Racism

The protagonist's character arc largely serves to illustrate and create sympathy for the tribulations of marginalized ethnic groups. The protagonist was born in the U.S. and has lived almost her entire life in North Carolina. However, she is still treated with hostility by her white neighbors, who are prejudiced against her due to her ethnicity. Even when neighbors speak to her with a friendly tone, the content and underlying meaning of their words is hostile and xenophobic: “Y’all best be getting back to where you came from, you hear? No need to overstay your welcome” (29). Thus, the novel illustrates how irrational racial prejudices are, and how they still deeply define American culture, much to the moral detriment of the nation.

One of the areas in which the novel represents racial prejudice is the workplace; the protagonist’s professional tribulations demonstrate how racial prejudice hurts...