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Chapter 6
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Dear Martin, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Privilege, Entitlement, and Implicit Bias
Appearances and Assumptions
Support, Acceptance, and Belonging
Opportunity and Upward Mobility
The Media and Public Discourse
Summary
Analysis
In Societal Evolution class that day, Jared raises his hand and says, “I’d like to discuss how affirmative action discriminates against members of the majority.” Going on, he says, “Let’s observe, shall we? I’m ranked number two in our class, I’m captain of the baseball team, I do community service on the weekends, and I got higher test scores than Justyce…yet he got into Yale early action, and I didn’t. I know for a fact it’s because I’m white and he’s black.” Jumping in, Justyce asks why Jared has assumed that he received better test scores than him. The two boys then compare their scores and discover that they’re more or less the same. “It just doesn’t make sense,” Jared says, and when Justyce asks why this is the case, SJ says, “Because it negates his assumption that because he’s white and you’re black, he’s more intelligent than you are.”
Jared and Justyce’s conversation about affirmative action clarifies the entrenched assumptions Jared has about black people. Rather than stopping to consider that Justyce actually deserves to get into Yale, Jared makes the unfounded and unfair assumption that he got in because of his race. In reality, Justyce is a well-rounded student with high grades and test scores. And although neither Justyce nor SJ mention this, it’s worth noting that college applications take more into account than test scores and class rank. The way students present themselves in their personal essays also matters a great deal, and it’s entirely possible that Justyce’s essay was significantly better than Jared’s. Despite this possibility, Jared chooses to attack the entire selection process, acting as if it’s absurd to think that Justyce is more qualified than him.
Themes
It soon emerges that Jared’s application to Yale was deferred, making it likely that he will get in during the regular admissions period. Still, he says that his father was upset at him for not getting in during early action, and when Manny asks what this has to do with Justyce, he says, “He took a spot I didn’t get because Yale has to fill a quota.” He also says that even if Justyce did deserve to get into Yale, affirmative action “gives an unfair advantage to minorities.” Going on, he says that, though he and Justyce might be “equals,” “there are other minorities without the qualifications” he has who will also get in before him.
Jared’s primary concern in this moment is that minorities have an “unfair advantage” over him. This is a flawed argument, though, because being a minority in the United States unfortunately means overcoming a great deal more than the average white person. This is why affirmative action exists, so that admissions offices can even the playing field and take into account the fact that certain people have started at a disadvantage. After all, a person who has had to overcome adversity and bigotry but has still managed to put together a good application is especially impressive, which is why schools like Yale take such factors into account. However, Jared ignores these elements of the application process, instead committing himself to the idea that he has been treated unfairly.
Themes
Tired of listening to Jared, SJ reminds him that he goes to an expensive and elite school. She then points out that somebody like Justyce from a family living below the poverty line has to work much harder to get the same opportunity as him. She also points out that people from more difficult socioeconomic backgrounds are less likely to do well on standardized tests because everyone expects them to “underperform,” and this “triggers severe test anxiety.” Given that this is the case, she asks Jared if he really thinks it’s fair to judge people solely on their test scores. “You’ve had access to WAY more than [Justyce] has…would it be fair for a college to consider only GPA and test scores in determining who deserves to get in?” she asks.
SJ tries to help Jared see the many factors that go into the decision-making process at a place like Yale. She argues that it’s especially unfair to judge students based on GPA and test scores alone, since this doesn’t accurately reflect how hard a person has had to work or even what a person is fully capable of achieving under the right circumstances. Jared, she points out, has had to do much less than Justyce just to attend Braselton Prep. And yet, he believes that he’s more qualified than Justyce, which is another indication that he chooses to ignore his own fortunate circumstances, turning a blind eye to the ways in which he has benefited from his privileged station in life.
Themes
Unable to argue against SJ’s point, Jared says, “Whatever. All I know is that no matter what college I end up at, when I see a minority, I’m gonna wonder if they’re qualified to be there.” In response, the entire class goes quiet until Justyce says, “Damn, it’s like that, Jared?” “I mean…” Jared stammers, “wait, that didn’t come out right.”
When Jared says that he’s going to “wonder” if minorities are “qualified” to be at whatever college he attends, he inadvertently reveals the biased thinking at the core of his argument. Unwilling to admit that minorities often have to work much harder than white people to attain an equivalent amount of success, he unfairly decides to judge any person of color who is at a prestigious university. This is a glaringly insensitive and bigoted way of looking at the world, which is why he immediately tries to take back what he’s said, suddenly realizing that he has accidentally proved his own biases.
Themes
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