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Stereotypes in literature and films

A stereotype is a concept that has been in existence since time immemorial, and it has often

elicited a lot of discussions, particularly about gender and race. Stereotyping is a generalized

belief or assumption about a group of people; it looks at people and assumes that they are all

alike and share the same qualities. Stereotyping based on categories like race, gender, class, age,

ethnicity, and sexual orientations may be described as "master statuses" given its prevalence and

the influence on an individual's daily life and identity (Rosenblum and Travis 1). Stereotyping

remains a crucial factor, particularly in the conception of literature and films. Through works of

literature and films, the concept of stereotyping is often brought into the light, but that is just an

avenue for shedding light into the real world as it is, full of discrimination. As such, concerning

specific works of literature, this essay seeks to examine gender, race, ethnicity, class, and age

across texts about literary, cultural traditions, and non-Euro-centric traditions while also

addressing issues related to power and the need for greater equality and social justice.

An individual's social position is often influenced by numerous axis of classification,

including race, gender, class, and age. Alice Walker's novel "The Color Purple" is illuminated

through the novel's protagonist, Celie. As a black woman living in Georgia, Celine's social

character is based on gender, race, class, sex, and ethnicity. Throughout her life. She has to face

a lot of discrimination and based on race and gender. In gender discrimination, women are often

perceived as a lesser beings. They are thus subjected to numerous injustices just because they are
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viewed as the lesser gender who cannot fight for themselves. This aspect can be seen even

through the lens of Celie's experience with her abusive father, Alphonso. Celie is repeatedly

raped by Alphonso, who later learns that he was his step-father, and as a result of the rape,

Celine gets pregnant twice at the age of 14 (Spielberg et al.). While this happened, Alphonso

warned her against telling anyone about the rape, but God prompted Celie to write letters to God.

Alphonso took advantage of the fact that Celie was a black woman who had little to no chance of

ever fighting back, and that is how he raped her repeatedly and even took away her two children,

making Celie believe that they had died (Spielberg et al.). This incident brings about the concept

of oppression and abuse inflicted on women, particularly women, especially in the US.

The race is also depicted in the novel through Celie and other black women. As

demonstrated in the book, African- Americans are being frequent targets of bitter discrimination.

In the novel, black women were at the center of oppression and were often victims of violent

crimes committed by white men. Evidently, in Walker's "The Color purple," black women are

seen as lesser than their male counterparts. Additionally, they are forced into their social position

because they are black and are lesbians and from a lower class (Spielberg et al.) Even though

there is the ability to move out of their current class, women in the novel remain placed in their

social positions due to the intersections of gender, race, and sexuality.

Maria Ripoll’s film “Tortilla Soup” provides an interesting perspective of gender and

social issues. The movie follows a Mexican-American widow Martin Naranjo, a professional

chef left with his three grown daughters (Ripoll). The film reflects on modern traditions as

portrayed in Martin's career as a professional chef and raising his daughters. However, it is also

evident that there are unspoken rules about the social and gender roles of the women, as depicted

in Martin's three daughters. Even though they are all grown and capable of making their own
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decisions and taking up roles and responsibilities that best suit them, the cultural beliefs and

norms still bind them to particular roles (Ripoll). Thus in the film, each daughter represents the

characterization of Hispanic women in society. This then brings about the concept of gender and

social issues. Martins's three daughters Carmen, Leticia, and Maribel, are all faced with the

challenge of defining their role in modern society and the alternative way to resolve them base

on their cultural heritage (Ripoll). However, the movie depicts that Martins's family is open to

modernity, reducing the conflicts between modern and traditional values. The aspect of cultural

issues is explored individually by each of the daughters through personal experiences.

Traditionally, Hispanic women were expected to be most concerned with home and

hearth. Traditionally, the social roles of a woman were associated with maternal functions, and

every woman was required to adhere to it, contrary to which it was interpreted as lack of interest

or hatred of men as well as a bad relationship. This concept would be expected to be seen in

Martin's daughters, but all three daughters are unmarried and are pursuing their professional

interests. Additionally, the film addressed gender roles as resulting from both modern and

traditional ideas (Ripoll). In both cases, conformity remains a crucial factor, yet in the case of the

three sisters, they all have their concepts of the role of women, and they struggle to conform to

them and break free of them. The dominant factor among the three sisters is their struggle with

femininity, a concept that is brought about by gender issues in society. Typically gender roles are

learned through socialization, and culture is what defines society. Culture can potentially be

created by interaction with others; thus, both gender and culture strengthen each other.

Interestingly, “Tortilla Soup” demonstrates that each culture has a different perception of the

gender roles that are created by another culture (Ripoll). In light of the Martins family and their
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relationship with Hortensias, gender roles often cause conflicts due to varied interpretations that

are often contrary to the perception.

John Sayles' movie "Lone Star" is centered on central themes such as racism and the

struggles of people of color (FleurRinna Guta). The movie addresses multiple issues that people

living in troubled border towns face every day of their lives. With a particular focus on racism,

Sayles showcases the story of Mexicans, African Americans, Whites, and Native American

people (FleurRinna Guta). The issue of racism is seen in the character Wade who mercilessly

shot and killed a Mexican "coyote" who was smuggling people across the border. Wade killed a

defenseless man just by shooting him, even without checking for a reason. Wade probably shot

the man because he was a Mexican, an action that depicts his racist nature. His action shows the

violent way of controlling people just the way America has always done. Wade's encounter with

Otis also reveals another instance of racism when Wade embarrassed Big O in front of many

people in the bar by forcing him to poor beer hence making a mess (FleurRinna Guta). As a

result, Wade pulls out his gun and just so he could intimidate and show Big O that he was in

power.

In another instance, Wade finds out that Big O was running a gambling ring that he didn't

know about, and hence he threw Otis out of the closet and beat him (FleurRinna Guta). The

argument accelerates, and Otis ends up shooting Charlie Wade. Additionally, power is another

concept portrayed in the movie, especially through characters such as Charlie Wade. Wade was

an evil character, but he always won in every situation because he used intimidation through

murder to scare the people and run Frontera just as he wished. Despite his corrupt nature, nobody

was ever braked enough to speak up because they all had the same thoughts about Charlie.

Waded controlled the police and politicians and had the power to oversee all illegal gambling in
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the city even though he never cared so much about it (FleurRinna Guta). Wade just wanted to be

on the knowhow of everything going on because if he didn't, there would be serious

consequences, and even the people knew that. Lone Star brings out the tension arising from

racism and the real-life politics people have to pay to get what they want. As seen in the movie,

racism is a factor that has and continues to affect people even in today's America and the world.

The smoke signal is a movie by Chris Eyre which focuses on the lifestyle and living

conditions of the Indian community. One of the major focuses of the movie is the concept of

stereotype and social prejudice, which are depicted in the movie as affecting development due to

the drawbacks that it incorporates (Schuster). Several and diverse groups make up the larger

Native America. Yet, these groups are still subjected to discrimination even though their

variation in culture ought to give them a sense of identity and uniqueness. Members of each

culture have different beliefs, yet these cultural beliefs bring about prejudice and separations.

Native Americans have been at the forefront of discriminating against other communities based

on their color and culture (Schuster). In the film "Smoke Signals," Indians are on the receiving

end of American discrimination. Indians experienced social prejudice, which drove them into

poverty. The movie presents the Indian community in Native America as reserved people, as

people who had no access to modern facilities and technological advancement (Schuster). The

only people that Indians have interacted with are the people of their own culture, and this is seen

in the journey of some two characters to Phoenix city, where they experience a modern way of

life.

Furthermore, the discrimination of Indians leads to unequal treatment in work areas and

social amenities (Schuster). Racism also contributed to high rates of unemployment, as is seen in

the Indian community. Additionally, the movie depicts the poor education system, which leads to
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an upsurge in crime among the Indian community (Schuster). Homelessness is depicted as the

worst impact of discrimination among the Indians in Native America.

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan follows the story of an economics professor Rachel

Chu and her boyfriend, Nick, and through their story, the film depicts the major themes of

society and class (Kwan). The concept of class still evokes a lot of controversies even in modern

society. Society has been inclined to think that money plays a crucial role in bestowing class and

good manners, yet Kevin Kwan demonstrates just the opposite. When Rachel met Nick, a man

from Singapore, it did not occur to him that he was from a rich family until they went to

Singapore to attend a friends' wedding. The concept of class comes into the picture when Nick's

parents are made aware of Rachel's presence, and upon learning that she comes from a lower

social class family, they conclude that she is a gold digger (Kwan). Society believes that money

comes with class, which is, in fact, true, but money or class does not necessarily equate to good

manners. As seen in the movie, Nick's parents are from an upper-echelon in Singapore but

certainly have different lifestyles and ways of carrying themselves. The movie portrays many

characters as more concerned about money and class as opposed to treating others well. For

instance, Eddie Cheng is particularly interested in money and class instead of being humane so

much that he would much rather hit his child than miss a perfect photo op.

"A Voice in Every Wind" by Quin Wang is a collection of short stories that explore

foreigners' experiences in a new country. The story showcases how characters feel when they

find themselves in new places (Wang). They both share the same fears as they don’t know how

to behave socially in their new environment and are seemingly reluctant to do things that might

offend their Chinese culture. However, characters in "A Voice in Every Wind" are often faced

with sexual harassment and cultural tolerance (Wang). Young women are sexually harassed, and
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yet they also struggle to maintain their norms and cultures as is required of them. The book

depicts the various struggles that foreigners, particularly the Chinese, face in new countries.

Oppression and discrimination are other forms of struggle that they are faced with daily.

As depicted through the various literature, gender, race, age, sex, ethnicity, and power are

the main factors that contribute to stereotyping. Even though stereotyping is common among

different ethnic communities, it has become more prevalent among women than men (Isik). Race

and womanhood cannot be separated. Race, class, ethnicity, and gender are inextricably linked

together. In as much as African-Americans and other minority groups have also suffered from

various forms of oppression particularly in American society, there is an extra aspect of

discrimination for African-American women because far from other types of oppression, they are

oppressed in terms of gender something that their male counterparts do not experience (Isik).

Power is also a critical factor that has and continues to impact societies in the world. Those who

have access to power have continued to mistreat and oppress the poor. However, there is a need

for greater equality and social justice for all. People must be treated with the same respect and

dignity regardless of their race, sex, gender, or class. A world that's free of stereotypes may very

well be created but only with the determination to end all forms of discrimination and inequality.

Recognizing the link between race, gender, ethnicity, age, and class is the first step

towards acknowledging the detrimental effects of stereotyping. It also acts as a wake-up call to

finally put an end to it. Discrimination existed even during the early ages of slavery, yet many

years later, it remained dominant. Even with evidence of adverse impacts of inequality and

numerous attempts to voice them, very little has been achieved in ending it. This essentially

means that a lot has yet to be done to eliminate the concept of stereotyping. But then again, it
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begins with an individual; what are you doing about it as a person? Until we can all treat this

matter with the intensity that it deserves, stereotyping will continue to live and thrive among us.

Works Cited

FleurRinna Guta. “John Sayles_- Lone.Star [1996].” Ok.ru, 15 Nov. 2020,

ok.ru/video/2492063812206.

‌Isik, Dilara. "Feminism in Late 20th Century American Literature: Black Feminism in Alice Walker’s

The Color Purple." American Studies (2017): 1-41.

Ripoll, Maria (2001). Tortilla Soup. California: Samuel Goldwyn Company

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Rosenblum, Karen Elaine., and Toni-Michelle Travis. The Meaning of Difference: American

Constructions of Race, Sex and Gender, Social Class, and Sexual Orientation. New York:

McGraw-Hill, 1996

‌Schuster, Stewart. “Smoke Signals - Movie Review.” YouTube, 28 Jan. 2021,

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xl7isBuAQC8. Accessed 2 July 2021.

Spielberg, Steven, et al. The color purple. Warner Bros., 1985.

https://www.kuleuven.be/thomas/uploads/file/community/open/155965/71_ColorPurple.pdf

‌Talks at Google. “Crazy Rich Asians | Kevin Kwan | Talks at Google.” YouTube, 2 Dec. 2015,

www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPsfcPr_9Kw. Accessed 15 Nov. 2020.

Wang, Qun. “A Voice in Every Wind.” Faculty-Authored Books, 1 Jan. 2004,

digitalcommons.csumb.edu/fac_books/20/. Accessed 2 July 2021.