The novel In the Heat of the Night is written in the third person, a limited omniscient. This point of view is effective because it captures and keeps the intensity and anticipation, as well as the feeling and the mood of mystery in the story. Sam Wood and Bill Gillespie are the only two characters that we know what they are thinking. Those two are most likely to be wrong every time, Gillespie said, “Don’t need one… I’ve just read the folder on him… suspicion of murder.” (31-33). By not enlightening what is going on in Virgil's mind and about whom he believes the murderer is. It contributes a lot in the case, which makes it a mystery. The novelist creates more suspense in the story, because if we knew what Virgil was thinking in his mind, we would easily know of what was to come.
Discrimination is racial approach that has an effect on people negatively. The main drama in the novel is the underlying racial issue going throughout the entire book. The main character, Virgil Tibbs, is a tough individual who finds himself in with many racial situations. The first racial example in the novel is when Sam Woods take into custody Virgil Tibbs without any reason at all as he waits to catch a train. "On your feet, black boy he ordered...No you don’t…Make one false move and I'll drop you right then with a bullet in your spine" (15-16). Virgil Tibs is offended because of race, black skin and on top of that, he is threatened with a gun. This shows that this novel has a lot of racial issues.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
In other words, whether we are black or white we tend to discriminate if it is not the norm of our society. Ironically, even though blacks are discriminated upon in the United States that does not mean only white people discriminate. Blacks discriminate too. Discrimination is not always about race but also towards other people who are different to the social norms. For example, Maggie in “Recitatif”, she is discriminated because of her disability. Therefore, “Recitatif” a type of literature that requires close judgement from the reading process: “promising wonderful opportunities for epiphanies that are no longer about a theme or character but about the reading process itself” (WANG…
- 926 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
In the first chapter of In Cold Blood, Truman Capote uses many different techniques and types of languages in order to create tension in order to prepare and engage the reader. In this chapter, the way Capote writes creates a definitive sense of anticipation, leading the reader to read on and preparing them for events that will occur in the future.…
- 782 Words
- 4 Pages
Powerful Essays -
The novel “In the Heat of the Night” introduces the reader to two characters, Virgil Tibbs and Bill Gillespie. Virgil Tibbs is a homicide detective at the Pasadena Police department, and Bill Gillespie is the Chief of Police for Wells County. In the novel they are shown as two completely opposite characters whose personalities differ almost completely. The basic aspect of the novel is how during the 1960’s people in the south underwent severe racism and prejudice. The novel also depicts how because of those racial tensions the way these two characters interact with each other and how that is evident. In the beginning of the novel we are introduced to Virgil Tibbs. He is shown as a wealthy, highly educated, and confident young African American. Virgil Tibbs is introduced to us as a prime suspect for the murder of Enrico Mantoli. Soon after we are presented that Tibbs is an officer and that is a shock to Gillespie. Virgil Tibbs is a very well educated man, who is calm and patient with others. An example of this would be when Gillespie is angry or disturbed by Tibbs actions, he acts very calm and does not ever get angry. Despite all the hatred and anger people have for him he still continues to act in a civilized and well-behaved manor towards his co-workers and the people around him On the other hand, Bill Gillespie is a totally different character. He is physically larger and older than Tibbs, is a racist, and has several temper issues. Gillespie believes that Tibbs is far more experienced at the job then he is. Gillespie understands that Tibbs knows what he is doing, but is not happy about the fact that Tibbs has been selected to investigate the case. The problem Gillespie has with Tibbs is that he is more educated and has a higher source of income then he does. Also, Gillespie’s initial reaction to having Tibbs work on the case was negative and demanded that Tibbs be sent to his train right away.. An example of this would “Who in hell asked you to open your big…
- 545 Words
- 16 Pages
Good Essays -
Being black, which led to prejudice was a main theme in this entire book. There was not only a prejudice between whites and blacks, but between lighter-skinned and darker-skinned blacks. Lighter-skinned blacks tried to act as if they were higher class to the darker skinned blacks.…
- 1060 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
Discrimination is the unjust treatment of people and things based on their ethnicity/race, age, gender, disabilities, or religion. People who are victims of discrimination permanently face it throughout their life. In John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men, discrimination is obviously seen, but it is also seen in some characters in the book even if they don’t know they’re discriminated against. Through each of these discriminated characters, Steinbeck depicts how discrimination affects the character, and how they respond to it.…
- 275 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Murder often makes a persons blood boil and ask the question, “How can someone do that to someone else?” Most of time when a gruesome act of violence happens people wonder, “What kind of human being does it take to do something like that?” Truman Capote’s book, In Cold Blood, is about such an act of violence; a murder that, when the reader walks away, only registers a banal. The killing of the Clutter family, which happened in 1959 in the town of Holcomb, Kansas, blew most people away with its senselessness and horror. Capote, however, writes the story with personal background on the killers, making them human and giving the reader, something most people do not get to hear or even care to know, a reason to the mindless murders. Evil is easily banalized when there is a story to go along with it.…
- 1317 Words
- 6 Pages
Better Essays -
The Hardness About Discrimination In this world there are people that don’t accept that there are others out there that look different from them. While others will hate the fact that someone different lives in the same world that they do. Some will try to bring others down that look different from them or can’t do certain things that they can, and because of who they are. Like Crooks, Curley’s wife and Candy learn this in the Book.…
- 527 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Racism and inequality between nationalities was a major part of the late 1800s and early 1900s. This ignorance has lead to many problems including slavery, segregation and modern racism. In The Heat Of The Night, a novel written by John Ball, explores the world of Sam Wood. Sam wood has been taught racism his entire life and when a murder occurs and an African American man could possibly be the culprit, he jumps to conclusions. Throughout the novel, Sam Wood learns and develops a new view on society. He becomes a less racist,less prejudiced,more socially aware character.…
- 551 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Prejudice is defined as a preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience. In the book “To Kill a Mockingbird,” written by Harper Lee, the adolescent characters, Jem, Scout, and Dill, all learn about prejudice through the different experiences they face. They experience racial prejudice during the trial of Tom Robinson. They learn about class prejudice through the ways different people are treated in their small town. And, they learn about gender prejudice when people stereotype Scout and the way she acts and dresses. Throughout “To Kill a Mockingbird” prejudice is a very strong topic because it changes how people treat each other. This theme of prejudice affects people of different races, classes, and…
- 118 Words
- 1 Page
Satisfactory Essays -
Watching Bob Ewell falsely accuse Tom Robinson just because of his color shows the segregation of people. As a result of this false accusation Tom Robinson lost his life. They “killed a mockingbird”. There was not only discrimination against black people but also with white people. Lula confronts Calpurnia when she took the children to her church. “I wants to know why you bringin‘ white chillun to nigger church” (120). This shows just how discrimination goes both ways in the novel creating the idea of social…
- 487 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Discrimination is a prominent subject throughout the story as well as in today's world. Sadly, racism and stereotypes are still ongoing events, but in a different genre. A good example is the African American community. In the 1900’s it was more about rules discriminating against African Americans. In today's world, everything is about how aggressive or suspicious that young, black adult looks. Each category of racism lacks the respect and justice they deserve. Just like the modern day, Maycomb needs to find the dignity to respect others. The dysfunctional town goes through many instances ranging from trust and courage to standing up for what is right. Through Scout, the reader witnesses discrimination against gender, class, and race.…
- 1033 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
To Kill a Mockingbird shows the same type of discrimination when Atticus Finch, a lawyer who is one of the few residents of Maycomb committed to racial equality, agrees to defend Tom Robinson as he was wrongly accused…
- 827 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Initially when reading the story we are informed of the gloaming and the feelings that are brought about when this time of the day comes. It is a peaceful time, because although it is disappointing to see it when it arrives, there is a beauty within itself that is indescribable, and leaves us with a feeling of contentment and relief. The story is being told in third person narrative, which allows the reader to gain a more receded point of view, since the narrator is omniscient and able to give us a more complete insight on all the thoughts and deeds of the characters. The narrator in, "In the gloaming," uses a more selective omniscient (or stream-of-consciousness) approach, providing a focus on the thoughts and behaviors of two specific dynamic characters, Laird and his mother Janet (who is more dynamic than he is in the story), and uses the other characters in a static manner to show their impact on them. Without this distinctive narrative perspective, we would not be able to fully understand not only both of their expressed behaviors, but also their unique individual thoughts about each other as well as other characters in the story.…
- 738 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
In the beginning of this class I learned about discrimination, which is when people treat others different because of their skin color. In the book “The Secret Life of Bees,” the main character, who is white, has a babysitter who is black which one day goes out to the town to sign a paper that would help black on something. On the way there a white guy comes and starts making fun of her because she was black, so then she spit at the guy’s shoe…
- 527 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
For the short story analysis I chose “In Broad Daylight” by Ha Jin (146). Over all I believe this is a great example of the human condition that when at our best, we can be someone completely different from whom we are in the deep dark night. I will start by hitting the basic questions of narration, protagonist, settings and conflict. From there I hope to delve into the deeper analysis of what I believe is the take away lesson from the story.…
- 781 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays