Manifestations of Prejudice

Several characters of this novel deal with various aspects of prejudicial treatment and actions. These seem to be prompted mainly by ethnicity though there are also prejudices expressed against those in lower economic classes. Jade is a black teenager who attends a school that is predominately white, and she experiences the prejudicial actions regularly, often by people who think they are acting in her best interests. Jade is also very aware of the prejudicial attitudes that lead to violence against blacks which frightens her. From historical accounts to her own experiences, the novel recounts several major manifestations of prejudice.

Jade is intelligent, and she knows that she has to take advantage of every opportunity to better herself, but she also experiences prejudicial attitudes among her teachers and her peers because of these “opportunities.” For example, Jade attends classes to learn more about essay writing...