Prejudice In King's Baby In The Airmail Doll

Prejudice not only harms those who have it, but serves as an effective hindrance to society’s advancement as a whole. In the short stories Baby in the Airmail Box by Thomas King, and The Man Doll by Susan Swan, the reader is shown great similarities on the impact of prejudice, and great contrast upon the treatment of said prejudices. These two authors help educate the reader on not only the harms of prejudice, but the consequence of inaction as well. The two stories explore prejudice in different manners, King creates a sense of satire through the comedic and exaggerated objectification of the “White baby”, whereas Swan creates a futuristic setting and uses science fiction to establish the “Dolls” as part of society. Both authors use an improbable setting for mankind to exaggerate the prejudices which

The satirical environment is created through the unrealistic objectification of the baby in the story, whereas in reality a baby is treated with the utmost care. Confirmation of this satirical and ironic nature can be found in the statement “First Prize is … a brand new Ford pickup and a White baby.” Evidently, not only does this statement show proof of the baby’s objectification, as it directly compares the baby to a car and likewise is listed as a prize in gambling, but also helps the author establish the impact of racism in the story, through the intentional declaration of the baby’s “White” race to a community of aboriginals. With the satirical and unrealistic environment established, King is able to effectively exaggerate the prejudices between the two races, which indirectly shows the reader King’s viewpoint on this issue. The two settings of the story take place on a first nation’s reserve, and a child placement agency, each being dominated by a specific race of characters, “Indians” and “Whites” respectively. The underlying conflict of the story deals with a “White baby” and the outcome for its future home. The “Indians”