Slice Him Down

Racial background, envy, and social status are themes that are explored in Langston Hughes’ “Slice Him Down”. In the exposition, two black boys named Terry and Sling meet on a freight train and become friends. Both boys want to prove to one another that they are tough, however, Terry in particular does not have much experience in being tough. For that reason, he creates his own experiences:

“Huh! You ain’t nowheres near as bad as me,” Terry lied, long tall lies, all the way from Omaha to Cheyenne. “Lemme tell you ‘bout the last duster that crossed my path. He were an Al Capone- machine gun and all- and I just mowed him down with my little thirty-two on a forty four frame…” (Hughes, 61)

​There is a small sense of envy that Terry has towards Sling, whose scars are evidence of his resilience. Terry and Sling are very boastful, and because of this, both men tell embellished stories to impress the other. The central idea of Terry’s stories are about defending his woman, and Sling suggests that women are not worth fighting for. This scene foreshadows the conclusion of the story, where pride comes between two good friends.

Terry and Sling come across the town Reno where they think money is sufficient, even in the depression. It did not take long for the two to find jobs, a decent place to live, and ironically, girlfriends. Sling’s girlfriend, Charlie Mae, did little work but was able to make a living. Angelina Walls, Terry's girlfriend, is educated and reserved despite the fact that she also came to Reno on a freight train.

The cool, black couples go to a colored club one night after work; they are dressed in fine clothes with layers of undergarments to protect their bodies from the winter frost. The girlfriends drank for “a little recreation” (68). After drinking more beer than they should have, the girls got in a fight over social differences. Terry and Sling jump in to defend their women, in which they both reveal that all their stories of glory were indeed...