The Colors of the Hull Case

The colors that come up in the short story "The Hull House" are numerous and ambiguous. The colors mentioned often that seemed to have the most meaning were: white, black, gray, and blue.

White is a color usually indicative of innocence, youth, pureness, angelic, and perfection. Within the story, this is a wonderful description of Bessie. Not only is she white characterisically, but physically as well. She is a white female, innocent and pure, and when Bernie stumbles upon her when she is his nurse in a hopsital, she is dressed in a white uniform and her teeth are white as well. Clearly the author is attempting to describe to the reader the extent of innocence, pureness, and angelic perfection of this white girl (seemingly being corrupted and deceived by marrying this black man; which was the common idea of the anti inter-racial 60s)

White is also indicative of brightness and the unknown. When people often have near death experiences they retell their stories of going toward the "white light" although no one ever knows what the white light is or where it leads. Within the story the lights of the UFO, as described by Bessie, are white (and red); they remain to her and to all who hear her story very mysterious. Also, when Bernie retells his memory of the experience, under hypnosis, he claims he remembers the "pale figures, the bliding wall of light, and the great white sails". It is highly unlikely that the figures were pure, innocent, being, although they were undoubtedly myserious. The "blinding wall of light" could be synonymous with the "white light" as seen by those who go through a near death experience; Bernie clearly does not remember what he was around or what was going on when the "blinding wall of light" hit, he simply remembers the tunnel of light he saw. Lastly, the "great white sails" Bernie claims to have seen are interesting, because white sails are usually a sign of surrenderment and giving up; however, these aliens were clearly not giving up but rather taking over; a better color that could have potentially been given to the sail would be black.

Black is synonymous with death, power, darkness, bad (evil), mystery, and fear. Bernie is a black man, in the 60s, someone who was evil and mysterious. He was considered evil and mysterious simply because he was not white and therefore unknown; and to people of any time period 60s or present day, the unknown is frightening and evil, it is just human reaction. Not only do white people fear Bernie, a black man, he fears them, and their reactions toward his life and marriage to a white woman, the essence of purity, wholeness, and innocence. He is not naiive of the times in which he lives and is fearful of cops (most of which assume he is hurting or stealing Bessie, who is only his wife, when they pull him over and see the two together) and what people will think of him as well as Bessie, after she tells her story. Bernie fears for their reputation, his is already on eggshells being that he is living against the norm of the times, and living and being married to a white woman. He also fears having a child, and in a way is greatful of the miscarriages (deaths) of the children since he is fearful of the life they will endure as being half white and half black. Clearly the color black was a good choice for describing Bernie, both physically and emotionally.

The Colonel's driver also happened to be black and he was a very mysterious fellow as well. Not much was said about him in the story, other than he was in the Air Force, and he and Bernie did not get to go very indepth in their conversation, so he too remains very mysterious to us, the readers.

The bruises on Bessie's palm were also black (and blue). She received the bruise from when the aliens were performing tests on her and she was squeezing Bernie's dentures so hard she bruised. Clealy, she was in pain, not to mention fearful for her life and being overpowered by some crazy, mysterious creatures. So the bruise on her palm is a physical indication of her fear, pain, and being overpowered by mysterious creatures.

Another color that was mentioned within the story was the color gray. Gray is usually associated with dull, gloomy, bland, and "the unknown" not being black or white. The aliens were described by Bessie as "short gray men". Although she did not go into much detail, they don't seem extravagent or happy but rather bland and gloomy. They captured them to do their tests and when their mission was accomplished they let them (Bessie and Bernie) go. They will remain mysterious, since recollections of both witnesses were undescriptive.

The last color mentioned was the color blue. Usually indicative of happiness, depth, tranquility, and stability, it seems in the story that it is meant to be taken the complete opposite direction. Blue is used to describe the water of Niagra Falls, the falls themselves, the mist, and the tears Bessie shed on the boat. Clearly, none of these describe happiness, depth, tranquility, or stability. The falls are not tranquil or stable but rather forceful and rapid. The mist is not deep, very shallow, but blinding. And Bessie's tears are not significance of happiness, but rather sadness and sickness.

Evidently, the colors used in the short story "The Hull Case" are very important and useful; however, in some cases, as in the color blue, they are used in the opposite way they are usually indicative of.