Introduction
In Bastard Out of Carolina, the author renders and challenges major stereotypes on identity through the harrowing account of the narrator, Bone. She builds a portrait of a brave, traumatized girl considered illegitimate by the State and who endures repeated abuse without recourse. Mythological positions about poverty, sexuality, and race are challenged in the text by letting Bone move beyond these social categories in her interactions and responses. Bone’s identity is socially constructed by her illegitimate status, abuse, and the societal tag of white trash, a class prejudice that makes her relate more strongly with Black children.
Why Race Is Important to Bone
The societal construct of white trash evokes Bone’s interest in racial prejudice which is similar to the class-based oppression she experiences. Although she is white, Bone reveals that she is not entitled to the privileges of her race. This dichotomy is unsettling because of the stigma associated with the white trash status – a disparaging form of whiteness. Bone is regarded by the state as a “bastard”, and her mother, Anney, struggles to have this tag erased from her birth certificate (Allison 141). Anney believes that if this dehumanizing tag is not reversed, her trash status will be affirmed and she will be oppressed like the black people. Despite being white, she does not enjoy the privilege entitled to people of her race. Bone observes that other people “stood tall and looked down” at her mother “like she was a rock on the ground” (Allison 78). To Bone, the oppression is not only class-based but also gendered and racial.
Bone’s mother feels entitled to have the illegitimate stamp erased. Achieving this goal will grant her daughter white pride and avoid being labeled as a “no-good, lazy, and shiftless” person (Allison 64). The other Boatwright family members also feel entitled to some privileges because of their skin color. For example, the Boatwright men want peace despite being notorious criminals in the county (Allison 88). Thus, in as much as they suffer social stigma, they have some privileges not available to other racial groups. The issue of race is critical to Bone because of her experience of societal oppression and entitlement to certain rights that blacks may not have.
Race and Bone’s Identity
Bone identifies with a societal tag of white trash, a familial fate that she is trapped in. The Boatwrights are an underprivileged group occupying the lowest rank in white society. This underclass comprises overworked and abused females and lazy men. In retrospect, Bone says, “Stupid or smart, there wasn’t much choice about what was going to happen to me”, or the others (Allison 204). It appears that society has condemned them to life servitude. Bone notes that she and her female relatives were born to be worked to death (Allison 206). Her remarks expose the disparaging aspect and prejudice in the ‘white trash’ reference on which her identification is built.
This exposition may also be extended to the racism experienced by the blacks. White trash and racial prejudice are interrelated because they are both a heritage in the South (Taylor et al. 217). The discrimination suffered by the Boatwrights is due to their family history. Others look at them with disdain and contempt, which makes her wonder if she is “supposed to know anything at all” (Allison 258). Therefore, Bone relates strongly with poor black people deprived by the legacy of slavery. When her friend, Shannon calls black gifted children “niggers”, she is incensed and fights back as if she was the target of the insult (Allison 170). Bone’s reaction indicates she identifies with blacks who are as marginalized as the poor whites in society.
Both the poor and African American people in this society are depicted as experiencing similar struggles. Over time, Bone has internalized the white trash identification that moves from her subconscious to consciousness. She reveals a trait common in both black and underprivileged white families: resilience. Bone first interacts with blacks during her visit to Aunt Alma. She stares at a black girl through a window with fascination and relates strongly with her anger and frustration with social oppression (Mengesha par. 6). Both have been mistreated throughout their lives because of poverty (Bone) and race (the girl).
Bone’s identity formation is also fueled by the physical and sexual abuse she suffers as a child. The perpetrator is her stepfather who repeatedly beats and rapes her. Daddy Glen’s abuse evokes guilt in Bone rather than fear, which contributes to her identity development. She sees herself as evil and thus deserves the abuse as a “fact of her life” (Allison 118). Anney is unable to protect Bone, which shows that she has internalized these patriarchal norms. As a result, she gradually loses trust in herself and suffers low self-esteem. These are signs of victimization in this society that influenced the narrator’s psychological well-being and identity. Her feelings of low self-esteem and guilt add to her internalized sense of inferiority due to her white trash status and illegitimacy in society. She appears resigned to her fate, even wishing she were a male so that she could defend herself against Daddy Glen (Mengesha par. 9). Thus, the abuse affected Bone’s sense of self-worth and pride as a white person, making her relate more with another oppressed group – black people.
Identity Factors Related to People of Color
Black people in the novel also relate to the illegitimacy and abuse suffered by the narrator. The societal category of white trash relegated the Boatwrights because of their low socioeconomic status (Allison 46). This view is characteristic of racist thinking and attitudes that become internalized by people of color. Taylor et al. state that projecting an image of blacks as very different from others – as people with darker motives or evil – provides a moral justification for racial prejudice (214). This psychological view is also seen in Bone’s identity development which is defined by abuse. She is convinced that she is very evil and deserves the abuse and mistreatment from her stepfather (Mengesha par. 9). By societal standards, Bone, just like the black girl staring at her, is invisible because of her illegitimacy and family status. Her mother’s fight to have Bone freed from the degrading illegitimate status also shows how prejudice has become normalized in this society.
As with class-based prejudice, discrimination against people of color may become systemic. In the novel, the idea of white trash is comparable to derogatory names against people of color. It leads to a different set of morality to justify the scorn and discrimination by those occupying the advantaged bourgeois. These morals explain why Boatwrights are regarded by the Greenville community as a family of lazy, unambitious males and overworked females and blacks as “niggers” (Allison 170). Unfortunately, black people have internalized these societal standards and feel that they have no choice but to accept these norms. Thus, class prejudice is systemic and has permeated all institutions of a capitalist state. Similarly, racial thinking is pervasive and justified by historical and ideological factors that have become internalized in this society.
Specific examples in the novel illustrate how societal norms are systemic. Bone’s friend hurls racial insults at talented young black singers and feels no remorse because of the way she has been socialized. According to Taylor et al., subjectivity or prejudice is learned through an ideology that identifies a racial group by name. The naming of people based on skin color or societal class subjects them to societal standards. Therefore, racial insults such as “nigger” and “white trash” exert ideological pressure on persons from a subordinated group to see prejudice as normal.
The Norm for White People
Illegitimacy and abuse are normalized and systemic, as seen in the hierarchical relationship in this society. They illustrate the pervasiveness of ideologies on patriarchy and capitalism. Bone is certified as a bastard by the government and belongs to the lowest socioeconomic class, the white trash (Allison 46). This systemic prejudice also affects black people who live separate from whites, as the narrator’s encounters with African Americans are few. The mechanisms used to perpetuate the class and racial ideologies are under the control of the state. Private matters, such as sexuality, relationships, and birth are controlled by the authorities to keep the classes separate. Thus, the legitimate or illegitimate status is meant to sustain segregation and regulate the subordinated class.
The societal norms that maintain prejudice become prevalent in social institutions. Anney’s attempt to have the ‘illegitimate’ imprint removed is futile at first because the courthouse clerks are convinced it represents Bone’s rightful position in society (Allison 4). One male official seems convinced that Bone is illegitimate, which makes Anney an adulterous woman. He says, “The facts have been established”, as the woman at the door looked at her scornfully and muttered “some people” (Allison 5). They do not feel any empathy for her but resentment because they are socialized to see subordinated groups as different. Therefore, factors such as hierarchy and prejudice against socially constructed categories are the norm among white people in this society.
Bone’s Circumstances and Curiosity about Black Children
The narrator’s resistance to class and race ideology can explain her fascination with black children. Deeply ingrained myths about race define Bone’s attitudes about people of color. The Boatwrights and other whites treat African Americans with disdain and scorn. However, Bone understands the link between racial and class subjugation, making her curious about blacks. In one instance, she reacts angrily when her friend reveals, “My daddy don’t handle niggers” (Allison 170). Her interest in black children shows that she recognizes the gaps in class and racial ideologies that relegate poor whites and African Americans to a subordinate category. I believe she relates with them because they are as oppressed as those identified as white trash.
Conclusion
Bastard Out of Carolina exposes the mechanisms used to perpetuate class and racial prejudice. The white trash ideological imprint, illegitimate status, and sexual and physical abuse are the tools for sustaining patriarchal and capitalist systems that are prejudiced against subordinated classes. These factors also affect people of color who are segregated from the white population in this society. The narrator’s recognition that class oppression is linked to racial subjugation evokes her curiosity about black children.
Works Cited
Allison, Dorothy. Bastard Out of Carolina. Penguin Books, 2012.
Mengesha, Abigail. “The White Trash Identity in “Bastard Out of Carolina”.” Web.
Taylor, Evi, et al. The Historical Perspectives of Stereotypes on African-American Males. Journal of Human Rights and Social Work, vol. 4, pp. 213-225.