The somber close of Steve McQueen's 12 Years a Slave eloquently unsettles one of the most vexing aspects of U.S. race relations: a uniquely American desire for a happy ending. This desire surfaces in a variety of places to do with national mythmaking and storytelling. And why not? What's so wrong with a dose of optimism, with ending a story on a note of hope? For one thing, this craving forecloses more challenging, more complicated, and often more accurate renderings of our country's history. By...
The somber close of Steve McQueen's 12 Years a Slave eloquently unsettles one of the most vexing aspects of U.S. race relations: a uniquely American desire for a happy ending. This desire surfaces in a variety of places to do with national mythmaking and storytelling. And why not? What's so wrong with a dose of optimism, with ending a story on a note of hope? For one thing, this craving forecloses more challenging, more complicated, and often more accurate renderings of our country's history. By...
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