MovieChat Forums > Shadrach (1998) Discussion > Race conflict, class conflict

Race conflict, class conflict

posted 18 years ago by nephihaha
9 replies | jump to latest

While it's obvious that Shadrach deals with the mistreatment of blacks in the Southern USA, it more or less glosses over class relations. The narrator, a young boy from a wealthy background, goes to stay with some dirt-poor friends of his, yet the culture shock is never really addressed. How does his host family *really* view him and his parents? Not necessarily with hatred, but certainly there would be some discomfort.

Oh yes, and one more thing. Hollywood always needs a love story, no matter how stupid. In this case the narrator fancies a young girl, but this contributes absolutely nothing to the plot.

[–] serneste 18 years ago

William and Susannah Styron are my cousins. I know from my families life in Pascagoula,MS that the whites in that area were mostly kind to black people. My father always taught me to respect all people black, white, red, yellow.

I know the blacks were mistreated and that wound will take centuries to heal if it ever does but the people in our country of all races have come a long way to be a United People and reliving the past slows down that progress. The past is very important when used to educate those who are learning about history but when used as a tool to uprise ill feeling and hatered then it is tainted and disrespects the people of the past both black and other.

[–] Celiphane 17 years ago

The author was just telling a story. Styron wanted to tell the story of a well-to-do young boy, during the Depression, who had a friendship with a poor family. At their home, the boy found all the excitement that his home was lacking. I don't think it was important to explain the class differences in the story or dwell on them. You may have wanted the story to be about those things but the author obviously didn't. I thought by not going into the 'class' issue, he allowed the reader/viewer to focus on the young boy's relationship with Shadrach.

[–] OrangeBush 16 years ago

I loved this film!

[–] nephihaha 15 years ago

"The author was just telling a story."

Unfortunately, when one tells a story like this, one can't really gloss over such things.

"I don't think it was important to explain the class differences in the story or dwell on them."

Well, they're there, and they do dwell on it a bit. I had friends who were richer and poorer than us when I was his age, and it did make a difference in a bizarre way, although the difference was more amongst the adults, than amongst the children.

[–] Bruce7 14 years ago

Having grown up in the South something that was sometimes said, 'Down here the Whites let the Blacks live next to them. but up North, they don't want them near to them. I experienced racism in the early '70's while visiting up North. My grandmother and I went to see a former housekeeper, for my grandmother and grandfather, since retired, elderly. All three of us went to get a hamburger. When we arrived at the Malt Shoppe, I wanted to go inside but my grandmother said we couldn't. The friend of my grandmother also confirmed this. I didn't understand until later. Still to this day, that sticks with me.

Can you fly this plane?
Surely you can't be serious.
I am serious, and don't call me Shirley

[–] max_demian 13 years ago

The narrator, a young boy from a wealthy background, goes to stay with some dirt-poor friends of his, yet the culture shock is never really addressed. How does his host family *really* view him and his parents? Not necessarily with hatred, but certainly there would be some discomfort.

Never mind the host family, there's no way those rather prissy Presbyterian parents would have allowed their clean son stay with such a dirty, poor family. Christian charity doesn't extend that far.

[–] mojo2004 13 years ago

I thought the fact that his funeral had no other Black people from the area was more odd than a rich White kid being allowed to stay with a poor White family while his parents were out of town. Shadrach was alone but he was home. The members of that Church would have considered him family and been at the service & burial.

"It's like yelling at babies for not changing their own diapers!"

[–] Geechee 12 years ago

It's a STORY. I'm amazed at the number of people who complain about how something was written...especially if it's fiction. If you want to tell the story and put in your own perceptions and not 'gloss' over anything, then write your own story. Styron had the right to write it however he felt it should be written. It is his story. I appreciated the story for its beautiful telling. I don't expect every story I read to be full of 'cultural revelations' or full of how things 'should' be.
Look at it this way...this is the way the writer WANTED the story to be told...period.

"If I don't suit chu, you kin cut mah thoat!"

[–] nephihaha 8 years ago

Even if it's fiction, plausibility is an obvious factor, unless it's out and out fantasy.

--
It's not "Sci-Fi", it's "SF"!

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