After I read ‘Sons For the Return Home,’ I thought that the main themes were racism and identity. Because of these riveting and intriguing themes, I thoroughly enjoyed reading the novel. The range of characters that included Sarah, the middle class Palanagi girl, and Sionne who was involved with the love story really drew me in and made the novel more interesting. After completing the novel, it opened my eyes about what life is like for immigrants and what troubles they face upon arrival.
Racism is very prevalent throughout the entirety
of the novel. “They called him a ‘dirty coconut islander.’” These sorts of
quotes show how serious racism was. This nickname of sorts shows how badly some
immigrants got it from people already living in New Zealand. This racism in my opinion is a lot of the time
due to misunderstanding and how different cultures often clash before they are
acquainted.
Identity is also heavily prominent in the novel.
A lot of the characters we come into contact with are trying to find themselves
and discover themselves as a unique person and thus finding their identity. Although
I enjoyed the book, I found it quite hard to read at times. It was perfectly
written, but some parts such as the homosexual couple having sex and the elder
getting beaten by the young boys, confused me because they felt unneeded and
rushed.
Response
They called him a ‘dirty coconut islander,’ and
when he beat up the kids who called him that, the Principal, the same condescending
man that refused to call you by your names today, canned him in front of the
whole school and called him a ‘brainless islander who should be deported back
to the islands.” When I heard those words come out of his mouth, I had to try
and keep my mouth and eyes from widening. I couldn’t believe what I was
hearing. I knew that there was some culture clash, but what I was hearing, even
I knew wasn’t on.
As I looked around, Adam Wilson the resident bully
was snickering with his minions. Whispering very loudly and enjoying the pain
the poor boy was going through. My eyes
were drawn back as the headmaster was still shouting his head off while the boy’s
eyes were scanning the hall, looking for some semblance of support.
Unfortunately, none of us were tenacious enough to stand up for him. From where
I sat, I could see that his eyes were glazing over. Tears were beginning to
form in the corners and one even dripped down the side of his cheek. The pure
hostility of Headmaster was unmatched even by the devil.
Eventually, the rampage stopped. My mouth
remained glued shut, as I didn’t want anyone to think I was taking his side. I
could not allow that to happen, no matter how bad I felt. The boy returned to his seat, and for the
reminder of the assembly, I replayed the confrontation over and over just trying
to comprehend why that was necessary. I knew myself that it wasn’t, but I still
was utterly shocked at how everything happened. More to the point, why it
happened in the first place. Once the final notices had been read out, the
teachers began to file out and soon after the hall were alive with sound.
Everyone was discussing the incident, while the boy remained as still a tree.
Not one person had gone up to him nor said anything. I knew I would regret what
I was about to do, but I couldn’t just sit there while nobody attempted to
check on him. I breathed in and then out, and finally stood up from my chair. People’s
heads began to follow me as I walked towards the boy who would change my life
forever.
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