What is Racism?
“For all those that have to fight for the respect that everyone else is given without question.”
In The Fifth Season, N.K. Jemisin uses people with supernatural abilities to elaborate on the idea of racism. In today’s age, people of color are the minority, and societal standards of beauty align with the characteristics of white people. In Jemison’s world, darker complexions are the norm, and lighter complexions are more uncommon. Beauty is defined by characteristics that aid in survival, giving individuals an evolved edge over the population. This contrasts with our beauty standards which usually coincide with characteristics that infer wealth: stylish clothing, skinny—not strong—physiques, and refined appearances. Jemisin teaches us that racism runs deeper than one’s physical appearance.
In the novel, orogenes are defined as “weapons” (297) who have the ability to control seismic activity. Because orogenes have the capability of destroying the world, the rest of Jemisin’s society revokes them and views them as dangers rather than regular members of their community. The key word in this definition is weapon. If people are defined as weapons and stripped of their humanity, it allows them to be treated as less than human. Jemisin parallels contemporary America’s ability to dehumanize people in order to treat them inhumanely.
Jemisin, an African American author, wants her readers to view racism in a different light. There is no war between people who are divided based on the color of their skin in the novel. I would argue that physical appearance in general is not a main factor in the novel’s conflicts. She uses the supernatural to redefine what we think racism is. Racism, to Jemisin, is pure discrimination towards a group; her definition is not jaded by modern America’s portrayal of it, which is predominantly based on the color of one’s skin—white or colored.
Jemisin’s new definition of racism races the question: should differences divide us or unite us? By giving orogenes immense power, she allows them the choice of destroying the world or aiding it. Syen and Alabaster, while working for the Fulcrum, are giving a task of clearing a mass of coral that is blocking a harbor. Because of their seismic abilities they are the community’s “whole rusting future” (157). In this instance, the differences between orogenes and non-orogenes should unite them. I would argue that differences, if treated with respect and acceptance, would result in unity. But when differences are treated with discrimination and hatred, they divide us.
I like that you included the dedication page in your post as I think the dedication encompasses the heart of the argument that N.K. Jemisin presents throughout The Fifth Season. Even within her dedication, before the plot itself begins to unravel, Jemisin alludes to some division that exists: those that are automatically given respect and those that must work to earn it. This trend is heavily elaborated on throughout the novel, as groups such as orogenes are treated significantly worse than their still counterparts and must fight for the respect that seemingly come as birthright for non-orogenic humans. Despite these differences, however, Jemisin uses the novel’s plot to call for better treatment of minority groups (both in the fictional society and contemporary American society) and suggests that there is strength in unity; that a coalition of differences can be beneficial and accomplish more together than when working apart or in opposition to one another. One example of this is seen in the underground geode city of Castrima in which different groups of people, such as orogenes and stone-eaters, live together and have found an operable system that gives them a good chance at survival. Another example of this is the city of Meov, a thriving community that has found success, in part because “they don’t kill their roggas, here. They put them in charge” (296). In both situations, the communities stand a better chance at survival because they are using the talents and abilities of each individual and each group to become a stronger and more secure community. In addition, the minority groups that are typically belittled, subjugated, and discriminated against are put in a position of power and are appreciated for their efforts, rather than just being exploited. This, ultimately, seems to be one of the bigger points that Jemisin makes about racism and discrimination amongst social groups and which should be applied to contemporary American society: there is power and true change found in unity and equality that is rendered ineffective when put in a context of inequality and fragmentation.
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ReplyDeleteI would agree with you that Jemisin attempts to show us that racism is not about the color of the skin, but instead is about the way we assign stereotypes and generalize about a particular group. The parallels between the way we treat minority groups in our country and the way Orogenes are treated in the novel are quite apparent. The derogatory term for an Orogene, “rogga,” even sounds like its counterpart word for an African-American. It is meant to be “a dehumanizing word for someone who has been made into a thing” (140). Much of the discrimination is due to the little knowledge that the Stills have of them. The deputy governor of Allia says to Syenite, “Most normal people have never seen an orogene, let alone had to do business with one . . . isn’t it understandable that we might be uncomfortable?” (216). The Stills take in what the government tells them to believe, that the Orogenes are too different from us and that they need to fear their abilities. But as you mentioned, I think Jemisin tries to provide us not with a solution to discrimination, but a guide on how to proceed in the right direction. The Coaster community that Alabaster and Syenite visit is different from all the other comms in that they do not kill their Orogenes, but instead put them in charge (296). They embrace the Orgogenes’ powers and work with them to prolong the safety of the island. Perhaps Jemisin is indicating that we do not necessarily need to disregard our differences, but to not fear these differences and use them for the benefit of humanity.
I agree that Jemisin invites us to redefine racism by reversing the desirable physical attributes of our society with the ones in the novel and modeling racial tensions with a conflict that has little or nothing to do with color or physical appearance. This observation makes me wonder what Jemisin intends to represent by giving the victims of this oppression magical powers, which seems to me to be too extreme for a mere exaggeration of general differences and tensions in our society. I think it’s key that, as you say, she gives orogenes “the choice of destroying the world or aiding it.” African Americans do not, of course, have the power to start earthquakes, but they are often dehumanized and thought of as dangerous, just like the orogenes are thought of as weapons or monsters, allowing “stills” to dehumanize them and hold them to a different “standard of acceptance; that standard is simply perfection” (76). In terms of aiding the world, blacks, and anyone else if they are driven and passionate, have the power to move mountains (figuratively, in this case), especially if they work together. To answer your question, I agree that our differences should unite us. Even if tensions seem to be so historically entrenched in our society that conflicts about our differences seem to be set in stone, “Stonelore changes all the time” (124), and believing our differences are permanent and insurmountable only prevents progress. However, when orogenes work together like Syenite and Alabaster, or orogenes work with stills, like Essun and Tonkee or even Lerna, or orogenes work with stone eaters, as Alabaster and Ykka do, great things are possible, and solutions are possible for our society too if we work together across divisions in race, class, gender, religion, or anything else.
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