Family vs. Clan

In the novel Winter’s Bone by Daniel Woodrell, there is a strange disconnect in the meaning of family. The Dolly family can be better defined as a clan. With an absent father, an incompetent and mentally ill mother, and two young brothers to look after, sixteen-year-old Ree is forced to grow up too fast and take on the familial duties as the primary caretaker in her household. Although she must take on these responsibilities alone, she is surrounded by relatives. “There were two hundred Dollys, plus Lockrums, Boshells, Tankerslys, and Langans, who were basically Dollys by marriage, living within thirty miles of this valley” (Woodrell 8). This network of kin is not the safest or most reliable support system, however. A culture of violence and drug abuse permeates the Ozarks, creating a gang-like drug ring with the Dollys right in the center of it. So not only must Ree take on the responsibilities of the head of the household, but she must also navigate the dangerous dynamics of a tight-knit, drug-addicted community.

Ree’s mature role in her family challenges the stereotype of the male-dominated clan, where men hold all the power and completely disregard what the women want or think. With no choice but to grow up too fast in such an environment, Ree is rough around the edges with “a body made for loping after needs” and she is fiercely loyal to her family members (3). She encourages her brothers to adopt this sense of loyalty when she sends them off to school saying, “‘Don’t fight if you can help it. But if one of you gets whipped by somebody both of you best come home bloody, understand?’” (48). Despite taking on this leadership role, Ree is still mistreated by her male relatives simply because she is a girl. Like any normal family, there does exist the “roughhousing, name-calling, and all the rest” that is typical of young Dolly siblings, cousins, and other relatives, but it is amped up to a whole new degree with the assault and abuse that Ree endures from her older male relatives. Blond Milton hits her and flings her into the snow with the warning “‘There’s people goin’ ‘round sayin’ you best shut up,” and Teardrop, who is literally described as a snake, pulls her hair, jerks her around, and nuzzles his melted, scarred face against hers in a gross expression of dominance (26, 72). Little Arthur even rapes her after convincing her to eat a handful of shrooms. Undoubtedly, the Dolly clan demonstrates a stark contrast to the typical midwestern American family.

Nevertheless, the ideas of family blood and shared heritage carry great weight for the Dollys. When pleading with Thump Milton’s wife to let her speak with him, Ree exclaims, “‘I am a Dolly! Some of our blood at least is the same. That’s s’posed to mean somethin’ – ain’t that what is always said?’” (59). And, when Thump does not honor her request, it is seen as a great disrespect to the family bloodline. “‘So, come the nut-cuttin’, blood don’t truly mean shit to him…Blood don’t truly count for diddly to the big man?’” (63). Kin is supposed to be there for each other and help each other, but in Winter’s Bone, the Dollys act more like a clan than a family. This negatively impacts Ree’s efforts to find her father and bring him home.

Uncle Teardrop's Lesson

When we are first introduced to Uncle Teardrop in the novel, he is presented as a tough, unforgiving man. We learn that he is heavily invested in the crank business and even damaged his ear and melted his neck for it (23). When Ree asks about what happens to her father Jessup, Teardrop tells her to back off and not pursue the matter before she gets hurt (25). He tells Ree, “Jessup’n me run together for nigh on forty years-- but I don’t know where he’s at, and I ain’t goin’ to go around askin’ after him, neither” (26). After he tells her this, he yanks her hair and physically assaults her by jerking her around. From this interaction, it is hard to tell if Uncle Teardrop actually cares about Ree’s safety or just does not want trouble. It is also doubtful if he even cares about his brother Jessup. He certainly prioritizes safety rather than getting revenge blood. Later on, he shows compassion for Ree by telling her about Jessup’s car being found and gives her the advice to sell the Bromont timber. He even gives her a little money to live on (112). When Ree gets beaten by the Thumps, Teardrop shows up to protect her. He acknowledges that Jessup deserves what came to him, but vouches for Ree saying she does not deserve to be punished, calling her the only close family he has left. He claims that whatever wrong she does, he will take responsibility--to get to her, they need to get through him (137). Through Teardrop accepting his brother’s fate, it is revealed that the Dolly moral code to never snitch is very important. If one breaks that rule, then you become cast out of the family and disregarded. He mentions to Ree that this code has been steeped in tradition for many years and that “the Dollys around here can’t be seen to coddle a snitch’s family” (150). Teardrop tries not to be concerned about Jessup’s fate or get emotionally charged up about it, but he tells Ree not to tell him the name of the killer because he [Teardrop] will want to avenge his brother. Near the end, Teardrop stands up for his brother by intensely questioning Baskin about how Jessup’s snitching was discovered (173). He also stands up for Ree by destroying the car of a man who said something bad about her (169). I believe that Teardrop, even in his crank-addictive, violent ways, teaches Ree a valuable lesson. He teaches her that family always comes first, doing so by constantly looking out for Ree and still standing up for his brother Jessup even when he breaks Dolly moral code. Perhaps moral code is not everything.

Ree's Purpose

The fundamental purpose for the main character, Ree, in the novel, Winter’s Bone, is as a caretaker to others.  Ree is a slave to the needs and responsibilities of her family, which ultimately shapes her emotional and physical existence and journey.

From the very beginning of the novel, we are made aware that this is a character who is essentially created for the purpose of others. From the very beginning, we are made aware that Ree’s body is “made for loping after needs,” symbolizing her extreme responsibility for others (Woodrell 3).  The existence of this character is dull and gloomy, much like the weather around her. Ree is the only individual capable of responsibility in her family, and even begins to teach her younger brothers about her chores.

Early in the novel, Ree’s father leaves in a shady fashion, without providing for the family. He advises Ree, “start lookin’ for me soon as you see my face. ‘Til then, don’t even wonder” (Woodrell 3).  Ree and her father’s interaction introduces him as an unreliable and irresponsible. He leaves Ree with her mentally ill mother and family, without food or money. However, Ree’s character is so devoted to others, that she puts herself in danger, in order to save her family and potentially her father.  Her journey to find her father’s body is very urgent, telling family that she’s “lookin’ for Dad” and has to “run him down, and quick” (Woodrell 21). Her quest and multiple interrogations with people leave her beaten and in a position “to end up et by hogs, or wishin’ you was” (25).  Despite the risk, she continues on her journey.

There are multiple instances where Ree puts others above herself and exhibits a deep loyalty to her family.  When police show up to Ree’s door, she immediately exclaims “They didn’t do nothin’! They didn’t do a goddamned thing!” (Woodrell 11).  Ree’s whole life is devoted to defending and protecting others, which proves very tolling on her, emotionally and physically.

This existence for the purpose of others, leaves Ree constantly desiring an escape and way out of this toxic culture. Ree constantly listens to CD’s of “soothing sounds” and “tranquil streams” to provide her with a temporary escape from the gruesome, drug-filled environment. However, Ree longs for an escape through serving in the Army, “where you got to travel with a gun and they make everybody help keep things clean” (Woodrell 15).  Another reason that this option is so appealing to Ree is that “she’d never have her own concerns” (Woodrell 15).  Ree wants the Army to provide her with an escape, even though she will still be fighting for others.

Overall, it seems that Ree’s existence is strictly for the purpose of others.  Ree suffers emotional and physical pain in order to provide for her family. Even when Ree dreams of an escape, with the military, it still involves helping other people.

Power Struggle

N.K Jemisin writes of a world where the most powerful humans, which are capable of manipulating the earth and sustaining life, are belittled and made to feel weak. The Fifth Season chronicles the life of one orogene in particular, and each major milestone in her life is identified by a different name. In the beginning, she identifies with the name Damaya, which is the name given to her by her parents when she is little, and she identifies with them strongly at this age even though they reject her. When Damaya’s new guardian, Schaffa, scolds her mother for keeping Damaya in such terrible living quarters, her mother says, “[o]rdinary people can’t take care of…of children like her” (32). It isn’t that her parents hate her (30), as she has never done anything wrong to them. It’s that Damaya’s parents are afraid of her (33) because she contains power that no still, or regular human, can understand. Damaya believes that she is an evil, uncontrollable thing because her family does. Upon recalling a memory at school with Schaffa in which she nearly kills someone, she thinks, “she hates herself for being born as she is and disappointing them all. And now Schaffa knows just how weak and terrible she is” (76). She chooses to trust Schaffa because he says he can help her become less of a monster, and when they leave Damaya’s home, Jemisin writes, “’[d]on’t look back’, Schaffa advises. ‘It’s easier that way’. So she doesn’t. Later, she will realize he was right about this, too. Much later, though, she will wish she had done it anyway” (41). Damaya knows her parents can’t take care of her, but later on she realizes that neither can Schaffa. Under the name Syenite, she has a better sense of self and control. She focuses on pleasing the Guardians because she believes that they will help her overcome and control her orogeny, which she considers a curse. Syenite accepts that orogenes are treated differently (153), however, her travel mate Alabaster does not, and tells Syenite, “’[b]ut each of us is just another weapon to them. Just a useful monster, just a bit of new blood to add to the breeding lines. Just another fucking rogga’” (143). Alabaster’s hatred for the Fulcrum ultimately rubs off on Syenite and inspires her to go into hiding (443). Under the name Essun, she travels to Tirimo and leads a new life separate from the Fulcrum. She hides who she is to avoid persecution from stills, who do not understand her power and fear it. Stills, like those in the Fulcrum, suppress the power of orogeny so that the Fulcrum can remain in power. The Guardians justify the suppression and discrimination of orogenes by dehumanizing them, and Essun resents this. While the Guardians train orogenes to control their powers in exchange for rings and respect, this is an illusion: “’[t]ell them they can be great someday, like us. Tell them they belong among us, no matter how we treat them. Tell them there is a standard for acceptance; that standard is simply perfection. Kill those who scoff at these contradictions, and tell the rest that the dead deserved annihilation for their weakness and doubt. Then they’ll break themselves trying for what they’ll never achieve’” (76). No matter what Essun did or ever will do for the Stills, she will never be treated as one of them and will never be respected. Striving for acceptance has only ever broken her, and so Essun resorts to hiding, and eventually exile, when her comm figures out what she really is. While the Fifth Season doesn’t resolve the power struggle between stills and orogenes, it is clear that the stills are scared of how much more power orogenes have, and they will do anything to make orogenes feel like their power is a burden.

Parallels between Discrimination in America and the Stillness

While I was reading this novel, I noticed frequent parallels between the treatment of Orogenes in society and treatment of Black people in the United States. Bias towards Orogenes is frequent throughout the novel, and many characters openly use the term "rogga" as a derogatory term to describe Orogenes (Jemisin 113). Similarly, in modern culture, the n-word is the derogatory term used to insult or degrade Black people, regardless of their situation. Both cultures face similar issues that are described in Jemisin's novel.

During the process of reading our last novel, The Sellout by Paul Beatty, I had brought up the point that I could not comment accurately upon black culture due to a lack of knowledge on the topic. In the Stillness, the citizens fear "people like [Damaya]," and claim that "ordinary people" shouldn't have to be responsible for the actions of these people (32). Orogenes are even assigned to a Guardian and are trained and educated so that they understand their place in society and "can be useful not merely to a single comm, but all the Stillness," theoretically making them a valuable member of society, with the exception of outliers that are evident in any situation and society (34). Comparatively, black members of society all provide a valuable service, as they have some sort of specialized training just like any other member of society.

An article posted in the Guardian highlights how a black member of American society grew up facing racism and discrimination, and what his takeaways from his upbringing were. He noted being told that "he is one of the good ones," which is significant in the fact that society made him feel that he was a bad member of society, and therefore facing discrimination from his peers (Jones). A powerful line from his article stated that his "fate is bound up with all of those who are 'bad,'" which correlates with the treatment of Orogenes, especially Syen and Alabaster at Allia (Jones). Despite the fact that a 10-ring and a 4-ring have arrived to provide a service to the city, they are greeted by a deputy governor who fails to offer simple courtesies such as a handshake or a glass of Safe. After their initial confrontation with the deputy, Alabaster explains the reasoning for his actions by claiming that          "[he'd] like being treated like a human for a change" (159). Even though Orogenes provide valuable services for the Stillness, the actions of the Orogenes who misuse or fail to control their power lead society to perceive Orogenes as negative as a whole. As Brian Jones said best, "the present order is intolerable, and a new world is both possible and necessary," directly correlating with the need for the end of the the world as the Stillness knows it.

The Unnatural Nature of Nuture

N.K. Jemisin, throughout her science fiction novel The Fifth Season, challenges American contemporary culture’s views of maternity. By both having Essun be the typical nurturing mother that society expects and having Syenite be the restless independent still after birth, Jemisin counters the notion of a grand maternal instinct kicking in after birth. Additionally, since Syenite and Essun are the same person but at different points in her life, Jemisin introduces the dynamic nature of nurture that is not typically discussed in America today.

            Jemisin begins her book with a truly nurturing act from Essun. When she sees her dead son Uche on the floor, she covers him with a blanket, but only up to his chin because “he’s afraid of the dark” (17). She stays by his side for two days until Lerna walks in on her fragile state. Her grief even extends to blame as Essun believes that “by being his mother” Uche was killed (60). These responses are maternally-grounded in grief, which align with the preconceived notion that mothers typically lose a piece of themselves when their child dies. Along with this maternal status quo, Essun also conforms to the standard of maternal strength given to mothers separated from their child. Essun’s daughter Nassun was taken by her father and Essun initially sets out on her quest with the motivation to find them. Thinking that Nassun is already dead, she questions, “[w]here did he put you?” (24). In this instance, Essun is trying to tap into her maternal connection with her child in order to be able to find her. Essun’s reactions and emotions directly relating to her children demonstrate her maternal powers that society expects.

            On the opposite end of the motherhood spectrum, Syenite does not even want a child and she let that be known when first introduced. When first getting to Alabaster’s home, she thinks to herself how “[s]he doesn’t have a choice” (67). This child to her is an assignment that she needed to do in order to go higher in the ranks of orogeny, which goes against this societal notion that all women are ready and able to become mothers. Even after having her child Corundum, Syenite still is not ready for motherhood. She admits that she loves him, but she does not “[want] to spend every hour of every rusting day in his presence” (166). This definitively goes against contemporary values, as mothers can only be mothers. If a woman tries to be an individual after giving birth, she is seen as selfish and almost weak, in the sense that they are not up for motherhood. Jemisin has portrayed Syenite as one of the strongest orogenes in the novel, which is contradicting what society expects of a mother who cannot be only a mother.

            Perhaps the most intriguing argument that Jemisin makes in this novel is the actual dynamic nature of motherhood. Syenite and Essun are the same person in different points of her life, which makes sense when you think about their feeling towards motherhood. Essun is forty-two and demonstrates the norm of maternity. Syenite is in her late twenties or her early thirties and did not want a child to begin with. Yet, they both are the same person, which demonstrates how maternal instincts are truly not instinctual at all. Motherhood is a skill and, as with any skill, must be initially desired. Contemporary society in America does not view maternity in its actuality, which is perhaps why mommy-shaming is unconsciously standardized. Jemisin, through these two characters that represent the duality of one person, is directly countering the instinct aspect of maternal instinct. Although she does not undercut the power that can be derived from maternity, Jemisin makes it known that motherhood is not a conformist action. With that, N.K. Jemisin lets mothers ranging in maternity levels from Essun to Syenite know that they are not alone.

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.

Parallels Between the Slavery of African-Americans and Orogenes

In the Fifth Season, N.K. Jemison bases her novel on the oppression faced daily by black people and uses the orogene race to show it. She also shows the oppression of African-American slavery by paralleling those experiences with those of the orogenes’. 

The parallel is first shown through the orogenes’ exploitation for slave-labor and breeding. During slavery, African-Americans were bred for continued slave labor; they also were prized and sold for more based on their physical traits and ability for labor. In the novel, for example, Alabaster says, “I was bred to order…I’m the product of two of the Fulcrum’s oldest and most promising lineages…I had a Guardian practically from birth. [Syenite is] a feral” (72), emphasizing the importance of breeding; by breeding two powerful orogenes, a ten-ringer, Alabaster, was born. He is worth much to the Fulcrum due to these bred abilities, similar to those of African-American slaves. The desire for strength for physical labor is paralleled to the strength for orogeny. 

The parallels are also shown through the Guardian’s brutal treatment and control of the orogenes. They are controlled by Guardians through force and manipulation, much like how slaves were controlled by fear of forceful punishments and manipulation. When Damaya is traveling with Schaffa, he tells her that even if she manages to kill him, she will have no place to go and will never be able to fit in anywhere (98), meaning that she is powerless. Furthermore, he breaks her hand so that she understands that she “[has] to do what [Schaffa says] or [he’ll] hurt [her]…and [he’ll] hurt [her] even when [she] does obey. If [he thinks he] should” (102). Even in the Fulcrum, the orogenes receive strict discipline; Damaya knows that if “she does what she’s supposed to, no unexpected things happen” (193). This is paralleled to slavery in America in which obedient slaves were oftentimes not punished and sometimes rewarded, and disobedient slaves were brutally punished. However, they would also be subject to unprovoked punishments, similar to Schaffa’s treatment and example of Damaya. 

There is also a parallel between Syenite’s killing of Coru and through the sacrifice of children during times of slavery. During the attack on Meov when Syenite realizes that they are losing and that the Guardians will take Coru, she says, “Better that a child never have lived at all than live as a slave. Better that he die,” (442) and she decides to kill Coru by smothering him rather than have him live as a slave. Similarly, women in slavery would choose to abort or kill their child instead of subjecting them to slavery. For example, Syenite’s killing of Coru is directly paralleled with that of Margaret Garner’s killing of her own child rather than allow her to be put back in slavery. They both wanted freedom for their child and chose to sacrifice them out of love so that they did not experience the slavery in America, and fictionally, in the Fulcrum. 

The purpose of making one person into three characters

At its core, The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin is a story about humanity. Jemisin creates this futuristic world with magical beings but addresses the issues that modern-day America struggles the most with. The story follows three characters, Damaya, Syen and Essun. By the end, Jemisin reveals that all three of the different characters with their very different personalities, are all the same person. Damaya is an orgene before she is stripped of her freedom. Syen is an orgene that discovers life when you have no control. Essun is an orgene that is forced to keep her identity a secret, and who is afraid of the world she now knows exists. All three characters have different traits and they are all complex in various ways. They all learn different lessons throughout the novel. By making all three characters the same character, and waiting to reveal it, Jemisin shows how complex one person can be. No one is one-dimensional, and she wants her audience to understand that concept and eliminate the immediate judgements that are so-often thrust upon people.

Essun’s story-line is given in first person because although her story is the first to appear in the novel, Essun is after Damaya enters the Fulcrum and after Syen escapes the Fulcrum. Essun has lost a child and seems to have lost herself. She is “still trying to decide who to be. The self you’ve been lately doesn’t make sense anymore; She’s not useful, unobtrusive as she is, quiet as she is, ordinary as she is. Not when such extraordinary things have happened” (42). This passive personality contrasts with Damaya and Syen’s personalities. "Syen doesn’t know any of the poor fools assigned to such a tedious duty…it’s the sort of thing they give to orgenes who’ll never make it to the fourth ring- the ones who have lots of raw power and little control” (119). Syen is impulsive, and sometimes angry, because she has seen what the world has come to. Damaya has not seen the true atrocities the world has to offer, all that Damaya has ever known is secrecy and suppression. When Damaya is about to be take to Yumenes by the Guardian, she thinks, “[Mother] and father have given Damaya away. And Mother does not hate her; actually, she fears Damaya. Is there a difference? Maybe” (33). This quote shows how innocent Damaya is, how she cannot even fathom what is to come.

Jemisin gives us these opposing characters in order to show us the complexity of humanity. No one can be one thing. We can be innocent, powerful and lost…we can be anything we want to be. Along with her nontraditional method of incorporating racism, Jemisin explores the depth of human experience. I think that Jemisin wanted us to realize that every experience we encounter makes us different. We can be all things, or we can be one thing, but whatever we are is based upon what we have seen and how we choose to deal with it. No one is as simple as they appear, and the world is not black and white.

The Power Dynamic Between Guardians and Orogenes

In N.K. Jemisin’s The Fifth Season, there is a distinct power dynamic between the orogenes and the guardians who are assigned to them. Orogeny, unless exploited under the close supervision of a guardian, is considered a deplorable practice in the Stillness. The Fulcrum was designed to counteract the negative consequences that result from practicing orogeny by training orogenes to control their powers, only to harness them when asked by the Guardian order. When orogenes use these powers outside of the permitted circumstances, the Guardians punish them with pain, and in more extreme cases, death. The orogenes are therefore powerless to the rules and regulations of the Fulcrum, or they run the risk of execution.

It is on her way to Yumenes that the protagonist, Damaya, first falls victim to the power dynamic between her and her assigned guardian—Schaffa. After Damaya yells at Schaffa for trying to control her, Schaffa threatens to “break every bone in [her] hand, every bone in [her] body, if [he] deem[s] it necessary to make the world safe from [her]” (99). He claims that an orogene like Damaya can never fully learn to control herself, that “it isn’t [her] nature” (95), which is why he feels the need to control her himself. The Guardian order was formed to regulate the Fulcrum, and even though Schaffa is just following his Guardian duties, he takes this degree of power over Damaya to an even higher level by also making her fear him, as he states “[she] should” (102). By instilling fear in Damaya, Schaffa can establish some form of control over her, allowing him to not only protect himself from her abilities, but the entire world.

Furthermore, if an orogene in training becomes too difficult to handle, the Guardians put the orogene’s powers to use elsewhere, in order to maintain tight control over the Fulcrum. This is first seen when Syen and Alabaster visit the node station and instead of finding the alive orogene that Syen expects to be there, in its place is a lobotomized body. In this instance, Syen begins to realize just how powerless she is, that “if the Fulcrum can do this, or the Guardians or the Yumenescene Leadership…then there’s no point in dress up what people like Syenite and Alabaster really are” (143).

Later, when Syen and Alabaster feel their conversations are being listened to while on an assigned mission, Syen questions: “To whom do the Guardians answer” (255)? She wonders if its possible that the Guardians could be listening in on them and who could give them the power to even do so. Eventually, an unwelcome Guardian by the name of Edki shows up in Allia, and Alabaster warns Syen to not “let him touch [her] with his bare skin,” (256) as Guardians can turn an orogene’s orogeny inward. This ability to use an orogene’s own powers against itself is yet just another example of the Guardian’s unrivaled power over the orogenes.

America Bleeding into Orogene Culture

In The Fifth Season, Syenite says that she hates Alabaster for forcing her to abandon “polite fictions and unspoken truths that have kept her comfortable, and safe” (348). N. K. Jemisin used characters and histories in her novel to draw parallels to the current sociopolitical climate across the world that has led to people accepting the easy explanations in life, allowing them to justify their discrimination of others due to nothing but these simple fictions.

            Many characters choose to discriminate against Orogenes because they witnessed one Orogene with unfavorable characteristics or read that they were bad people. Many people in the stillness believe that, if one Orogene destroys a town, then they all must be that dangerous. Some people, such as Rask, have seen this hatred and realized that it is founded upon irrational fear more than anything else. Rask’s sister was taken because she was an Orogene and he shows compassion towards Essun because he understands that she is not the problem (51). Rask never saw his sister as a threat, the threat was people taking her based off one fact about her. These fears are the same that would lead people to shout hate speech at Muslims after 9/11, they are judging them while not understanding them. Alabaster expresses his anger towards the people who classified Orogenes as inhuman as he feels that it is a lie, “so they don’t have to feel bad about how they treat us” (354). However, some look for even more sinister ways to justify their discrimination. Jemisin describes the stone lore as something tampered with to show how history can often pervert what reality is trying to convey. Alabaster tells Syenite how the second tablet is likely damaged because someone disagreed with the message of it and either did not care what happened to it or wanted it destroyed (124/125).

Jemisin’s themes are mirrored in the world today. People being classified as lesser, criminal, or a terrorist based solely on the color of their skin has been a problem across the world for centuries. The idea that someone would alter history to serve their own agenda is something commonly seen in the US even now. Some religious schools refuse to teach evolution despite its support through scientific data; they are ignoring the truth because it does not agree with their stance as a church. Religious institutions may say the same of scientific bodies, but both agree that people are choosing the truth and history they want. Alabaster mentions how some people even go to the extreme lengths of removing parts of history that “don’t matter to the people of the time” (124). Individuals here are discriminatory once again. They have chosen what history matters to them, based on their own biases, and taken those beliefs into physical and verbal attacks against other people. Jemisin saw these atrocities being carried out in the present day, presenting them in the novel through the plight of Orogenes to create a subtler portrayal of race relations.

Similarities in Oppression between the Stillness and America

            Although N.K. Jemisin does not give a blatant argument about current issues of race in America in The Fifth Season by clearly laying out all the issues, she challenges the conventional ways race is viewed in America in the way she builds the Stillness to resemble America while at the same time reverses the dominant race and digs into issues that are similar to those African Americans face today. Jemisin defines Sanzed people, which she identifies as the dominant race because most people have Sanzed features, in her glossary as “bronze-skinned and ashblow-haired” (464). In distinguishing that “bronze” skin is dominant in this society, she overturns the notion of white being the dominant race, as it currently is in America, suggesting that readers should think about race and the role it plays in the novel. She furthers this in Essun being taken aback by Hoa’s appearance, as she notes his lack of color, “his skin is white … There’s nothing Sanzed about him, except the texture of his hair” (111). In the emphasis of his lack of “Sanzed” features and the fact that he is “white,” she identifies that white skin is now uncommon. However, Jemisin also gives white skin to the Guardians who control the orogenes, as she describes Shaffa as “[h]e’s so paper-pale” (29). In this way, some of the oppression that orogenes face comes from individuals who are “paper-pale,” aligning with similar prejudices that have come from white Americans. Further, Jemisin aligns the Stillness with America in that the countries demonstrate some of the same problems. This is clear when Jemisin identifies that “[f]rightened people look for scapegoats” (43). In using the word “scapegoats,” Jemisin suggests that orogenes, who face oppression by being called “roggas,” a slur similar to blacks being called the n-word, get the blame for things they did not do as a result of their composition. This is similar to the oppression that blacks have faced in America due to the color of their skin, which can be seen in countless police brutality cases that have occurred in the past several years. However, while this idea that orogenes, with their Sanzed appearance and the oppression they face at the hands of people with white skin is set up clearly from the beginning, the ending also aligns closely with issues in America. Alabaster’s plan in which he says, “[it] was collateral damage, but Yumenes got what it deserved. No, what I want you to do … is make it worse” (449), is an attempt to gain a voice and show those who have been oppressing orogenes that they are wrong. This aligns similarly with the “Black Lives Matter” movement, in which African Americans have stood up to white oppressors, noting that their voices and lives matter too, showing that what is being done to them isn’t right, a sentiment Syenite shares throughout the novel when she thinks about “[a] way to change things. Because this is not right” (371). Thus, through the comparisons between orogenes and African Americans and the Stillness and America, Jemisin echoes a message about race that’s been said many times before, using science fiction as a new vehicle to get there.

Alex Podlasinska

In many ways, Paul Beatty’s The Sellout is an unconventional novel, particularly where African-American novels are considered. One element which distinguishes The Sellout is its setting; the racial tensions within the city of Los Angeles are a rarely-tackled topic in media. Being set in Los Angeles, the novel is granted the authority to comment on societal issues in a pragmatic manner, despite not necessarily doing this through realistic means.

            Due to its geographical position, Los Angeles receives high rates of immigrants from Mexico and Asia. As a result, diversity in Los Angeles is definitively higher than that in the south and arguably higher that in progressive northern cities, such as New York. Entitling an entire section of the book “Too Many Mexicans,” Beatty is commenting on the distaste which minority groups have for one another, as well as how this sentiment is internalized. Charisma, the vice principal of a school, claims that there are “too many Mexicans,” despite being Mexican herself (153). The prejudice being expressed on her behalf can be attributed her class status, seeing as she is an educated individual with a middle-class job. Although the opinion held by Laura Jane, that class outweighs race in terms of determinants of lifestyle, is incorrect, the effects that race and class have on one another are worth considering (108).

            Despite being regarded as a liberal city, racial issues persist in Los Angeles. Throughout the course of The Sellout, instances of racism against the narrator and his community are frequently identified, ranging from police brutality to attempted gentrification of the neighborhood. Beatty ridicules the idea that Los Angeles is a city free of racism through the narrator’s recollection of his trip to the south. Beginning the story with “I’ve experienced direct discrimination based on race only once in my life,” despite this particular recollection being preceded by instances such as Dickens’ rejection by potential sister cities for being “too black” makes it clear that the opening statement is insincere in nature (174, 147). The artificial contrast which Beatty draws between the south and LA, one being a terrible place and the other a safe haven from the perils of racism, highlights the flaws of Los Angeles, and in turn highlights the flaws of contemporary liberalism as well.

The Irony in "The Sellout"

The novel, The Sellout, by Paul Beatty is filled with a series of ironies that both show how segregation is still very present and how we create numerous black stereotypes. From very early on in the novel, we are exposed to the comical stance that Beatty takes to these stereotypes.  He starts the novel with a black man awaiting trial in the Supreme Court while also smoking a blunt.  His comical, but ironic stance throughout the novel creates a light-hearted tone while he alludes to the present-day discrimination towards African Americans.

There are many complicated stereotypes throughout The Sellout of black people, but rather than portray them in negative ways, the author embraces these stereotypes. The novel explains the main character as a watermelon planter, farmer, and a dope seller.  The irony of the character making his living from selling watermelons, pokes fun at the typical stereotype of black people loving watermelon. The main character even completes a drug-deal style sale with his “crack of the apple world” in a “window to car window, crime-movie-style” transaction (213). The fruit of the main character is so delicious that it seems drug-like and superpower inducing. Beatty turns negative labels that black people are given, into proud descriptions for his characters. We, as white Americans, expect the weed, watermelon, and guns in this story because the characters live in Dickens.  However, we don’t expect the characters’ love for poetry and Charlie Chaplin, or success with selling fruit as opposed to drugs. The book is addressing the common stereotypes, but also showing other sides of black people that are unexpected, like their love for the arts.

Additionally, Beatty creates an irony from segregation.  While real-life segregation worsened the situation for African Americans and destroyed opportunity, BonBon’s segregation plot has the opposite effect. The narrator notes that “segregated schooling is already working,” even in its earliest stages (208). He even exclaims that “grades are up and behavioral problems are down” (208). There is success in the main character’s segregation attempts, which comes as an unexpected shock to the reader, given our understanding of real-life segregation. The narrator places a sign on the bus for “Priority Seating For Whites,” and rather than making the bus filled with riots and upset black people, the bus becomes “the safest place in the city” (163). Kids feel so safe in their bus, that kids “go do their homework” on Marpessa’s bus (163). This is not the result that we expect.

Beatty’s ironic take on typical African American stereotypes and the narrator’s success in segregation, allows the reader to think about present day relationships with African Americans.  Cities, like Dickens, still exist in America, leaving us to think about if desegregation actually took place, especially in under-privileged, mostly-minority schools. 

The Struggle for Dickens in a Post-Racial World

In Paul Beatty's The Sellout, the struggle that engages the narrator for much of the novel is his fight to reinstate Dickens as a city. It was removed quietly and "didn't go out with a bang like Nagasaki, Sodom and Gomorrah, and my dad" (57). It was taken down in order to keep property values up and blood pressures down of surrounding cities. There were no official announcements---it just happened without warning (58). Throughout the novel, Beatty clearly portrays Dickens as a poor place with its citizens being held back. This is evidenced by the career fair that takes place at Chaff, when every single occupation that was exhibited was low-level, almost like those were the only options. Principal Molina knew that "the black and brown troops she was sending out into the world didn't have much of a chance" (165).  By erasing this town, the government is trying to ignore the problems like poverty that are so prevalent in Dickens. This has parallels to how some neighborhoods like the South Side of Chicago are completely ignored. People do not care about what goes on in these neighborhoods and pretend like they do not even exist. The narrator is fighting against this and wants the world to acknowledge Dickens for what it is. He does not want these problems to be brushed aside and fights to reinstate the city. For all its problems, Dickens is still a part of him and without it, he does not know how to become himself (40). The narrator thinks that "real cities have borders. And signs. And sister cities" (141). With this in mind, he sets out a plan to reanimate Dickens by actually painting city borders around the city. What ensues afterwards is the entire community rallying behind him, helping him paint the borders. It makes them ask themselves "why they felt so strongly about the Dickens side of the line as opposed to the other side. When there was just as much uncurbed dog shit over there as here" (109). The narrator also sends in applications for sister cities to pair with Dickens. To his despair, only Juarez, Chernobyl, and Kinshasa are listed as compatible, with all of them rejecting Dickens for ironic reasons. For example, Chernobyl rejects Dickens due to its proximity to sewage treatment plants" (147). Beatty uses humor here to reveal just how absurdly unwanted Dickens is that even the "worst" cities in the world do not even want to associate with it. Later on, the narrator restores segregation back to the schools, because he feels that would be key to bringing Dickens back (167). Eventually, he succeeds and Dickens is reinstated as a city. I believe Beatty through the fight for Dickens, is trying to communicate the idea that we should not trick ourselves into thinking that we've solved the problem of racism. That just because slavery or Jim Crow does not exist anymore, we can ignore the inequality that takes place in places like Dickens. Beatty, just like the narrator, wants the world to acknowledge Dickens or real-life equivalents and does this by "whispering racism in a post-racial world" (262).

              

Living in a Skinner Box

During the narrator’s upbringing, his psychologist father recreated and tested many famous psychology experiments. These experiments, while cruel for a child, were also designed in a way for the narrator’s father to expose the narrator to how he believed blacks should behave and are perceived in America.

One of the experiments mentioned was the Little Albert experiment where researchers turned a neutral stimulus into a conditioned stimulus. While Little Albert was exposed to stimulus like a bunny and heard a hammer strike a steel bar, the narrator’s father provided stimulus such as, “toy police cars, cold cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon, Richard Nixon campaign buttons, and a copy of The Economist” and the narrator heard gunshots and his dad shouting “‘Nigger, go back to Africa!’” (29). The change of stimuli in the experiment depicts the different things the narrator’s father wanted the narrator to be scared of, and many of the stimuli were ones that black people tended to not like. His father, through this experiment, was trying to instill these beliefs and behaviors at a very young age.

One recreated experiment that was especially interesting was when the father wanted to test the bystander effect, based on the incident of Kitty Genovese who was stabbed, sexually assaulted, and murdered in front of multiple witnesses who assumed that others would call the police. In testing this, the narrator’s father instead created a situation in which he got people to help him mug and beat up the narrator. His father says that he forgot “to take into account the ‘bandwagon effect’,” (30), however, I believe this was more to do with how social contagion, deindividualization and risky shift created the situation in which people helped the father instead of the narrator. Through this experiment, it was hinted that the reason the bystander effect wasn’t applied and instead the people helped the father was because the narrator was black and dressed with “dollar bills bursting from [his] pockets, the latest and shiniest electronic gadgetry jammed into [his] ear canals, a hip-hop heavy gold chain hanging from [his] neck, and, inexplicably, a set of custom-made carpeted Honda Civic floor mats draped over [his] forearm” (30). The father wanted to see how the bystander effect applies to the black community, and he got his answer.

Another significant experiment was the experiment showing the black and white dolls. The father thought and expected his son to identify with and choose the black dolls, so when the narrator chose the white dolls he “lost his scientific objectivity and grabbed [the narrator] by the shirt,” (35) probably surprised by the narrator’s answer. However, intentionally or not, the father made the Barbie and Ken dolls have better accessories than MLK Jr, Malcolm X, Harriet Tubman, and a Weeble toy. This depicts actual society where generally white people have better commodities and accessories than black people.

For me, these recreated experiments were either funny or cringey but overall very entertaining. Having recently learned about each of the experiments in another class, it was interesting to see how the narrator’s father recreated the experiments including an element of the behaviors or beliefs of white and black people.

Is Dickens a victim of race or class?

            Laura Jane’s statement to Marpessa that “it isn’t race that’s the problem but class” stuck out to me as the most blatant example of white ignorance presented in The Sellout (138). Yes, there is definitely an issue of class for people of all races, but a white person and a black person of similar financial circumstances will be presented with vastly different opportunities and treatment, making race the prevalent issue in America.

            Even in lower class blue-collar jobs, black employees have “to be twice as good as the white man, half as good as the Chinese guy, and four times as good as the last Negro” to have the exact same job (181). This proves that black employees have to work much harder to obtain the same job as their white equivalent, based on the hiring manager’s prejudices alone.

            Success for others in Dickens is “possible if one can get the right white person on your side,” allowing for Stevie’s parole (183). Without Panache’s connection to “big-time white people,” Stevie would serve the entirety of his sentence in prison (182). The word of white people has much more clout than the word of anyone black.

The importance of making the right connections (right meaning white) is reinforced by BonBon’s attempt to find a sister city for Dickens. Poverty stricken cities Juarez and Chernobyl (an area not even safe for human habitation due to radiation) ironically reject Dickens because it is “too violent” or because of its “rampant pollution,” but Kinshasa rejects Dickens simply because it is “too black” (147). Kinshasa’s honesty reiterates that relationships with black people are viewed as less valuable than those with white people.

Examples of advertisements in the book provide an example for the inherent competition forged between races that motivates both to do more and work harder. In car commercials, showing a “handsome African American male model behind the wheel” will motivate the white men to buy a car as to avoid allowing the black man to “steal your piece of the American dream” (138). Inversely, the presence of the white-faced Wheaton Academy motivated the black and Latino students to behave better and work harder in school due to “the colored person’s desire for the domineering white presence” that brought out the “need to impress” (208).

The success of the resegregation of Dickens is based on this need to impress and the sense of community between races oppressed by whites, enforcing that the issue is greater than just black vs. white and extends to all victims of “white male privilege” (149). On Hood Day, the “suspicious Hispanic males,” who usually rival the members of the black gangs gathered at the field, end up smoking weed and shooting at the clouds along with the rest of the Hood Day celebrants (234).

These driving forces prove that race transcends class as an issue in America. As evidenced by the slim choices for the middle schoolers on career day, if oppressed races are never offered the opportunity to escape their circumstances, then the issue of class persists as a cyclical result of race continuing with each generation.