The Pulitzer Prizes
Columbia University
709 Pulitzer Hall
2950 Broadway
New York, NY USA 10027
Email: pulitzer@pulitzer.org
Phone: (212) 854-3841
Fax: (212) 854-3342
August 28, 2020
Dear Pultizer Prize judging board,
Colson Whitehead, the author of The Underground Railroad, wrote, “What did you get for that, for knowing the day you were born into the white man’s world? It didn’t seem like the thing to remember. More like to forget” (26). When skimmed through on the surface, these three sentences can be depicted as simple. Contrary to this, when analyzed with depth, these simple sentences transform into a well-constructed, meaningful, and powerful statement. This is what reading The Underground Railroad was like for me. When I initially decided to read this book, I was unsure how my experience would be. I was skeptical about the decision you all made on rewarding the book the Pulitzer Prize as I believed it was just another novel. Once I read The Underground Railroad, my perspective completely shifted. It is so much more than a novel, it speaks for itself. Whitehead’s use of relation to the period of the 1800s and style of writing support how well-deserving of the Pultizer Prize the book is.
To begin, The Underground Railroad is deserving of the Pulitzer Prize because of the storyline chosen by Whitehead and its similarities and differences to the actual time period. The narrative is told as a creative alternate history. It fictionally discusses the actuality of slavery including the violence and brutality, fears, lifestyle, as well as victories that were present during the 1800s. Although it was published in 2016, acknowledging the 1800s, the topics are still incredibly relevant to this day as slavery played a major role in getting us to where we are today. The novel tells the story of Cora, a female teen slave that lives on a plantation in Georgia. After no longer being mentally able to take the brutal beatings provided by the plantation owner, Cora decides to flee north alongside a fellow slave, Caesar. Whitehead writes, “White man trying to kill you slow every day, and sometimes trying to kill you fast. Why make it easy for him? That was one kind of work you could say no to” (27). This portrays that Cora was reluctant to leave the plantation in the beginning when she was first presented the opportunity by Caesar. Cora did not want to leave the place she was born, and be hunted and killed therefore, she turned down the offer. Later in the story, Cora chooses to run, risking it all for the pursuit of freedom. Whitehead composes, “If you want to see what this nation is all about, I always say, you have to ride the rails. Look outside as you speed through, and you’ll find the true face of America” (71). This quote is mentioned the first time Cora boards the Underground Railroad. At that moment, the rails still represent freedom. This can be shown as irony as the rails later reveal false optimism as Cora’s journey brings violence and oppression. Cora and Caesar follow the Underground Railroad, which is illustrated as a rail transport system. It is unique that the author covers the actual system of black and white activists that helped enslaved people find freedom before the Civil War but in a creative way. Rather than write about the actual experience from the 19th century, Whitehead takes the metaphor and portrays it as an actual train that transports runaway slaves northward.
Although many aspects point to the fact that the novel deserves the prize, some may disagree, with valuable reasons. Some may argue that Whitehead’s writing style and character development are too detailed as they reveal the recurring theme of brutality and violation. Whitehead writes, “She had seen men hung from trees and left for buzzards and crows. Women carved open to the bones with the cat-o’-nine-tails. Bodies alive and dead roasted on pyres. Feet cut off to prevent escape and hands cut off to stop theft. She had seen boys and girls younger than this beaten and had done nothing” (34). This exemplifies the theme of brutality and violation in-depth with detailed images of what Cora had witnessed. This may bring uneasy feelings to the audience, negatively affecting their belief on if the book deserves the award. I respectfully disagree with that perspective as the detail and precision allow the fictional story to seem strongly realistic as it is more similar to the true period of slavery in the 1800s. It is reasonable that a portion of readers may disagree with the rewarding of the prize due to the tone and mood of the book as well. Whitehead states, “If niggers were supposed to have their freedom, they wouldn’t be in chains. If the red man was supposed to keep hold of his land, it’d still be his. If the white man wasn’t destined to take this new world, he wouldn’t own it now” (82). This quote comes from Ridgeway, the slavecatcher, and portrays his conception of the “American imperative” or principle of the nation. This supports the idea that the mood is grim/distant as well as reflecting. The tone is mostly straightforward even when describing brutal violence and sensible challenges, such as the one quoted above. The audience must recognize that straightforwardness is necessary to fully grasp the meaning of this story. During the times of slavery in the US, the topic wasn’t sugar-coated, and it did happen. Whitehead elaborated and presented this sense of reality through fiction in his writing, something that an author well-deserving of the Pultizer Prize would do.
To conclude my letter, I want to reiterate that Colson Whitehead’s use of depth, comparison to the real world during the period of the 1800s, and writing style, in general, is what made The Underground Railroad as deserving as it is. To cover such a sensitive topic with the precision and thoughtfulness that Whitehead did is powerful. This novel influenced my perspective on the world and allowed me to be more grateful for the changes as well as sacrifices made to be where society is to this day. Pulitzer Prize judging board, I apologize for doubting your decision, to begin with. After reading The Underground Railroad for myself, I could not agree with your decision more. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead is indubitably deserving of the Pulitzer Prize.
Sincerely,
SaNaya White
SaNaya's Poetry Blog 