The Walls of Jericho

Published to critical acclaim in 1928, "The Walls of Jericho" is the debut novel of one of the most important voices of the Harlem Renaissance, Rudolph Fisher. Taking on a friend's challenge to "write [a] novel treating both the upper and lower classes of black Harlem equally," The Walls of Jericho treats readers to a tale of two Harlems. One occupied by the "dickties," well-to-do light skinned or white passing Black folk, and the other filled with "rats," average, poverty-stricken dark-skinned Black folk-both disgusted by the life choices of the other. Fred Merrit, a white passing lawyer, wants nothing more than to move into the most exclusive neighborhood in Harlem. Linda, Miss Cramps' former maid and Merrit's current housekeeper, just wants to secure her economic future. Joshua "Shine" Jones, fears Linda associating with the dickty Merrit. And Miss Cramps, once so interested in the advancement of the Negro race, is now panicked to discover that one could be moving in right next door. Weighing the consequences of cultural assimilation against complete and total isolationism, "The Walls of Jericho" examines intra-community issues of colorism, prejudice and class inequality in the pursuit of socio-economic and political advancement.