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Chapter 9
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Caste, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Caste, Race, and Social Division in the U.S.
Caste as a Global Problem
How Caste Sustains Itself
The Costs of Caste
Summary
Analysis
Wilkerson writes that there are “pillars” that uphold the belief system of caste. It doesn’t matter whether or not these tenets are true—they are ancient and ingrained, and they are common to the three major caste hierarchies the world has seen. These pillars, or beliefs, are buried deep within the subconscious of the people in the caste-based societies that the pillars hold up.
This short chapter introduces the section of the book that will discuss the many ideals that keep caste ongoing. Even though caste systems are violent and cruel, these core “pillars” keep them functioning at the bedrock of many major global societies. It is important, Wilkerson implies, to understand how the pillars perpetuate caste.
Themes
