The Souls of Black Folk · Chapter
The Afterthought explained
A prayerful epilogue in which the narrator implores God that his book may inspire thought and righteous action, lamenting the hypocrisy of human brotherhood in a time of national guilt.
What happens
A prayerful epilogue in which the narrator implores God that his book may inspire thought and righteous action, lamenting the hypocrisy of human brotherhood in a time of national guilt.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Resolution.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This chapter marks the dramatic climax because it presents the emotional and psychological peak of Du Bois's p…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- The Sorrow Songs
The prayerful, spiritual tone echoes the sorrow songs' longing for deliverance and justice.
Characters to notice
- The Narrator
The voice of the prayer, addressing God the Reader and pleading for the book's impact.
Key passages
“Hear my cry, O God the Reader; vouchsafe that this my book fall not stillborn into the world wilderness.”
Listen to my plea, O Reader as God; grant that this book not be born dead into a barren world.
The narrator invokes the reader as a divine witness, hoping the book will have life and purpose.
“Let the ears of a guilty people tingle with truth, and seventy millions sigh for the righteousness which exalteth nations, in this drear day when human brotherhood is mockery and a snare.”
May a guilty nation be stung by truth, and may its millions yearn for the righteousness that uplifts nations, in this dark time when brotherhood is a hollow pretense and a trap.
A call for national awakening to the hypocrisy of proclaimed brotherhood amid racial oppression.
