The Great White Hope Essay

The film, “The Great White Hope ”, focuses on the life and hardships of famous boxer, Jack Jefferson. He was the first African American to win the World Heavyweight Championship in Reno, Nevada. He wants to pursue Eleanor “Ellie” Bachman despite going against social norms because she is white. They are together when Jefferson is arrested under the Mann Act, which he is then sentenced to 3 years in jail. However, he escapes to Canada disguised as a member of a black baseball team. Jefferson and Ellie travel to various places such as London, Paris, Germany, and Budapest, until he is offered to throw a fight in Havana for less jail time. They go to Mexico after the champion refuses the offer, which results in him fighting with Ellie. Ellie, very …show more content…
After the Civil War, people were still prejudiced against African Americans. In many ways, whites tried to oppress their race and limit their social freedoms. The film ended with a massive amount of white people celebrating the victory of Jefferson’s opponent. Another example could be that they charged Jefferson only instead of both him and Ellie. Ethnocentrism is also illustrated in the film. Many would agree that ethnocentrism goes hand in hand with social prejudice during this time. Social Darwinism justified the idea that white people were superior in many aspects of life including socioeconomic status, racial status, gender status, etc. The fact that no one could beat Jefferson defeated this idea, but also inspired the white people to find “The Great White Hope” even more. The final thing that was illustrated in this film was self-concept. During this time, minorities had a low sense of self-concept due to oppression. With many social pressures being pushed his way, Jefferson still fought to overcome these pressures to succeed in the long run. No one could take away his confidence to box, which influenced more pressure from white people. An example could be people refusing his license to box in