Discrimination In The Returned

In The Returned, society views the infected humans known as the returned, as a vicious plague on earth. The contaminated humans are discriminated against because they are considered different from the rest of the world. In order for the infected to function as adequate human beings, they must inject themselves with every day doses to stay in human form. The main protagonist Alex is a returned who is not only is affected for his condition, but goes through police searches, a murder attempt towards his life, and irritated protestors. The returned are not normal, but rather inhumane. The returned are discriminated by humans who are prejudice in terms of name calling, violence, and isolation. Similar to the returned, marginalized groups …show more content…
In this society, there are various protestors who are against the returned and believe that they should be eliminated from society. In fact, protestors are becoming increasingly vicious and the government embarks on setting up quarantine camps. Similarly, during the 20th century, people infected with the HIV virus were quarantined for the mere belief that others might be infected. People were uneducated in that they believe that with a simple handshake or sitting in a seat of someone infected with the virus was going to end up infecting them. In a similar manner to the returned, people were also ignorant in that because supply was running low, police officers would go into the returned homes to shoot them in the head. In fact, Alex was almost shot in the head by an assassin. This goes back to the idea that people are afraid of the unknown and this causes people to do irresponsible things. In fact, when Kate admitted to supposedly killing Alex, the police officers told her that it was the right to do. This results in the police officers giving Kate a ride home like she has not done anything wrong, and acknowledging that she committed murder. To the police officers, it is a burden alleviated from their shoulders because at least is one less returned setting foot on earth. This is not correct because instead of capturing the …show more content…
In society, people with mental illness are viewed as crazy. In particular, people with mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are viewed as not normal because they are seen as wired differently than normal human beings. In the same manner, Alex and others infected also went through name calling. They are called rotters and PDS sufferers. Both the returned and people with mental illnesses were treated the same by societies in terms of name calling and the need to provide them with treatment. Like the returned, people with mental illnesses were hidden from society. They were also placed in mental hospitals and provided with medical treatments. Like people with mental illnesses, the returned were isolated from society and needed to receive medicine in order to remain in human form. Both the returned and people with mental illnesses, are dehumanized from society through the way they are treated. Back then, people with mental illnesses were given heavy tranquilizers that would help them lead normal lives in their families and communities. Similarly, the returned had to be given doses of serum that requires everyday doses in order to work. Society has a fear for the unknown and feared that because the doses were difficult to obtain that it would eventually run out. Like fear of the returned, there is a stigma