Hemingway's Observation

179 Words1 Pages
So, he's talking about the fact that he notices a shift in the atmosphere when he, as a black man, enters a room, a street, or any space, where the other people are white. It may be the use of the word "ability," that's confusing, because usually abilities are things we want to have, things we have chosen, things we are in control of. This ability, however, he describes as "an unwieldy inheritance." He does not want to have it. He does not want to change the atmosphere as easily as he does, for one, he's not changing the atmosphere in a way that he would like to, and moreover, it's a power that he does not have power over, that is, it is other people's reactions to him that are powerful. In my opinion, he uses the word ability intentionally,