Gentrification Sherman Alexie Summary

There are many ways that white people are unintentionally racist. One way is gentrification. Gentrification is the renovation or improvement of certain housing or districts. This increases property value and drives out lower-class families.This causes economic problems because wealthy white people run lower-class families out, benefitting from the property value increase. Racial inequality occurs as a result. Sherman Alexie’s “Gentrification” uses isolation, emotional appeal and guilt to express the wrongfulness of gentrification. To begin, the author uses isolation to prove the wrongfulness of gentrification. The author isolates the white homeowner, for example, “I am the only white man living on a block where all of my neighbors are black”
The white homeowner feels guilt. For example, “I knew the entire block would now shun me. I felt pale and lost, like an American explorer in the wilderness” (618). The homeowner feels guilty because he realizes what he has actually done and how it affects the neighborhood. He originally feels good about it, but after he sees the neighbors reaction to his action, he feels bad for what he has done. He also realizes he was racist without even knowing it at the time. The guilt proves that he realizes he is only doing it for himself and not the good of the neighborhood. He also knows that he sticks out for his actions and that the other neighbors know his true colors. The author expresses the guilt of the homeowner to inform the reader that gentrification is a form of racism. To conclude, the author uses examples of isolation, emotional appeal, and guilt to express the wrongfulness of gentrification. Gentrification is morally wrong because it displaces lower-class families and residents while high-class homeowners profit. As the lower-class families leave, the property value increases. This hurts the economy and social lives of people. The author tries to make others aware of gentrification because of the racial inequality it