How did Woody's internalized racism change after the trip?

Woody had never met a Black person before his journey across the country, how did his internalized racism change after the trip?

Woody definitely became more open-minded. His experience with the Black man and how Riley Jones treated him helped Woody realize that he was just trying to make a living and stay alive. I think Woody was especially moved by the action of Black man not wanting to sit in the front with them, and also hiding better in the back when they were stopped by a sheriff. It was clear that the Black man not only didn't want to get caught but also didn't want Woody and Riley Jones to get in trouble.

Woody had probably only heard negative information about Black individuals before the trip. But that changed when he met Moses, a Black man in Tennessee after Woody's and the Old Man's truck got stuck under a bridge. Moses and his family helped them get the truck free and provided new tires plus provided them food and shelter even if Moses's family was underprivileged. Another positive memory from the trip for Woody.

Woody's life experiences were extremely limited before he started his journey. He learned about other people as he met them on the trip. He found that people are much the same regardless of race, creed, or gender. He became a much more experienced person on the trip and learned to respect others as he did the animals.

I agree with djcminor that Woody most likely had very little experience with people who were different than him. It doesn’t sound like Acadia was a bustling burg full of diversity. Even once he was east, it seems that Woody was pretty much restricted to Cuz’s spot on the docks. I think Woody’s behavior was based more on a lack of knowing and fear of the unknown, rather than some internalized hate. In both instances on the road that stand out to me, Woody didn’t say nasty things or recoil from the Black family or the pecan salesman. He didn’t refuse help or refuse to help. I think he was observing, taking everything in, and processing it. He learned by watching Old Man that people are worthy of being treated with dignity, regardless of skin color. In fact, it was Cooter and the ringmaster, both white men, who posed the most danger to Woody, Old Man, Girl, and Boy.

I was more surprised by the Old Man’s reaction to Red traveling on the road herself. He worked for the FIRST and ONLY female zoo director, but he questioned Red’s morals because she was traveling alone???

I loved how Woody's experience with Moses and his family opened Woody's eyes to see people are people, no matter what their color. Unfortunately, there are still so many people who have deep rooted prejudices, as evidenced by police brutality and people indiscriminately shooting at others who look different than themselves.

Woody starts out as quite naive about many things in the larger world outside his hometown. His real-life experiences with Moses and his family and the pecan salesman showed him the kindness of others, especially these particular black individuals who had little money but generous hearts. It is many of the white people he encounters on the trip who try to do him harm or are, at the least, unhelpful. Woody comes to the realization that we are all part of humanity. No one group has a monopoly on good or bad.

Woody only knew what he was brought up to know. He mimicked what he thought was truthful from his family life. I don't think Woody was ever racist. But it took meeting a few Black people for him to sort out and understand his own feelings.

Woody had a very isolated life until he left home after the deaths of his family and headed to his cousin's home on the East Coast. He had no other reference point other than what he had been told in his isolated childhood. Once he got on the road, his world began to expand and he found that people could not be assigned certain characteristics simply because of their skin color.

Woody's experiences outside his farm area were very limited. Meeting or seeing a black person for the first time left him both curious and fearful, as any new experience would. Overall, he was learning a lot about all people. He appeared to meet every experience with an open mind. He had difficulty understanding why a black man was afraid to sit up front with them in the cab. He knew nothing of the racism that existed in some of these towns.