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Jesse’s father, married to Jesse’s mother, raised Jesse to become a racist like him. In an extended flashback, he mocks Black peoples’ singing in front of Jesse and teaches him to mistrust his Black friend Otis. He ultimately takes Jesse to witness a brutal lynching, putting Jesse onto his shoulders so he can watch the entire event unobstructed. After watching the lynching victim be castrated and killed, Jesse feels deep love for his father and thinks that he “had revealed to [Jesse] a great secret which would be the key to his life forever.” In this way, Jesse’s father’s presence in the story shows how racism is passed on from one generation to the next.
Jesse’s Father Quotes in Going to Meet the Man
The Going to Meet the Man quotes below are all either spoken by Jesse’s Father or refer to Jesse’s Father. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Going to Meet the Man
Quotes
“Well, I told you,” said his father, “you wasn’t never going to forget this picnic.” His father’s face was full of sweat, his eyes were very peaceful. At that moment Jesse loved his father more than he had ever loved him. He felt that his father had carried him through a mighty test, had revealed to him a great secret which would be the key to his life forever.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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Jesse’s Father Quotes in Going to Meet the Man
The Going to Meet the Man quotes below are all either spoken by Jesse’s Father or refer to Jesse’s Father. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Going to Meet the Man
Quotes
“Well, I told you,” said his father, “you wasn’t never going to forget this picnic.” His father’s face was full of sweat, his eyes were very peaceful. At that moment Jesse loved his father more than he had ever loved him. He felt that his father had carried him through a mighty test, had revealed to him a great secret which would be the key to his life forever.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
