Race

The themes of race, discrimination, and prejudice permeate The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith. The novel, at its core, explores racial discrimination and the frustration of individuals held within that oppressive system. Jimmie Blacksmith, half black and half white, is caught between two worlds. Although he grew up within an aboriginal family in a blacks' camp, he dreams of attaining the things that the white world values: property, money, and status. He is encouraged by the Nevilles to save money for land and to marry a white girl in order to raise his status.

Yet, although Jimmie works hard, he faces many challenges and obstacles to his dreams because of his skin color. His employers overwhelmingly cheat him out of the money that he has earned working for them. Not once in the novel is there a white employer who treats Jimmie fairly or kindly. Instead, they distrust him...