In “Sunset Trailer Park,” Allan Berubé discusses the type of housing one occupied determined their place within the white, working-class world of Bayonne, New Jersey, after World War II. How does Berubé characterize his family’s and neighbors’ hopes for upward social mobility? According to Berubé, how does race factor into the social identities of the residents of Sunset Trailer Park?
February 24, 2019 at 10:24 pm
For Berube and his family, the trailer park simply represented one step on their path to a more prosperous and lucrative suburban life. Berube described his family’s mindset as believing “they were just passing through”. The Berube’s and neighbors viewed hard work as the necessary step to elevate them toward a suburban home that could be seen in Better Homes and Gardens. Similarly, his parents dreamed of sending their kids to college in an effort to drive their lives forward. This meant saving was always a priority with school and professional work coming next. Berube’s parents even took classes on real estate to try to make their path for upward social mobility more realistic.
Berube offers reflection on a myriad of social identities within the community of Sunset Trailer Park. Within the white populace, there was othering between residents who were considered “white trash” or lower class and the working families of the community. The space was also a racially segregated space, as black residents were not permitted in the Sunset community. This continued to the local schools that catered to the community, as Berube remembers vividly the first time he had African-American classmates. However, the social distance was maintained despite sharing the physical space of a school.
February 24, 2019 at 3:52 pm
Berubé discussed how during the era after World War II families aspired to own houses. Berubé’s families moved to Sunset Trailer Park when he was 7 years old as a temporary stop in hopes that they could save up enough money to buy a home. This idea of living in a trailer park temporarily and then buying a home was shared by most people in Sunset Trailer Park. Within Sunset Trailer Park there was a social hierarchy that was developed based off of your trailer size, model, lot size, location, yard upkeep, cars, jobs, and occupation. Through this social hierarchy, certain people were more respected than others. People who were considered on the higher end of the social hierarchy in the trailer park did not associate with the people on the lower end because they wanted to assert their white privilege and continue to accomplish the goal of moving up in the middle class. Berubé’s family was one of the more respected families in the trailer park because of the characteristics listed above and due to his father working for NBC. His family did not associate with people on the lower end, especially those that drank a lot and were messy. When looking at race in Sunset Trailer Park, the trailer park owner did not allow black families in the trailer park which prevented families’ white privilege status from being threatened. However, he did allow a Chinese American family, the Wongs, to live there. The Wongs were well respected by people because they owned a small business and had a large trailer. At Sunset Trailer Park, the Wongs did not face racism but in the real world they were discriminated against and had difficulty buying a house.