I think that for Wright, subservience was necessary for success in his life up until the point we are at in the book. He has lived in the south, dealt with racism from whites, and never quite given in the way that he and his fellow black citizens are expected to. He gets job after job but can't keep a hold of them because something in him refuses to allow him to be subservient. The reading talks about how he's amused by the elevator man, who is in fact an intelligent person, but turns himself into a different person in order to get money from whites. Wright never really does this, which greatly hinders his ability to either find or keep a job for an extended amount of time.
So, is subservience just as necessary for us living today? I think that it is necessary, but I don't think that it is as essential as it was for Wright. Certainly, when we get a job, we should follow our superiors and not, say, dance around on a desk while setting fire to pictures of our boss. But if we were to follow what Wright did, which was to do his work, but to not turn himself dumb, we would not lose our jobs as he did. Still, I do think that its important to be subservient. Without this, we would all just be hobos hopping subways singing the macarena looking for a free toaster to sell at the swap meet.
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