Part 7: Awakening & Epilogue Summary

Part 7 consists of three brief stories, each about a breakthrough moment in caste dynamics. Chapter 30 tells of a Brahmin, a member of the uppermost caste in India, who rejected the “venom” of caste thinking and discarded the sacred thread he wore as a symbol of his caste. An unnumbered vignette, “The Radicalization of the Dominant Caste,” describes Wilkerson’s experience dining with a family friend who, realizing the waiter had been ignoring their table, accused him of racism. Describing her mixed feelings about the ensuing “ruckus,” Wilkerson concludes that while she partly resented the friend’s privilege and partly wished that everyone in the dominant caste would have such an eye-opening experience, “the biggest part of me [. . .] was happy to see her righteous indignation” at unjust treatment. Chapter 31 offers a final personal vignette in which Wilkerson connects with an initially unfriendly white plumber over shared human issues of aging and bereavement.

In the epilogue, Wilkerson makes some final observations about the “tyranny of caste,” which ultimately harms all of society. She shares how Albert Einstein, when he moved to the United States, was astonished and disheartened by the prejudice he found there and ultimately became an advocate for racial justice. Warning of the dangers of mistaking mere sympathy or pity for true empathy, Wilkerson asks readers to join her in envisioning “a world without caste.”

Part 7: Awakening & Epilogue Analysis

The final chapters of Caste are markedly more optimistic in tone than the rest of the book. Wilkerson leaves the reader with stories that show it is possible to transcend caste barriers, at least temporarily and on an individual basis. She also suggests the sort of experiences that may be needed for people to “awaken” to the harm done by caste systems. In Chapter 30, the unnamed Brahmin relinquishes his sacred thread because he is unable to reconcile what he sees with the caste myths he has been told. He sees that Dalits, who occupy the very lowest rung of the caste ladder, have as much dignity as Brahmins and are not quietly accepting—nor should be—of their position in society. In “The Radicalization of the Dominant Caste,” it is empathy for a friend and indignation at one’s own poor treatment that open the dominant-caste woman’s eyes to the unfairness of caste systems. And in Chapter 31, it is the recognition of common humanity that turns the plumber from a reluctant ally into “momentary family.” Thus, in Wilkerson’s telling, there is no one single thing that can guarantee an epiphany about caste and its evils; rather, opportunities for “awakening” appear in many different guises.