Satire or Society?

Before Paul Beatty’s novel, The Sellout, even begins, readers are exposed to an inside summary on the book cover which describes the forthcoming novel as “a biting satire.” Yet, as Beatty explained during his appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers, he does not see the “satire” label as fitting for his work. In the interview, Beatty claims that his novel is unintentionally and authentically funny, perhaps a result of his writing in the same natural voice with which he thinks and speaks, and that this is much different than satire, which is, as Meyers suggested, more “considered.” Beatty goes on to explain that the term “satire” carries “a big burden” that suggests the intention of changing the world. The interview also discusses the possibility that audiences prefer to categorize the novel as “satirical” rather than “funny” because of the controversy of race relations and the discomfort or guilt some may feel at enjoying humorous commentary on such a political topic. Lastly, the interview discusses how The Sellout stands out from almost any other race relations novel because of its contemporary context.

Much of the inclination to classify the novel as a satire is derived from its absurd nature. Readers are exposed to this as early as the first chapter, in which the narrator’s father’s abusive social experiments are brought to light. The narrator’s father refers to his son as his homeschooled “black lab rat” (27) and, later, is revealed to have tried to condition him to fear things associated with “toy police cars…Richard Nixon campaign buttons, and a copy of The Economist” (29) by teaching him to associate these with racial slurs and gunshots. This situation is so thoroughly absurd that readers see it as unrealistic and likely look to write it off as part of a satirical art form. Similarly, the narrator’s proclivity for growing watermelon is not left at that, but is instead exaggerated to include square, pyramidal, and Easter “bunny rabbit-shaped ones that I’ve genetically altered … [to] spell out Jesus Saves” (63). The degree of such quixotic exaggeration and absurdity pleads the existence of a satirical explanation.

However, various plot points within The Sellout contradict such absurd nature to show how realistic, in fact, the issues at hand are today. The best example of this is the death of the narrator’s father- a result of police brutality- and how this affects the narrator (40). Moreover, the narrator’s success in re-segregating Dickens draws on historical realities, as indicated by the prefix “re.” Finally, the narrator’s lack of a name (or at least a consistent one) allows all readers to identify with him and to evaluate themselves as perpetrators of segregation. Through this, Beatty is suggesting that the novel is too realistic to be satirical, yet absurd enough to challenge readers to think without explicitly trying to change the world. The novel cannot be satirical if it is meant as a reflection of what Beatty regards as real in today’s society.