Hate: A Driving Force -Blog 3

The word ‘hate’ has become a relatable term as a result of tragic actions carried out by members of the national and international community. Hate, being a strong word, is not a term used to explain something light,it holds a heavy and profound weight when it is utilized. To hate, is to have a distaste for the subject so deeply that one has no concern for the wellbeing, life, or fate of  the subject that the ‘hate’ is directed towards. In CP Patrick’s book “The Truth About Awiti”, there is a chapter entitled “Hate” (Chapter 18), the central male character innocently becomes a victim of a very violent and racially charged hate crime. He is beaten to a pulp, hung, and set on fire by a group of drunk white men while he was taking a shortcut home (Patrick, 182). He was simply a negro in the wrong place at the wrong time. However, in the novel, Patrick provided a supernatural platform for readers to have a chance to get to know the souls’ of certain characters. In regards to the “Athenian Thesis”, the central male character in the chapter “hate”, agrees with the “Athenian Thesis”, which can be seen through his life before death, and the actions after he transitions to spirit realm.

Prior to his physical death, the central male character in  “Hate” was forced to assume the weak position, and accept the situation as it is. This was reflected the moment the white men got out of their truck, and the central character states, “ I knew I was in a bad situation- two White men in the front with the driver, and three in the rear… Everything in me wanted to run, but I couldn’t” (181). Here the central character is placed in a double bind, because neither his option to run or his option of pretending to be calm would work out in his favor. He still ends up dead. Therefore, due to his current society’s flawed judicial system,(and negative perception of black people’s right to life or right to be considered a proper human), there was nothing the central character could do. He was weak, and forced to accept his situation as it is, which goes hand in hand with the second half of the “Athenian Thesis”.

Additionally, once the central character crosses over, he gains a new sense of self, his pain is gone, but he becomes hateful. Furthermore, the central character was able to find relief and deliverance from his physical misery through death. He states,” I know I didn’t feel free until the day I died… That was the feeling death could bring. Freedom from worrying day to day about being a Negro man in the wrong place at the wrong time. Their hate could no  longer hurt me” (185). The central character essentially expresses how through death, he was able to become something stronger because now he was free from the confines of his corrupted society. Moreover, his anger became his driving force. He explains that, his “. . . spirit was so angry. So full of hate for the men who had ended [his] life for a sport” (184). This switch in power dynamic shows the strength of the impact he could potentially have existing in this different dimension of reality. The consecutive build of his new abilities have shown his progress into the league of “the strong”, which is a component of the “Athenian thesis” that the central character’s situation exhibits.

Undoubtedly, with his new found powers in the spirit realm, and collaboration with Awiti, the power shift allows the central character to be thrusted into a new position of strength. Before meeting Awiti, the true revelation of the power shift was when the central character is able to seek vengence through causing the White men involved in his physical murder to crash to their demise in a deadly car wreck , which was not too far from where the men carried out his brutal murder (184). The central character carries out the “Athenian thesis” by being in the position of the strong and carrying out his vengeance because he had the power to do so, which is a concept his actions prove he agrees with. His engagement with Awiti enhances his belief in the “Athenian thesis” when they plot vengeance against all white people and those who support the hate they give, which can be seen when she fuels his hate by saying, “So why don’t we do them all due justice?” (185). Ultimately, after conspiring with Awiti, and causing a deadly storm, the central character surrenders his remaining intentions to the grips of hate. 

In essence, through his transition from weak to strong, within the theory of the “Athenian thesis”, through his circumstances it can be said that  the central character agrees with the thesis. One may argue that he remained weak because physically he lost his fight, however the spiritual fight and impact proves itself to have a stronger influence overall. Hate can be a driving force for many catastrophic events. This is a fact that has been proven in history, present day events, and in the central character’s circumstance. As a reader, being given the opportunity to observe the dynamics of a character is rewarding. All in all, power distributed, where there is an advantage and dominance. 
Source:Patrick, C. P. The Truth about Awiti. Field Order Press, 2015.