The Big BoxcarFive men and a woman, all African Americans, huddle in the rattling darkness of a boxcar headed north, away from a brutal South, seeking freedom and opportunity. They are joined by a white intruder whose own quest puts them all in great danger. Like Chaucer's pilgrims in The Canterbury Tales, each of these travelers has a story to tell, and these stories--of humor and humiliation, of prostitution and pride, of love and murder--unfold in the course of the journey. They reveal the lives and secrets of the tellers and give this transient community self-respect and solidarity as it hurtles toward arrest or worse. The Big Boxcar, written from a totally black perspective by a white author, bears witness to the structural racism of a social order that sets ordinary people of different colors against each other to the disadvantage of all. Alan Wald's introduction documents Maund's life of activism and his uncompromising commitment to social emancipation. |
Contents
A Southern Rebel in Cold War America Alan Wald | vii |
GoodRocking Poppas Story | 11 |
Shortys Story | 21 |
TeacherMans Story | 30 |
The Womans Story | 45 |
The Spooks Story | 106 |
Jonahs Story | 123 |
Sams Story | 150 |
What Happened in Birmingham | 167 |
Common terms and phrases
African Americans ain't Alexander Alfred Maund asked Big Boxcar Birmingham Blue Dahlia boy friend Canterbury Tales clothes Colonel Scruggs County Dawkins desk door eyes face feel fellow fight Fluke front gave George George Little girl going Good-Rocking Poppa Grace Lumpkin guess hand hard Hastie Jack Jerry Jimmy Jonah jumped Kaplin kimono knew Lauderdale County laughed looked Louise Lula Blue Major mama Marie Marie's mind Montgomery bus boycott moved Negro night nigra nose novel Orleans Orville Paefke policemen Professor Tatsumi pulled pushed racism road Sarah SCEF scooched Second Head sheriff Shorty side sitting smile Spook started stay stood stopped story stuck Talking Dog Teacher-Man tell thing thought told took Toolen train trouble trying turned waiting walked watch whiskey Willie Willie's window Woman words