not the only place that characters in the novel have shared identities or are transformed into. Although Francis is a female, she was also able to navigate the world as a man, and at the same time, she was also forced to take on Michaela's identity. 

Although characters in the novel can fluidly take on identities, the idea is that taking on more than one identity can be both dangerous and beneficial. Yes, it can offer one an outlet for making change; however, taking on different identities could result in tragedy. Connecting back to page 18, Zane once again takes advantage of the mind of white people. Knowing that White people only see what they want to see, he imposes the incognegro identity on the Klansman and causes the people to view the Klansman as Black, and they do. In essence, Zane forcefully assimilates the Klansman as a Black man to seek justice for Black people. This shows that identity can be constructed; it can be shared and forced onto others.