When Du Bois is referring to double consciousness, he is saying that your consciousness is divided int0 multiple parts. He believes that this makes it extremely difficult to have one identity. Due to the history of oppression of African Americans in the United States, W.E.B has difficulty unifying his black identity with his American identity. Double consciousness creates a perspective where one will view themselves from the eyes of the outside world as well as their own perspective of themselves. True self-consciousness is the desired goal of finally merging those two identities into one “better and truer self”, wishing that the previous identities are not lost.
