Prejudice and Racism

The prejudice that Puss has for African Americans is one of the major components of the story. Even before Puss speaks of his dislike for the black boy whom his granddaughter has befriended, his racism is apparent. He sees all the boys who make a living pushing chairs along the boardwalk as interchangeable. At this point in the story, Puss's racism evidences itself in his complete disregard for these black boys who nevertheless perform a service he finds valuable.

When Puss realizes that his granddaughter has become friends with one of these boys, he lets her know in no uncertain terms that he does not want her to be friends with the boy because he "might do you some kind of harm." He is hard-pressed, however, to explain what kind of harm that might be. He proposes that the black boy might "knock you down and...