In Search of Respect: Selling Crack in El Barrio Literary Elements

Biography, Ethnographic study, Novel.

The setting of the book is El Barrio, which is a neighborhood in East Harlem at the end of 20th century. The book has been written in the context of complex relationship between street culture and ethnicity in El Barrio.

The narrator of the book is Bourgois and it has been narrated from his point of view. He has given an account of the ethnicity and problems of East Harlem.

Pensive, Resentful, Complaining, Revealing, Solemn, Grave.

The protagonist of the book is Bourgois while the antagonist is the racism which is faced by the minorities.

The major conflict in the book is between the minorities and the government and society at large. The minorities are not provided with the opportunities to excel in life and as a result they use their intellect and talent in illegal activities.

The climax in the book comes when Bourgois learns to speak the language of East Harlem and is accepted by many people as a part of their community.

Bourgois's White color foreshadows his unacceptability in East Harlem. He is suspected by the people and some people consider him a undercover agent.

The understatement in the book is that the legal system handicaps the opportunities. The racism and the prejudice that minorities face in a society, compel them to get indulge in illegal activities. Here, the governments and the societies are designed in such a way as to suppress the poor. It has been understated in the book that the inequalities and racism do more harm than drugs or other illegal activities.

There are allusions to racism, minorities, African societies, Drug dealing, violence, prejudice and illegal activities employed by the author.

The book is replete with images of drug dealers and racism. There are also images of East Harlem and the culture prevailing in its streets. The protagonist of the book is taken as an undercover cop by the people so there are images of discrimination, and violence in the book.

The paradox in the book is that instead of providing the opportunities of growth and employment for people, the government and society halt them for participating in the prosperity of their country. The minorities are pushed in a dark world of drugs and crime by the social institutions and then they are alleged for being criminals. The society prohibits them from getting legal employment and then they are blamed for missing certain benefits as if they were provided with the choice. The only option that the minorities are given is to choose between crime and poverty but still they are held responsible for the drug dealing and other illegal activities.

There is a parallelism between racism, crime and poverty. The racist attitudes by the neighboring communities stop the people of El Barrio from getting legal employment. The racism prohibits them from participating in the normal society and thus indulge them in criminal activities or lead them to live a life of poverty.

An example of metonymy is Ray who represents all the drug dealers in his society. However, an example of synecdoche is white color of Bourgois which stands for his white lineage and an attitude of mistrust in the people of El Barrio.

Respect, Culture, drugs and identity have been personified in the book.