Huzzah!

The central theme Mohsin Hamid’s,” “The Last White Man” is a straightforward

anecdote elucidating that race is a fabrication created by man. The narrative starts by

introducing the main character Anders, who’s exhibiting signs of complete dismay, his skin has

alternated to a deep hue of brown. The protagonist begins undergoing the challenge of trying to

adapt to this new lifestyle, bringing a revelation that a colored individual’s interaction

differentiates from the experience of a white person. The Novel, “The Last White

Man,” illustrates the absurdity of systemic racism based on the appearance of a person and the

frightening prejudice that arises as a result of “snorting magical fairy dust, then going to sleep

only to wake up with a different skin tone. Here we have our fellow protagonist, Anders who

didn’t listen to his parents and snorted magical pixie dust before bed and has now become a

black man. After looking at the mirror, Anders doesn’t recognize his face and questions whether

still dreaming. On leaving his apartment, Anders discovers that people are reluctant to make eye

contact, some even cross to the opposite side of the street as he approaches. When Anders goes

on a date to meet Oona, Oona is caught off guard by his metamorphosis that she stops

responding to his messages and refuses to return his calls. Why did Oona stop messaging Anders

after seeing his beautiful “coming out of a chrysalis moment,” the name Oona sounds like it

originated from a tribe only found in the deep bowels of Nigeria. Now, the most “theatrical”

reaction to Anders’ darker skin comes from the owner of the gym where he works: “I would

have killed myself.” Kill yourself?! Anders you are now one of the proud owners of “I can’t get

skin cancer from UV light anymore.” However, on your way out the door if you begin

experiencing onset signs of impulsive aggression, then call our customer representative to

dispute a charge on this transaction. Remember! A refund will take 5-7 business days in which
you will receive temporary allocated credit within 2 hours of disputing a transaction. Our teams

work hard to ensure that the white man has a smooth transition from Caucasian to visible

minority. Continuing this storyline, Anders attempts to overcome feelings of isolation and

disembodiment, as more and more people in the city begin snorting the latest hallucinogenic,

“pixie dust” and trigger the same transformation. Now, there’s panic and confusion causing

unrest within the city; everyone is now paranoid of each other, becoming increasingly violent as

time goes on. Fellow readers, this why dogs don’t like black people because… they pick up on

their owner’s fear response such as an increased heart rate, an increase in tugging their collar,

and finally a change in tonality when saying, “hi” to a black person. All this alerts the dog to

think that their owner’s in danger. So, they react by growling and barking at black people,

becoming increasingly aggressive and paranoid. Now what has this taught us, Dogs are not

racist, racism is a human behavior. Also, dogs are color-blind and see certain colors or shades.

So, when a black person finally walks into their peripheral, they don’t see a human, just a dark-

skinned specter hovering a few centimeters off the ground, looking for souls to feast on. Now

back to the interesting development of this story, there are now groups of armed white men

patrolling the streets — unchecked by police — causing harm to anyone who crosses their path

and Anders gets “the slap of the wrist” in being threatened out of his own home. Enough of

Anders, let’s talk about Oona. Yes…that Oona. The one that ran away. Oona, is a introduced at

the beginning of the opening chapters of the story as a potential mate for Anders and transcends

into becoming a minor character that has a central role within the book. After “running away

from a black man”, She comes to the realization that she acted very stupid and seeks out Anders

to give him another chance at the “wondrous and stupendous love consummation” despite the

color of his skin, and they begin a relationship causing her outspoken mother that almost have an
aneurysm. Now as the hallucinogenic, “pixie dust” enters globalization, the global population

begins snorting this miraculous drug and wakes up to an emotional and riveting performance in

their bathroom, in front of a mirror as they gawk at their reflection. Naturally, Oona wonders

why she has yet to experience “the change”. Hence, the moment she finally asks her neighbor

“where do you get the drugs and how much do I have to pay you,” she has a unique mindset of

welcoming the transition and rejoices in the very subtle but noticeable changes in her body.

Ahhhh, it’s like experiencing puberty all over again. You see, unlike every character introduced

from the start of the story, Oona is the only one who possesses enough intelligence to look at her

“new color” as chance to start a new, a factory reset one might say.

The novel, “Black No More,” seems to act as a paradoxical medium where instead of

experiencing fear and dismay, the protagonist Max Disher accepts transitioning into a Caucasian.

He even begins to view his fellow black people as inferior as stated in page 17,” He glanced in a

superior manner at the long line of black and brown folk on one side of the corridor, patiently

awaiting treatment.” As I haven’t finished the book, it’s hard to discern or predict any events in

the story. Therefore, I look forward to seeing how minorities will think when given the chance to

throw away their old “meat suits” and buy a new pair.