This is Cathy Lee.
Through the
portrayal of unjustified police brutality and racism, the author delineates the
systemic injustice experienced by the protagonist and his friend. At the
beginning of the story, the protagonist distinguishes himself and his
experiences clearly from the majority population (White Americans) by taking
care to mention that Leon “[grabs his] hand and [holds] it tight like a white
man” (p. 579). Subsequently, their race is what leads them to suffer at the
hands of the racist policeman, who constantly refers to them as “Indian”, that
is, by their race rather than their names, (p. 582, 583) and seems to relish in
violence specific to their race, as expressed by his desire to “beat Indians
with [his billy club]” (p. 583).
The policeman “never
[says] anything” (p. 580) before he physically abuses Leon, which emphasises
the injustice of the system Leon and the protagonist are forced to live under
in America – he is unreasonable and his reasons for assaulting Leon go
unjustified. Furthermore, the punishment hardly fits the crime; mere possession
of alcohol should not warrant physical abuse. The policeman hence seems more
like a bigoted bully with too much power, rather than an impartial law
enforcer, from the beginning of the story. Following the incident, the
protagonist’s friends consider Leon to be “lucky” (p. 580) for not suffering as
many injuries as he could have. Even suffering physical abuse at the hands of
an authority figure that is supposed to be impartial indicates how normalised
police brutality has become, and how desensitised victims of police brutality
have become.
Finally, the
injustice of the system is arguably most evident, and most explicitly
elucidated by the protagonist, on page 582. The protagonist fails to understand
why Leon remains defiant, and why he is bent on the attainment of his rights, “because
it [isn’t] “rights” that [the cop is] after” (p. 582), basic human rights that
everyone in America rightfully should be entitled to, highlighting just how
unjust the system is for people of their race.
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