I'm reading; Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde, and I'm starting to finally see the real issues in the book. Until recently this book has been a utopia-like book that is supposed to be messed up somehow but had no huge problems. Now that there are problems showing up I can really analyze the book more as I read it.
I think that this book has a really strong theme of how social hierarchy hurts the people who are excluded from the top. At first it's just the way it is, the hierarchy seems normal, but then you realize it is really destroying their world. The way their classes work is people can only see one color, or none at all. The people who can see colors are judged and treated based on the color they can see. People who can't see any color; "Greys" are seen as inferior to the rest of society, much like black people were treated during slavery and segregation. For example in one scene when they were playing hockeyball, Courtland referred to Jane, a grey, as just "The grey" instead of Jane, which, despite being true, is a big put-down to say. The greys always have to work labor jobs in factories or serve as house maids, or a similar job. The author does a good and moving job of showing how people believe greys are simply not as good as everyone else. When I read parts like this, it was angering. It's just like what our country went through.
I think that the author didn't just write this book as a fun book, he wrote it to show how terrible social classes and hierarchy can be. Their society supports the idea that certain people are superior to others.
This book makes such a big point of how bad this kind of a society is that it is disturbing, but I think it does this in a way that doesn't turn off the reader but brings them into the lesson. I really like it so far and want to keep reading and I'm sure something will change with the social system.
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