# The Narrator — The Souls of Black Folk character guide

> The Narrator in The Souls of Black Folk by W. E. B. Du Bois.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Unknown, I, mine, myself

**First appearance:** 0001-the-forethought

## Snapshot

The unnamed scholar-teacher who moves between Georgia's log schoolhouses and Northern lecture halls, measuring the distance between Emancipation's promise and its bitter aftermath.

## Who they are

He is the book's guiding consciousness: a Black intellectual who has lived behind the Veil in both the rural South and the urban North, speaking now as witness, now as analyst. His defining tension is the 'double aim' he names so precisely—the pull to lift his own people while answering a white world that despises the very beauty he loves. That unresolved contradiction drives the early essays, turning each chapter into both confession and diagnosis.

## In the story

### [Dedication](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_souls_of_black_folk_se/chapters/dedication)

The author dedicates the book to his children.

### [The Forethought](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_souls_of_black_folk_se/chapters/the-forethought)

The authorial voice, W. E. B. Du Bois, speaks directly to the reader, introducing the book's purpose and themes.

### [The Souls of Black Folk](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_souls_of_black_folk_se/chapters/the-souls-of-black-folk)

Du Bois speaks in the first person, introducing his personal perspective and the overarching themes of the book.

### [Of Our Spiritual Strivings](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_souls_of_black_folk_se/chapters/i-of-our-spiritual-strivings)

Du Bois speaks as the narrator, articulating the collective spiritual strivings and double consciousness of Black Americans.

### [II: Of the Dawn of Freedom](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_souls_of_black_folk_se/chapters/ii-of-the-dawn-of-freedom)

Provides a historical analysis of the Freedmen's Bureau and the era of Reconstruction.

### [Of Mr. Booker T. Washington and Others](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_souls_of_black_folk_se/chapters/iii-of-mr-booker-t-washington-and-others)

Provides critical analysis of Booker T. Washington's leadership and program.

### [Of the Meaning of Progress](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_souls_of_black_folk_se/chapters/iv-of-the-meaning-of-progress)

Reflects on his past as a teacher in Tennessee and returns to the community years later.

### [V: Of the Wings of Atalanta](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_souls_of_black_folk_se/chapters/v-of-the-wings-of-atalanta)

The narrator lives at Atlanta University and observes the city's transformation and the students' pursuit of higher ideals.

### [Of the Training of Black Men](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_souls_of_black_folk_se/chapters/vi-of-the-training-of-black-men)

Du Bois reflects on the value of higher education and the intellectual companionship he finds across the color line.

### [Of the Black Belt](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_souls_of_black_folk_se/chapters/vii-of-the-black-belt)

Travels through Georgia, observing and reflecting on the conditions of Black life in the Black Belt.

### [Of the Quest of the Golden Fleece](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_souls_of_black_folk_se/chapters/viii-of-the-quest-of-the-golden-fleece)

Observes and analyzes the economic and social conditions of Black farmers in Dougherty County.

### [IX: Of the Sons of Master and Man](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_souls_of_black_folk_se/chapters/ix-of-the-sons-of-master-and-man)

Reflects on the color line, social contact, and the need for Black leadership.

### [X: Of the Faith of the Fathers](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_souls_of_black_folk_se/chapters/x-of-the-faith-of-the-fathers)

Provides analytical perspective on the development and role of Negro religion.

### [XI: Of the Passing of the Firstborn](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_souls_of_black_folk_se/chapters/xi-of-the-passing-of-the-firstborn)

Du Bois recounts the birth, life, and death of his firstborn son, expressing profound grief and philosophical reflection on race and the Veil.

### [Of Alexander Crummell](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_souls_of_black_folk_se/chapters/xii-of-alexander-crummell)

The narrator who meets Alexander Crummell at a Wilberforce commencement and later reflects on his life and legacy.

### [Of the Coming of John](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_souls_of_black_folk_se/chapters/xiii-of-the-coming-of-john)

Provides the overarching perspective on the two Johns and the racial dynamics of Altamaha.

### [XIV: The Sorrow Songs](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_souls_of_black_folk_se/chapters/xiv-the-sorrow-songs)

Reflects on the personal and historical significance of the Sorrow Songs, connecting them to his own ancestry and the collective Black experience.

### [The Afterthought](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_souls_of_black_folk_se/chapters/the-afterthought)

The voice of the prayer, addressing God the Reader and pleading for the book's impact.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_souls_of_black_folk_se/characters/narrator
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_souls_of_black_folk_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_souls_of_black_folk_se/characters