The Bonfire of the Vanities

Racial prejudice and disparities of class, race, and wealth are central in the text, driving forward its plot. Characters’ decisions are driven by their views on class, race, and social status. The narrative’s world is populated by characters from all walks of life, each with their own mannerisms, baggage, and outlooks. The result is a crucible of racial tension, where disparities begin to define people’s perceptions of each other.

In the novel, white characters carry a bias about Black people, in particular young Black men, and their prejudice sets the plot in motion. For example, Larry Kramer grows nervous when Black teenagers pass him on the subway train. Similarly, Sherman, the protagonist, seeks to insulate himself from the hybrid, multiracial world of New York. Sherman loves his WASP heritage and the bubble of wealth and privilege that cushions him. He associates the non-Manhattan world with crime and chaos. In an early scene, Sherman instinctively tenses up when a young Black man approaches him on the sidewalk. The young man is harmless, but to Sherman, he signifies a threat because of his race. The narrative ironically notes that the self-absorbed Sherman fails to see how he might appear odd to the young man since he is muttering to himself after the disastrous call to Judy.