THE WELL OF COMPASSION

Skillful characterization in this novel of art and miscegenation for Jo Yarby, white, egocentric, marries the Negro artist, Lock Sharon, not because she loves him- but because she feels her work will improve through their association. Lock, a fine artist who paints with feeling- but it is a feeling of hate- hopes that he can make a complete break with the Negro world through his marriage to Jo. After their marriage, Jo and Lock drift farther and farther apart, until finally Lock leaves Jo- and it is her friend Melia who makes him see the truth about Jo. It is also with Melia's aid that Lock bridges the gap between the world of the dying and the world of the living- the world of the living of both Negro and white for which he develops compassion, rather than hate. A new approach to the racial problem, but the situation may seem contrived, if more authentic than The Hourglass (1947).