Underground Airlines cuts across many social and political climates, including the tension that exists between privileged whites and oppressed blacks. While Ben Winters' novel takes place in an imagined future where institutionalized slavery still thrives in the South, the novel points to the systematic oppression that persists in our contemporary society. A complex issue that Underground Airlines subtly addresses is that of white guilt and its connection to systematic oppression and privilege. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essay The issue of white guilt and privilege recurs in Underground Airlines, and no white character is safe of his influence, even if many are unaware of it. Winters expertly addresses this issue through a series of interactions with different types of white characters. The key takeaway from Winters's novel is that while not all of his white characters are clearly racist or clearly guilty in a "white" way, all of the white characters in the novel benefit socially and politically from their white status. The benefit of whiteness is demonstrated with nuance. For example, Victor's interaction with the white character, Mr. Newell, is radically different from his interactions with Martha throughout the novel. Mr. Newell, assuming that Victor is a servant of Martha, treats Victor as barely visible. He is a prop to Martha, as all other slaves are considered in the "Hard Four", the states which, in this alternate timeline, still practice institutionalized slavery. But beyond the blatant disrespect and “classic” racism, Mr. Newell’s interactions with Victor contain important nuance. When discussing the working conditions of slaves in the cotton mills, Mr. Newell suddenly and constantly assures Victor of their standards. He said: “This is not the slavery of fifty or even ten years ago. People think about slavery, and they think again – again! – to whips and dogs and bristling chains, to all that dirty business. But this is now” and “None of your cousins ​​have anything to complain about here, my son. And I really mean it” (Winters 258). What is interesting about this scenario is Mr. Newell's motivations in his adamant support for the slavery of the "present." Why does he feel compelled to argue this point if he participates in the institutionalized slavery and oppression of black people like Victor? Winters intends to convey that Mr. Newell does indeed understand the horrible reality of slavery, at least in some respects. He believes that “today’s” slavery is harmless, even good, and that it has nothing to do with the “bad deals” of the past. Mr. Newell is uncomfortable with Victor's presence and feels the need to account for himself, his business, and his position of power within the institution. He feels the need to assure Victor that the slaves who work for him are happy and well cared for, that this type of slavery is not like any other. This scene shows both the white guilt factor at play and the horrible reality of privileged white ignorance. The slavery practiced by Mr. Newell's company is not good in any form, and Mr. Newell would never submit to it. However, with the existing power imbalance, Newell truly feels like he is helping the slaves, as if he only has their best interests in mind. Perhaps a clearer example of white guilt at play is the scene with Martha and Mama, where Martha tries.