The Transformation of TryonNorman Vincent Peal once remarked: When a person changes his thoughts, he changes his world. Unfortunately, too many people are unwilling to make this change. Human nature urges man to stick to what he knows, to be careful and to stay within his own limits. Some people, however, accept differences and embrace change; they may not know what to expect, but they are ready to change. In The House Behind the Cedars, Charles Chesnutt talks about George Tryon, who is capable of taking such a step. Tryon, a young white man who has lived a very sheltered upper-class life, is a very self-centered and racist man, who finds extreme pride in his race. Chesnutt describes this character as someone who does not want to change a single detail of his own life, but is willing to completely alter the lives of those around him for his own benefit. When he wins the heart of Rena Warwick, he discovers that if he truly can't live without her, he must change his lifestyle. Although Tryon struggles to choose love over status, he ultimately realizes what matters most. He thus goes from a racist and closed-minded man to a more open and more tolerant individual. Tryon's prejudiced personality only becomes apparent when he makes his first trip to Patesville. When courting Rena, he does not mention or speak ill of a person of color; if he had, she might have been more careful. When Rena tests Tryon's love, asking him "would [she] love him... if [she] [were] Albert's nurse", Tryon happily responds: "If [she] was Albert's nurse…in a week, [they] should get married” (59). He pays no attention to the race of the nurse but rather to their profession. It was later that he realized what Rena was trying to tell him with that question, and how oblivious he was to reality. Certain that Rena is white; Tryon doesn't care about his background and ancestry. For Tryon, “[Rena] represented…the most beautiful flower of the most beautiful breed that God ever created…the flower would soon be his, why should he bother to dig up the ground in which it grew” (66). Tryon feels like he's marrying the most attractive white woman in the world, so why should he care who his ancestors might have been. Ironically, his ancestors mean so much to him that it breaks his heart. Once Tryon discovers Rena's true identity, he knows he must choose between the life he leads or the woman he loves..