Racial Metamorphosis And Bigotry In Mohsin Hamid's The Last White Man

Abstract

This paper aims at studying “Racial Metamorphosis and Bigotry in Mohsin Hamid’s The Last White Man. When a metamorphosis occurs, a person or object grows and transforms into something entirely new and undergoes a change. Thus, metamorphosis refers to a striking alteration in appearance, character, or circumstances. Hamid begins his story by taking the readers to an unnamed place that feels like a small town in America or somewhere in the west in which he depicts the racism and bias that prevailed the society. It is about a white man named Anders, who wakes up one morning to discover that his complexion has changed, and now he has an unrecognizable appearance. The terror of transformation dominates the town. As a result of these changes, there has been an increase in violence and murder. Oona, who was the protagonist's girlfriend, felt uneasy and strange after witnessing his transformation for the first time. She was unable to accept him like this. There was chaos everywhere in the town. The militants became more aggressive as the riots grew less intense. They desired to permanently rid their town of brownness. Thus, Hamid portrays racial biases and discrimination that people went through because of their complexion.