In the Heat of the Night

After watching In the Heat of the Night in class, it became obvious that the idea of separate but equal never worked the way people thought it would. At the very beginning of the movie, you see Virgil Tibbs arrested on sight, with no evidence. He was arrested because he was Black and had money in his wallet. This shows how separate but equal wasn't equal at all because had Tibbs been white, he would have never gotten arrested, questioned, or even stopped in the first place.

Another moment in the movie that shows the failure of separate but equal is when Tibbs is questioning Mr. Endicott at his cotton plantation. When Detective Tibbs starts questioning Mr. Endicott, he is shocked and irritated that a black man is speaking to him as if they were equals. Mr. Endicott slaps Tibbs in the face and expects him to just take it, because that's how the system in Sparta worked at the time. When Tibbs slapped him back, it shows how fragile the entire system is. Mr. Endicott tears up after getting slapped, and this shows how he is realizing that the old world of total control he had is starting to fade away. This scene again shows that the idea of separate but equal didn't work as people thought, and that it
also wasn't equal at all. 

The changing relationship of Detective Tibbs and Chief Gillespie continues to show the problems with this separate but equal idea, but also shows the changes happening in society during this time. At the start of the movie, Gillespie wants absolutely nothing to do with Tibbs; he doubts and mocks Tibbs and even almost sends him out of town. But as the investigation goes on, they are forced to work together, and this causes Gillespie to realize that Tibbs is the smartest in the room and also the best detective in the room. A key moment that shows Gillespie starting to realize this is at the diner when he steps in to protect Tibbs from the men who were at the diner. This shows his views toward Tibbs starting to change, and while their relationship still isn't perfect, it is much better than at the beginning. Their relationship changing shows how society during this time is slowly having to accept that segregation is coming to an end, and they have to start recognizing Black people have abilities and can help society as well.

Overall, In the Heat of the Night makes it clear that the concept of separate but equal was never actually real, and the movie shows this through the characters in the movie and their relationships. From Tibbs being wrongfully arrested, to him going and talking to Mr. Endicott, and his changing relationship with Chief Gillespie. These three examples show the failure of the separate but equal theory, but also Tibbs' relationship with the chief changing, and the scene with Mr. Endicott shows the changes starting to take place, and the old views of black people not being equal starting to change, and whites being forced to accept that. At the end of the movie, it is obvious how separate but equal failed and how change is only going to happen if people challenge the current system.