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. It is because of this bias Sherman has never bothered to learn the roads outside of Manhattan. Thus, Sherman finds himself lost in the Bronx, imagines the area as a hotbed of crime, and in a self-perpetuating myth, stumbles into an unsavory situation.

Relations between Black and white people are tense, but so are relations between other groups. For example, some Black people in the narrative harbor antisemitic attitudes, as revealed by the heckling experienced by the mayor, Judge Kovitsky, and Kramer. Further, Kramer looks down upon people of Irish and Italian origin, thinking of them as animals. Sherman thinks of WASPS like Freddy Button as inherently more trustworthy and judges his Irish lawyer Thomas Killian’s accent. Characters frequently judge one another based on preconceived notions about race and ethnicity, exposing how deeply ingrained biases shape interpersonal relationships and perceptions.

Wealth disparities fuel these tensions further. When Kramer and Weiss see pictures of Sherman’s apartment in Architectural Digest, they are struck by the vulgar display of wealth. Kramer notes that the hall is “big enough to put three of Kramer’s $888 a month ant colony in, and it [is] only a hall” (448). Sherman’s privilege rankles the poorly paid government officials to the extent that Kramer decides Sherman is “heading for a collision with the real world” (448). Ironically, while Sherman’s wealth makes Kramer feel inadequate, Sherman himself feels overawed by the money of the likes of the Bavardages. To convey the impression that they are the social equal of the Bavardages, Sherman, and Judy live far beyond their income. Sherman’s expensive apartment is under a crushing mortgage and Judy’s revamp of the apartment has left the couple with very few savings. After Sherman realizes his American dream is precarious, he begins to look at his expenses in a new light, thinking of himself often as “hemorrhaging money.” Sherman’s quandary indicates that the racial and class disparities of his world are untenable and bound to erupt in what Reverend Bacon terms “the steam.” Unless inequalities are addressed, the steam will explode.