Interracial Relationships in American Fiction of the Last Decade

Abstract

Fifteen years ago the genre of interracial love was nonexistent. If an interracial couple was ever mentioned in a work of fiction, the relationship was depicted as deviant and based on lust. The image mirrored general opinion. However, the last few years more attention seems to be placed on interracial love in America, the six novels used in this thesis being only one example. What is more, the novels show a different picture by putting interracial couples in a positive light. However, the novels also depict a society that finds it hard to see the couples as normal and acceptable. In fact, interracial relationships seem to evoke the harshest racist reactions, and thus allow people to see that race is still an insurmountable issue to many. This thesis states that, even though race relations are improving in both real life and fiction, interracial relationships are still a cause for controversy and rejection, and the couples are faced with bias and prejudice. Research findings in social studies and the novels showed similar problems and responses.