Southern Stereotype of Redneck-- Jungyeon Lee

The family of the main character, Bone, in Bastard Out of Carolina (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bastard_Out_of_Carolina_%28novel%29), does mostly show that their lives represent part of Southern redneck stereotypes such as being poor and uneducated. For example, Bone’s uncle Earl often gets in trouble after drinking and fighting with someone. Even though he is being kind to his family, especially Bone, and takes pride in them, he is at the same time making them worried about him by making so many troubles. Also, most of the family seems to have skipped college or even high school while working under inferior conditions and at a lower level. It is shown by the episode of uncle Earl that he is refused to join the army for not graduating from high school.

In case of the stereotype of rednecks being less intelligent may not apply to all the characters. Southerners from middle class families likely represent this as seen in the life of Bone’s stepfather, Glen. Glen shows the worst case of being uneducated, which is clearly shown in the way that he treats Bone. As if he is being “jealous” of Bone being loved by Anney, he continues to discourage her by telling that she is ugly and even by doing sexual assaults to her, which is the most unbearable and morally unacceptable act that should not be done to a child. This makes readers guess that he is such a filthy man that he doesn’t seem to be educated with basic moral values. By contrast, Bone’s once best friend, Shannon Pearl, and her family contradict this stereotype. In the book, Shannon as well as her family is described as people who like reading a lot and show how they are kind and morally superior through their engagement in religious activities and some volunteering works for poor people. Finally and the most importantly, the way that Bone remains strong against her opponents such as her step father and the whole world looking at her like “white trash” and builds her own opinions to the world by reading a lot indicates that she can think and act even under the poor condition where she can hardly get education but easier to grow into a less desirable person who is not wanted in society by causing troubles often.