Intruder In The Dust Analysis

Racial issues in Intruder in the Dust must be abolished “in house” for there to be long lasting, meaningful change with southern injustice and inequalities. A pyramid can resemble society, with local people and government on the bottom, and federal government and workers at the top. In order for change in society to be effective the change has to start at the base, where there are the most people, all fighting for a common cause. When societal changes are forced from the top of the pyramid it creates imbalance because the people at the base of the pyramid disagree with the views higher authorities are forcing down on them. If change is forced onto society there is a greater chance that people will disagree and challenge the change, finding …show more content…
The majority of people in the south are not fighting for change with black rights; therefore there is still southern injustice and inequalities. The sheriff in the city accuses and arrests Lucas Beauchamp for a crime; not because there is undeniable evidence that Beauchamp committed the crime, but because of Beauchamp’s race. There is inequality in the law because Beauchamp is considered guilty until he proven innocent, but if his skin were white he would be considered innocent until proven guilty. “Innocent until proven guilty” is an example of change from the top of the pyramid; it is at the national level in the United States. The people in the south do not believe Beauchamp deserves the same rights as white men, so they still accuse him for the …show more content…
According to the law, Beauchamp is allowed to own property, but it is socially unacceptable in the south. The Gowrie brothers want to fight Beauchamp, and one of the brothers, Crawford Gowrie, frames Beauchamp for the murder of Vinson Gowrie. The Gowrie family does not believe in equal racial rights, and even though there are higher laws against discrimination the Gowrie’s continue to discriminate and look down on the blacks in the community. Change needs to start “in house” because if the change is first at the federal level, like laws, people in society still disagree and continue to discriminate. Brown v. Board of Education is a court case dealing with the discrimination and segregation in schools; the Supreme Court ruling states that state-segregation of public schools is unconstitutional. Although the case stops school segregation, people are still able to discriminate in every day life, this is because the law comes from the federal government not the state. People at the bottom of the pyramid are not willing to change, so because they are forced to change by the top of the pyramid the change is not as meaningful or