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racial-and-cultural-tensions
Bud's interactions reveal underlying racial and cultural tensions between different groups, particularly between white lower-class individuals and black tribal members.
1 chapter across 1 book
The Diamond Age (1996)Neal Stephenson
Chapter 21
In this chapter, Bud begins a life of petty crime targeting black newcomers in the Leased Territories, inadvertently offending a powerful Ashanti tribe by mugging one of their members. As the Ashanti arrive en masse hunting for him, Bud realizes he must quickly find a protective phyle to survive, ultimately considering joining the radical Sendero group. The chapter explores Bud's social alienation, the tribal dynamics of the future society, and the consequences of crossing cultural boundaries.