Time and place in “Black Like Me” are essential to the story because the story itself was to provide insight into what life would be like of an African American living in the South during Jim Crow-era “Separate but equal” America. Without the story being set in that specific time period, "Black Like Me" wouldn't have the same effect as it does, so it has to be done as is. The author, John Howard Griffin, experienced many hardships and enlightenments during his experience, not only because he was black, but also because of his interactions with people during the experience. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay In “Black Like Me,” pages 14-16, Griffin stays in a hotel in New Orleans. He enters the bathroom with two other black men, one in the shower and the other waiting. Griffin simply has a conversation with the men of the night, simply asking them questions about New Orleans. The novel is written in the style of a diary with diary entries, so everything written in the novel is done by Griffin only with the reason he adds certain information. He adds this detail with the men because it was a new experience. He was welcomed with open arms by the men even though he had only just met them. This was important because it challenges the idea that black people in this period “were different” because they were not white. This same detail could not play out the same way in a current context because of how times have changed, further reinforcing why time and place are so important. The details also show how race does not impact identity if you interact with your own race. Although Griffin is white, he is technically black and that is how the other men treated him as one of their own. On pages 45-48, Griffin speaks with Sterling about the lynching of a black man in Mississippi after the "Pearl River County Grand Jury" denied him a fair trial. Sterling, outraged, remarks, "What hope is there when a white jury won't even consider the evidence against the lynch mob?" In the preceding pages, Griffin talks about his first week in New Orleans. He talks about the treatment reserved for the black people he meets. Griffin says that "the Negro is not even treated as a second-class citizen, but as a tenth-class citizen." The detail of the lynching is included to support Griffin's statement that black people are treated unfairly. At this time, lynching was common in the black South. Black people could be lynched if they vote for the wrong people, if they try to get equality, or just for sport. The Grand Jury's denial of the right to a fair trial is a clear act of racism. The identity of the man who was lynched was ignored due to his race, on which he was ultimately judged. The jury did not even attempt to look at the lynching evidence, which proves the idea that when it comes to different races, identity will not be looked at, only color, which was the purpose of this period. During his time in Mississippi, Griffin wandered the highway, often getting picked up and driven around. The journey of a young white man provided insight and contradiction to white society's view of black people. The journey runs from page 88 to page 94. Griffin quickly points out to the reader that "the young man's questions had the fallacious elevation of a scholar seeking information, but the information.