Prejudice Quotes in The Host
How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Humans were brutish and ungovernable. They had killed one another so frequently that murder had been an accepted part of life. (5.96)
The souls fall into the common trap of taking the actions of few and blaming an entire species for it. Not all humans are murderers. At least—not directly.
Quote #2
"Not anymore she's not," Kyle said flatly. He spit again and took another deliberate step in my direction. (13.52)
Kyle takes the actions of few (okay, well, most) and applies it to an entire species. Hmm, we're beginning to see parallels between the two species here...
Quote #3
"You won't fool us, you parasite." (13.66)
Aunt Maggie uses an epithet to describe Wanda's species. Note that Wanda's species never calls humans "meatbags" or any other cruel name. (Well, besides "murderers.") It's only the other way around. Are the humans justified in calling the aliens names?
Quote #4
"The centipedes don't sacrifice their own that way." (13.74)
Jeb might not be trying to be cruel here, but he still refers to Wanda's entire species using insect terminology. At this stage, however, he's just ignorant as to how their society works.
Quote #5
How does a three-inch-long worm fall in love with a human being? (15.51)
Once again, insect terminology, this time used by Melanie even though she's kind of gotten to know Wanderer by this point. Using epithets like this makes the person using them feel superior and the person they're used against feel inferior—even though in this case Wanderer's species is now dominant. Calling her "worm" brings her down to the humans' level.
Quote #6
Those lunatic humans were going to attack one of their own. (15.87)
Many times Wanda sees the humans acting in concert, as though they make decisions strictly through a mob mentality or a hive mind. Maybe she thinks this way because her own species operates in a similar manner—or maybe she understands how hive-like humans can be.
Quote #7
"What are we going to do with it? We can't keep watch on it around the clock." (16.65)
Jared dehumanizes Wanderer by calling her "it." To be fair, she's not actually a human. Not yet, anyway.
Quote #8
"She's not an animal, either, kid. And you wouldn't treat a dog this way." (18.38)
We're not sure if this argument would work on Kyle. If Jodi were eaten by rabid dogs, Kyle would probably kick every dog that he saw. Even the little cute ones.