Austin Johnson

The problem of past and present America

Authors note: This is a five paragraph essay about conflict resolution of the main problems in the Novel “The Lunchbox Dream”

Two of the main problems in our society today are racism and stereotyping people. The two main problems of the novel “lunchbox dream” are racism and stereotyping. The novel fallow many character each character has his/her own problem but the back ground problems are racism and stereotyping.

             Racism is one thing that has still been a problem since 1749 but people stereotype ever since they read books and were told what other people were like. Once our country gained its freedom most slaves that were fighting in the war were freed. but they were treated like they were less than everybody else because some people still thought of them as being slaves. Which we fixed by fighting the civil war making it illegal to own slaves to take away that thought. Then after the civil war in the south it got worse because many people in the south thought they were freed unjustly. Eventually in the 50’s it got so bad that there were different bathrooms for them different bubbler for them and even different schools for them.  They even some times had to ride in the back part of the bus which was in the lunch box dream. Which today we are better at but there are some that are still racist and there are no more separations we all go to the same places.  Because of racism many were stereotyped as being robbers or not very bright.

            Racism is dependent on stereotyping, if people didn’t make all of these fake stereotypes of people. Stereotyping in real life is for example if a person has glasses you naturally think him to be smart or a nerd. That is what you are taught through reading books or watching movies it is nothing wrong with it until you get mean about it. In the novel “lunch box dream” many times people are stereotyped. For example one of the main characters booby is stereotyped by the park ranger as a person from the north thinking that he’s was better than everyone down south because the north won the war.  He defied his stereotype by being nice to people at the bus station. One of the problems in the book had to deal with both racism and stereotyping.

            The main problem for one of the main characters Ruth is to find her grandchild he is some were in Atlanta. his family is afraid that he might have gotten beaten up because he is black. But they also stereotype him thinking that he is not in tune with the world around him because he is a child. But the problem gets resolved by the family finding him at the Atlanta bus station. This quote describes the seine “’Jacob--” the younger man leaped out the door in a rush, falling onto the side walk.” The family’s problem was solved by the passenger being so nice to them to allow them a seat.  

            Racism and stereotyping were the two main problems in the “lunch box dream”. ironically both those problem have yet to be solved. Even though everyone agrees we should solve them we can’t.