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The Injustice In John Ball's In The Heat Of The Night

1067 Words5 Pages

John Ball’s novel, In the Heat of the Night, sparked controversy after its initial release for depicting the true natures of racial injustice in the South. The community’s local celebrity’s untimely death was the talk of the town after neighborhood patroller, Sam Wood, discovered the crime scene.The novel follows an unlikely trio, Virgil Tibbs, Sam Wood and Bill Gillespie, and the journey they took to find the person responsible for the ruthless murder of an innocent man. Ball centers the novel around Virgil Tibbs, a Negro police investigator from California, and his struggles with solving an important murder case while battling the racism set against him. Virgil’s obedience, independence, and sheer tenacity paints him as the most …show more content…

John Ball’s decision to structure the novel around Virgil opened the opportunity of showing a coloured individual’s perspective in a publicly racist social environment. This choice allowed readers to see, not only the way he handled his situation, but as well as see the characteristics that moulded him into the strong character that he is. Had it not been for the dedication he put into his independent work, the men wouldn’t have been able to make progress with the investigation. Furthermore, Virgil’s compliance allowed him to work on the case effectively as the whites began to respect him for his civility. The iconic character of Virgil Tibbs shaped In the Heat of The Night to the highly regarded novel that it is. Without Virgil Tibbs, the author wouldn’t have been able to touch on certain topics that are more than relevant in today’s society, such as racism. Without Virgil Tibbs, readers who have not experienced the struggles of racism wouldn’t have been able to empathize and understand how it feels to be discriminated against. Without Virgil Tibbs, there would not be a In the Heat of the

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