Prejudice is defined as a, “preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience”. We all have prejudices but we also have the option to seek out the facts regarding these opinions or continue to treat them as they are: preconceived. Too often in society today we treat these prejudices as though they are fact, resulting in apprehension, fear, mistrust, negative profiling and racism towards others. These negative attributes often eliminate any beneficial interactions, instead creating unfounded hatred, distrustful relationships and pessimistic ordeals. How often do people avoid conversation or interaction due to the prejudices they have toward a particular stranger? Is it possible for people to eliminate prejudices from their mind altogether or is this the normal human behavior with a basis in self-preservation? To what extent do prejudices play a roll in our society today? Simon Van Booy addresses and represents all these questions in his short story, “No Greater Gift”. Pages 72 and 76 in Booy’s, “No Greater Gift”, depicts Booy’s use of descriptive imagery supporting Booy’s main argument that circumstances are not always as they seem. This is an important point because too often in our society today do we incorporate prejudices, stereotypes, and racism when characterizing a stranger or when faced with a confrontation. 

The descriptive imagery describing the main character, Gabriel, on page 72 of Booy’s short story exemplifies society’s extreme use of prejudices. A large number of employed civilians in New York City take the subway to work each day and during those commutes each civilian has multiple encounters and hundreds of glances, at and with, all classes of civilians living in the city. These encounters and glances are constantly affected by prejudice, sometimes without the person even knowing. These civilians have different preconceived opinions every time they glance at someone new or interact with another on their journey throughout the underground transportation system. For a certain percentage, these prejudices swirling around their head are conceived as fact and alter the person’s perception of the strangers he/she may be looking at. Booy illustrates how these prejudices change the thought process of the civilian and produce a result that is negative and most likely racist to some degree. The civilians in the short story “want to know what [Gabriel] is carrying and why he is handling [the package] with such care. They look at the hole in Gabriel’s sneakers. They look at Gabriel’s scar” (72). Through these glances we can observe the immediate prejudice the civilians on the subway contain and how “the hole in Gabriel’s sneakers” (72) or “Gabriel’s scar” (72) begin to create both negative and racist preconceptions regarding Gabriel and his background. The civilians are suddenly intrigued in what Gabriel is carrying due to the preconception they have that Gabriel is poor, due to his appearance, and must be carrying something illegal or dangerous. In addition, the civilians on the subway “notice [the scar] because it is a lighter shade of brown than the rest of his face” (72), suggesting that these preconceived opinions are only circulating due to his race and demographic position as well. Therefore, Booy elucidates that these prejudices result in negativity and racism throughout our society today, and in effect prove that circumstances are not always as they seem.  

The illustrations portrayed by Booy through descriptive language on page 76 further demonstrate that circumstances are not always as they seem. Minorities are often the subject of negativity, racism, and the outstanding amount of prejudice incorporated into our society today, however, the source from where these prejudices generate from is almost always bias and/or uneducated about the circumstance they may be presented. These circumstances are never clear-cut and as a result we, as a society, are hidden from the truth of a situation and blinded by what we see rather than what we know. The civilians waking up every morning and commuting to work via the subway are consumed by a constant revelation of preconceived opinions and this prejudice is exactly what conceals them from the truth about the people they are producing these opinions about. Gabriel, the main character in this short story, “is worried about damaging the contents of [his] box” (76), however, little do we know that the contents of this box are for Gabriel’s son who just turned three. “The boy stares at the cake” (76) in the last paragraph of “No Greater Gift” revealing Gabriel’s true personality and background and at once eliminating all previous preconceived opinions directed at Gabriel himself. Booy illuminates that the prejudice, which created such negativity and racism towards Gabriel, was only because circumstances were not as they seemed. 

Booy’s “No Greater Gift” alludes to the topic of prejudice, which permeates today’s society. The negativity and racism that results from prejudice are difficult subjects to talk about, but they are subjects that must be openly discussed if they are ever going to be rectified. It is society’s job, our responsibility, to explore this topic, which Booy presents in his story. We should be inspired to instigate new research and start new movements to not only eliminate prejudices, but to also understand the root causes of this problem in order to better prepare ourselves to avoid this issue in the future. No doubt people will say these prejudices, stereotypes, and racisms will always exist in all of us, perhaps because of our exposure to this type of thinking as children. However, if society can minimize or eliminate as much prejudice, negativity, and racism as possible early in life, then the number of children encompassing these preconceived opinions can drastically decrease. Maybe Gabriel’s son will be the first to influence how the human race better approaches circumstances that may...or may not... be as they seem.
