preview

Prejudice And Racism In The 1920's

Decent Essays

lare’s and Irene’s abilities to pass for white, questions whether race is more heavily rooted in biology or sociology since biologically both girls are black. However, society has identified them as white due to their physical features. According to critical race theory, race is ‘constructed by society and the social construction of race arranges people into distinct groups’ (Tyson, 2006). These 'distinct groups' create a hierarchy system in which whites can justify their superiority and exploitation of blacks. Media in the 1920s culture supported this idea. It mistreated the black race by putting forward negative views to the public, which created false images of them. Clare’s husband Jack Bellew says, '"And I read in the papers about them. Always robbing and killing people. And," he added darkly, "worse"' (Larsen, p.33). Jack gets his hatred towards ‘the black scrimy …show more content…

One true event that is mentioned is the Rhinelander Case. This inclusion can be said to 'provide an important historical subtext for the book' (Madigan, 1990). Discussing real life situations makes the book more meaningful as the readers can connect more with the characters. Irene imagines what Clare's husband would respond like if he finds out that his wife is not fully white. The narrator says 'What if Bellew should divorce Clare? Could he? There was the Rhinelander case' (Larsen, p.90). This example supports the disapproval of other races. The mention of this illustrates the problematic ways Americans sought to categorise mixed-race individuals. Although only one historical event has been mentioned, the conception of racial identity is challenged throughout. Connecting the Rhinelander case to the issues in the text uses it as 'a metaphor for the central concerns of Larsen's book' (Madigan, 1990). It demonstrates the culture that the novel is set on. It foreshadows what is to come when he does eventually find out the

Get Access