Novels with Racist Protagonist?

Can you think of any novels where one of the main characters is racist but nonetheless portrayed in a relatively favorable way? I'm just curious...

Reply 1

FilthyYouth

Although it isn't a novel, Mein Kampf? haha. I don't know any really, I'm not sure there would be many popular novels with out and out racists as the protagonists. There are characters who harbor some kind of racial prejudice, though it isn't usually the main focus of the novel.

Reply 2

Oncoming Storm

Ho, hum.

Can't think of any right at this moment but I'm sure there are a few.

Reply 3

bestofyou

Holden Caulfield = Racist Bastard

Reply 4

user settings

Original post by jismith1989

Can you think of any novels where one of the main characters is racist but nonetheless portrayed in a relatively favorable way? I'm just curious...

Shakespeare's play? Othello? The black general who married the white woman in Venice; when he thought his wife was cheating with another man, he be all like "N**ga please.", when the guy was white.
.......Just joke.

Not really a novel, but a BBC film. It's called "white girl". It's about a racist white girl who grew up in a broken family in poor conditions. She then moves to an area where there's a Muslim community (bradford i think? Don't remember), and from there she slowly changes her views, becomes a Muslim - which wasn't taken very lightly by her family.

I highly reccomend you watch this film in your spare time. Just type in youtube "white girl bbc part 1", and i'm sure you'll find the full film.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 5

faber niger

Original post by Abir Ishtiaq

Not really a novel. Shakespeare's play? Othello? The black general who married the white woman in Venis; when he thought his wife was cheating with another man, he be all like "N**ga please.", when the guy was white.

Haha, sure, race is definitely a big theme in Othello. (It's Venice btw. :wink:

)

Original post by bestofyou

Holden Caulfield = Racist Bastard

Are you sure? I don't remember that. Catcher in the Rye's full of preppy white kids, I don't even remember anyone black being in it (except the jazz pianist whom Holden admires).

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 6

bestofyou

Original post by jismith1989

Are you sure? I don't remember that. Catcher in the Rye's full of preppy white kids, I don't even remember anyone black being in it (except the jazz pianist whom Holden admires).

I was joking..I did read something quite racist, can't remember what though..it'll come back to me and I'll tell you but

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 7

user settings

Original post by jismith1989

Haha, sure, race is definitely a big theme in Othello. (It's Venice btw. :wink:

)

I edited that post (: Read the other part

Reply 8

faber niger

Original post by Abir Ishtiaq

I edited that post (: Read the other part

Yeah, I'm just having a look at it now, thanks for the link.

EDIT: I should say that I'm thinking more about race than religion though. It's obvious that a strict, regimented culture can help a dysfunctional family and that one may be inclined to adopt the majority culture where one isn't already a part of it, but that doesn't mean that those of us who are not so dysfunctional need religion, or that religion is an unalloyed good. I respect those who get positive things from it, but I think that we should always have the right to criticise religion (rather than race necessarily), since it's an ideology like any other; no one would question my right to criticise the Conservative Party or the Labour Party. I respect Salman Taseer, for example, who spoke out against Pakistan's blasphemy law only to be assassinated. To assume that one's beliefs are upheld by God and therefore inviolable is, I'm afraid, arrogance of the first order. But, as I say, although I may like to attack religious doctrine/rituals from time to time, I have nothing against people of other cultures. (In fact, as it happens, my two best friends at school were Hindu and Muslim respectively.)

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 9

Speedy03

Well, the literary James Bond is prone to wonderful generalisations....

Reply 10

Evangelica

Original post by jismith1989

Can you think of any novels where one of the main characters is racist but nonetheless portrayed in a relatively favorable way? I'm just curious...

Song of Solomon - Toni Morrison. It deals quite dominantly with racism against black people in America, and the resulting anti-white attitude of a few radicals. The protagonist is black but gets steered towards some pretty anti-white views, mostly supported by a few more minor anti-white characters in the novel. It's an interesting read, but not particularly uplifting.

I haven't really done it justice, it's a really interesting novel. It's also notable that while it portrays different aspects of racism, racism is really more the backdrop of the novel rather than its entire focus. Even though you sympathise with the protagonist, I'm not sure if you like him, but I famously tend to dislike characters that are meant to be liked so to get a better objective, I'd advise you to read it for yourself to make your own judgement :lol:

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 11

GottaLovePhysics! :)

I once heard the very hungry caterpillar make a slur :dontknow:

Many old books have "old" views. The famous five even has this.

Reply 12

faber niger

Original post by Evangelica

How come you're looking for these novels?

Well, I'm thinking of writing a novel myself and thought it might be an interesting taboo that hasn't really been broached all that much.

Reply 13

kerily

Original post by Speedy03

Well, the literary James Bond is prone to wonderful generalisations....

Homosexuals can't whistle, apparently :teehee:

A lot of stuff written in around the 1940s/1950s - late enough that diversity was actually present in society, early enough that it was disapproved of by a fair few people - has casually racist protagonists. Bond is a good example - the attitude towards black people in Live And Let Die is not one for the easily-offended.

Reply 14

Evangelica

Original post by jismith1989

Well, I'm thinking of writing a novel myself and thought it might be an interesting taboo that hasn't really been broached all that much.

Well, that's the only novel I can think of at the moment, although if you go pre 20th century, you may note in English Literature hints of racism in protagonists, but that wasn't racism then, just how things were. Jane Eyre makes a few comments that a modern person wouldn't make about people from other countries, but I'm guessing that's not what you mean.

I think a racist protagonist in a modern setting would be more different and I suppose "taboo", although I think it's pretty difficult to shock readers these days. After reading Philip Roth's "Sabbath's Theater" and Anthony Burgess' "A Clockwork Orange", oh and Chuck Palahniuk's "Guts" (omfg it's really short, you can read it online in a few minutes, but oh so gross), I am beyond being shocked by novels.

The character development nonetheless could make it an interesting read, but it would have to be done quite well.

Reply 15

genki

Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad, has a racist protagonist who is depicted sympathetically (but then it was written at a time when racism was completely acceptable).

Reply 16

hobnob

Original post by GottaLovePhysics! :)

Many old books have "old" views. The famous five even has this.

What do you mean, 'even'? The Famous Five would be in their 80s now (except for the dog, which would presumably have died - even fictional dogs aren't that long-lived). :p:

Reply 17

tvdx

'Guts' is utterly horrible.

Interesting point though OP, I am an avid reader and I can't think of any books with a racist character portrayed favourably. Obviously, lots of older books have very outdated attitudes to race, though I don't know if any have an actually racist main character.

Reply 18

Astonix

Any books from America set in the past will usually have some concept of racism. To Kill A Mockingbird is the first book which comes to mind. Whilst the protagonist isn't explicitly racist, they still have a black servant and the segregation of black people is clear, such as the black-only church. The entire story also builds up to a racist, prejudice trial where a black man is charged even though he's innocent - but of course, he's black so no one believes him over the white girl.