Prejudice and Discrimination

Through the complex lives of her four main characters, Desiree, Stella, Kennedy, and Jude, the author explores the ways in which prejudice and discrimination have the power to dictate the individual's relationship with her past and present identities. As young girls, Desiree and Stella grow up in a community founded on colorist discrimination. Because Mallard does not accept anyone of African American descent who is not light-skinned, the Vignes twins learn early the ways in which a community has the ability to create dangerous exclusive parameters. The bizarre dynamics of Mallard, Louisiana, compel the twins to begin a new life of their own. However, their continued encounters with racism and prejudice in New Orleans, discourage their efforts to be independent, and ultimately create a split in their relationship.

Stella feels so entrapped by her impoverished circumstances, she begins passing for white in order to...