A Critical Analysis Of The Untouchables By Jonathan Kozol

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“Untouchables” by Jonathan Kozol goes on a journey to discover the mistreatment of homeless Americans. The story is very well detailed in explaining how society does not accept these individuals and how they are literally “untouchable.” Kozol shows characters and tells stories of how they life got affected by homelessness and the treatment that came along with it. The author also explains how easy it is to be prune to homelessness by making one little mistake. Not only does Kozol show society thoughts about the homeless are bad, but he also shows the homeless people thoughts of how society responds to them being “low class.” In Jonathan Kozol’s short story “Untouchables,” he exhibits this by explaining how they are misunderstood, stereotyped, …show more content…

They are automatically prejudged and looked at as being dirty and having diseases. According to the story “Authorities were forced to justify this action by declaring them, in the words of the city council, ‘a threat to public safety.’”(Jonathan 277). The homeless are assumed to be a threat because they have no where to take a bath and have no where to go if they do get sick. Since authorities have put this thought in American’s heads we now watch that we do not touch them when giving out change. Jonathan explains how he, himself responds to the homeless when it comes to touching them; prejudging them also. “Every so often, someone stops to put a coin into his hand. I noticed the care with which the people drop their coins, in order that their hands do not touch his. When I pass that spot some hours later he will still be there. I’ll do the same” (Jonathan 276). The fact that people watch the order in how they drop the coins coveys that they are dirty and if they touch the homeless they too will become dirty. Jonathan explains to us that they are sparingly viewed as “trash,” because Government officials makes society feel and encourages the thought of them being …show more content…

The author reveals many tactics that the Government uses to drive the homeless away. One tactic is the usage of bathroom, everyone has to use the bathroom numerous times a day. That being said, “At Penn station, fifteen blocks away homeless women are denied use of the bathroom” (Jonathan 277). When the homeless are denied the usage of the bathroom they have no choice but to use it outside having nothing to clean themselves properly. Not being able to clean themselves properly also causes diseases and hygiene problems. When a normal person comes into mind we tend to think that they would have a good hygiene and take care of themselves; there are homeless people out there that do want to bath, but are denied the access. The second tactic the Government uses is trying cut off the homeless people food source so that will have no reason to come out at all. Jonathan informs use that the Government tries to stop places from giving out food because it only brings more hungry families and scares the people in public. The goal of getting rid of the homeless has caused the Government to take extreme steps to wipe them out. Evidently the Government will do anything to get rid of them, even if it causes them to be treated like animals. “A city council member offered a proposal to spray trash containers with rat poison to discourage foraging by homeless families” (Jonathan 279). Poise in trash is usually

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