Perfect Peace by Daniel Black is more than a novel, but it is also a place for silence voices to speak. Too many times have people faces countless injustices, which we can so perfectly see in Black’s novel through all the characters. This one of the major reasons why I love this book, that not one character faces troubles and prejudice solo, that it affects the entire community. Social injustices are present this novel through gender, class, race, sex, and gender identity.
There is one passage that I want to focus on because I believe it gives voice to those who have been maimed, silenced, and treated unjustly based on a part of their identity. Before Sol goes off to college he gives Paul the best advice he can give him as a brother. He says on page 218, “Just remember to be yourself. That’s all you have to do, just be yo’self. Some folks like you and some won’t, but it doesn’t matter. Not really. You’re the only one you have to live with. Folks ‘round here done talked about you real bad, little brother, and I’m afraid it’s not over yet. But I wouldn’t trade you for the world. Or change you. You’re the sweetest person I know, so stay that way, okay?”
The honesty that Sol gives to Paul is just plain amazing and beautiful. What better advice to give someone than to be yourself, really. Yet, the characters know as much as most readers that staying true to an identity can be close to impossible. It is evident throughout the story that Paul cannot be his true self because his environment does not allow him, and he doesn’t know who he really is. Few characters truly understand the injustices that Paul personally faces emotionally, sexually, physically, and psychologically because many fit perfectly into their expected gender roles. Obviously, there are more injustices in the book than gender, but Paul’s experience is more than difficult to ignore. I think that Paul’s character gives light to those in our world who don’t fit into the gender binary. It’s interesting to read this novel, which takes place in the 1940s onward, and comparing it to the 2010 experiences of those who have been silenced. Social injustices are more addressed in our time and I believe that we have progressed socially towards acceptance, but there are certainly still places that are unprogressive.
I like that Sol says, “not really” because there are times where other’s perceptions of us matter, or we make them matter. Black’s novel provides a number of characters that struggle with different parts of their identities, and it’s crucial to wrap our mind around the intersections. He also creates a story for the reader that is empathetic and sympathetic towards those who have been maimed for simply being who they are. Moreover, I think this novel is trying to give people that people are just people, and for some, living up to their true selves is a matter of life or death. It's truly unfortunate that some face violence, assault, and even death because someone has been made to believe that they are impure, or a disgrace to humanity in some way.
Community is crucial to surviving a traumatic and challenging life like Paul’s, especially when it relates to injustices. From my activism work and my understanding of people’s experiences from all backgrounds, I have learned that a community can move mountains. It takes more than the word community; it takes people that are committed to social change and social movements. I feel that in 2010 we are more able to find people who we can work with and promote social change. I believe that by sharing the voices of the disenfranchised we can expand and create acceptance in communities we never thought possible.We all have to use our voices and our words, like Black does, to show that maiming a person based on their sexuality, gender identity, race, class, age, and more is intolerable.
