by J. Benjamin Hoskins

I pushed open the swinging door and stood with my back against it, holding it for Bettye; and she passed through, the cold outwashing of the air-conditioning brushing back her dark hair and molding her elegant dress to her elegant form. We trod the deep soft carpet, marching up to the low thick tasseled cord crossing the hall like a power line, and I stood there with her hand on my arm, waiting, while the gentle music issued from the background and our eyes adjusted to the quiet lighting. And the waiters moved among the tables before, bringing domed platters, and from time to time the conversation ascended above the music: now a word, now a phrase, sensed for a moment, then forgotten, as a fish leaps high before sinking back into the ocean.

And he approached at last, from the far side, a big man in the portly splendor of his uniform, the maitre d'. And the buttons shone and his hair was gray, just so, at the temple, and his bearing was assured and he was a handsome man. And his skin was the color of burnished walnut, so rich against his pale wide lips; darker, much darker, than my skin; and he stood against the cord and he looked at us and he said, "We don't serve Negroes here."

Dear Mr. Hoskins,

Thank you for considering us as a market. While your story shows promise, both your title and your treatment are too obvious and somewhat dated in the light of recent legal decisions. I suggest you change the title and adapt the story to fit something a little closer to your own experience—perhaps an incident in your own house that gave you some special insight into the nature of racial or aesthetic prejudice.

Please be on guard against the overuse of the word "and," particularly at the beginning of a sentence. And be careful of irrelevant metaphor; a fish in water hardly matches the mood of civil-rights conflict.

Sincerely,

Brian Thurgood, Editor

Dear Mr. Thurgood,

Thank you for your comment on "Frustration." I had intended the fish as part of the larger allegorical framework of the story, wherein the conversation rises above the ocean of music but, like a fish, soon falls back; the whole foreshadowing the rising hopes of the protagonist, who also must fall back into frustration. The irony was that another Negro had to be the one to clarify just how deep this ocean of indifference was. But I'm sure that your points were well taken and that the story was too obvious, and have accordingly retitled it

"Beauty" (as in "Eye of the Beholder") and changed the setting to a private residence. I hope this meets your approval.

Alien Plot
titlepage.xhtml
Alien_Plot_split_000.html
Alien_Plot_split_001.html
Alien_Plot_split_002.html
Alien_Plot_split_003.html
Alien_Plot_split_004.html
Alien_Plot_split_005.html
Alien_Plot_split_006.html
Alien_Plot_split_007.html
Alien_Plot_split_008.html
Alien_Plot_split_009.html
Alien_Plot_split_010.html
Alien_Plot_split_011.html
Alien_Plot_split_012.html
Alien_Plot_split_013.html
Alien_Plot_split_014.html
Alien_Plot_split_015.html
Alien_Plot_split_016.html
Alien_Plot_split_017.html
Alien_Plot_split_018.html
Alien_Plot_split_019.html
Alien_Plot_split_020.html
Alien_Plot_split_021.html
Alien_Plot_split_022.html
Alien_Plot_split_023.html
Alien_Plot_split_024.html
Alien_Plot_split_025.html
Alien_Plot_split_026.html
Alien_Plot_split_027.html
Alien_Plot_split_028.html
Alien_Plot_split_029.html
Alien_Plot_split_030.html
Alien_Plot_split_031.html
Alien_Plot_split_032.html
Alien_Plot_split_033.html
Alien_Plot_split_034.html
Alien_Plot_split_035.html
Alien_Plot_split_036.html
Alien_Plot_split_037.html
Alien_Plot_split_038.html
Alien_Plot_split_039.html
Alien_Plot_split_040.html
Alien_Plot_split_041.html
Alien_Plot_split_042.html
Alien_Plot_split_043.html
Alien_Plot_split_044.html
Alien_Plot_split_045.html
Alien_Plot_split_046.html
Alien_Plot_split_047.html
Alien_Plot_split_048.html
Alien_Plot_split_049.html
Alien_Plot_split_050.html
Alien_Plot_split_051.html
Alien_Plot_split_052.html
Alien_Plot_split_053.html
Alien_Plot_split_054.html
Alien_Plot_split_055.html
Alien_Plot_split_056.html
Alien_Plot_split_057.html
Alien_Plot_split_058.html
Alien_Plot_split_059.html
Alien_Plot_split_060.html
Alien_Plot_split_061.html
Alien_Plot_split_062.html
Alien_Plot_split_063.html
Alien_Plot_split_064.html