Skip to main content

How is the injustice that Garrett faces in Boot Camp by Todd Strasser similar to the injustice faced by Aibileen and Minny in The Help by Kathryn...

In Boot Campby Todd Strasser, the main character, Garrett, is treated with paternalism that is cruel in its intent. As he is being taken to a militaristic boot camp called Lake Harmony in upstate New York, the man transporting him tells him, "Your parents sent you to Lake Harmony because they love you" (page 2). His captors, or "transporters," tell him that they are bringing him to the boot camp for his own good,...

In Boot Camp by Todd Strasser, the main character, Garrett, is treated with paternalism that is cruel in its intent. As he is being taken to a militaristic boot camp called Lake Harmony in upstate New York, the man transporting him tells him, "Your parents sent you to Lake Harmony because they love you" (page 2). His captors, or "transporters," tell him that they are bringing him to the boot camp for his own good, but his detention in the boot camp is a form of cruelty and imprisonment.


In a similar way, Aibileen and Minny, black maids in The Help, are robbed of their own free will and controlled by whites who state that they have Aibileen's and Minny's best interests in mind. As Aibileen says, "Sides stealing, worse thing you'n do for your career as a maid is to have a smart mouth" (page 17). Like Garrett, whose parents dislike his choosing his own relationships and charting his own course, Aibileen and Minny are supposed to do what their employers want and are supposed to keep their true thoughts to themselves. The white women who employ Aibileen and Minny decide on a Home Help Sanitation Initiative, which involves building outhouses for their black domestic help to use, because, as they state, "99% of all colored diseases are carried in the urine" (page 158). This is another form of paternalism. The white employers are treating their maids with disrespect but tell them it is for everyone's best interest. In this way, the white employers are similar to Garrett's parents in Boot Camp. 

Popular posts from this blog

In chapter one of The Great Gatsby, what advice does Nick's father give him? How does this make him a good person to tell this story?

Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches... Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches into a discussion of how pe...
Post a Comment
Read more

How did the United States become an imperial power?

"Imperial power" is a bit of a vague label. It tends to mean several things at once, so let's unpack it. In the sense of "this country was built on conquest by force," the "imperial power" part of America actually predates the United States proper. The territories that would become the United States were imperial colonies, established by the great European empires of the 17th and 18th centuries. Much of the US Constitution and American governance generally goes back to England, history's largest and most successful imperial power, but vital aspects of American culture come from other imperial powers, such as France and Spain. Much of American culture comes from sources other than the old empires, but they were key influences on what the United States became. In the sense of "this country treats conquest by force as a fundamental component of its culture, economy and politics," the United States has always been an imperial power. Even earl...
Post a Comment
Read more

How and why does James Gatz become Jay Gatsby? Describe the young Gatsby/Gatz.

James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune,... James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune, whereas they arose from well-to-do families. Gatz became Gatsby through determination and discipline. At the end of the novel, the narr...
Post a Comment
Read more