The Boy at the Back of the Class

The Boy at the Back of the Class illustrates how people’s racism and preconceived notions about refugees leads to both small-scale bullying and government policy. Brendan the Bully targets Ahmet because Ahmet is Syrian, mocking him, stealing from him, and ruining his belongings. To make matters worse, one teacher, Mr. Irons, cruelly enables this bullying to happen because he doesn’t see Ahmet as equal to all the other students. For being new to the school, coming from a different culture, and not knowing English, Ahmet experiences isolating and harmful harassment from his classmates. Meanwhile, Alexa learns that some people in her society hate refugees in general and don’t want them in the country. For instance, her neighbor Mr. Greggs thinks refugees are “pests” who don’t deserve aid or sympathy. Alexa’s mother teaches her that some people, including Mr. Greggs, are “afraid of anyone who doesn’t look like them or dress like them or eat the same food as them.” Even protagonist Alexa faces discrimination at various points, as she and her Indonesian mother are, according to Mr. Greggs, “not exactly white.” This highlights how refugees—or indeed, anyone considered foreign to the UK—can face discrimination for being different.

The novel then shows how discrimination and prejudice at a small scale can lead to official government policies that are rooted in racism and fear. Alexa and her friends are distraught when they learn that the UK plans to close its borders to all refugees, thereby making it so that Ahmet won’t be able to reconnect with his parents, who are somewhere in mainland Europe. Alexa hears adults in her community talking about how refugees supposedly want to come to the UK just to receive benefits and housing, without having to work for it, and this perceived entitlement on the part of refugees is what closing the border is supposed to combat. While the novel ends happily, with Ahmet set to be reunited with his parents soon after the book’s close, The Boy at the Back of the Class nevertheless highlights a grim reality. While it repeatedly champions the ability of curiosity and compassion to help combat racism and bigotry, it nevertheless highlights how much power fear has to motivate discriminatory individual behavior and government policy.