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'The Accursed' is very much a novel about social injustice as the consequence of the terrible, tragic division of classes - the exploitation not only of poor and immigrant workers but of their young children in factories and mills - and as the consequence of race hatred in the aftermath of the Civil War and the freeing of the slaves.
Joyce Carol Oates
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote emphasizes the impact of social injustice stemming from class division and racial hatred after the Civil War.

Joyce Carol Oates’ quote highlights the critical themes of social injustice that arise from the stark divide between social classes, particularly the exploitation of impoverished and immigrant workers, along with their children, in harsh industrial environments. It also points to the racial animosities that persisted following the Civil War and the emancipation of enslaved people, shedding light on how these societal issues continue to perpetuate a cycle of injustice and inequality.

Themes

Social JusticeClass DivisionExploitationRace HatredCivil War

In practice

Example use cases

This quote can be used in a discussion about economic inequality during a social studies class.

More from Joyce Carol Oates

Of the widow's countless death-duties there is really just one that matters: on the first anniversary of her husband's death the widow should think I kept myself alive.
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I never really knew I wanted to 'be' a writer, but I was always writing from a very young age. It became more conscious as an ideal when I was in my twenties.
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I'm drawn to write about upstate New York in the way in which a dreamer might have recurring dreams. My childhood and girlhood were spent in upstate New York, in the country north of Buffalo and West of Rochester. So this part of New York state is very familiar to me and, with its economic difficulties, has become emblematic of much of American life.
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My writing is often a way of 'bearing witness' for others who lack the education and the opportunity to tell their own stories, so I hope that my writing won't be affected too much by my personal life.
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The worst cynicism: a belief in luck.
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. . . there is a wish in the heart of mankind to be distracted and confused. Truth is but one attraction, and not always the most powerful.
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