Racism
The year is 1964 in the southern state of Mississippi. This is the same year that the Civil Rights Act was passed. We see members of the police force and townspeople in Jessup County belong to the Ku Klux Klan. The inciting incident, the murder of three civil rights workers, is motivated by racial hatred which must be fought throughout the film over and over again.
Justice
The theme of justice is seen through the lens of FBI agent sent to investigate the crime, Anderson and Ward, as they pursue the murderous members of the Ku Klux Klan. It is because of the injustice being perpetrated that these two agents must overcome and fight for justice for those who no longer can speak for themselves--the three murdered Civil Rights activists, as well as the members of the black community who are constantly threatened.
American South
The American South plays a major role in this film as it is the breeding ground for the racial injustice and hatred demonstrated through violence against the black community. We see that authority figures and powerful members of the local government all belong to the Ku Klux Klan and, instead of enforcing justice, they, by holding seats of power, diminish it by not prosecuting any racially motivated crimes. Thus, the department allowed fear and violence to run rampant on the soil of the South.
Gender Relations
A member of the KKK and Jessup County deputy, Clinton Pell, is volatile and exhibits extremely abusive behavior to his wife. It ranges from silent disapproval of Mrs. Pell’s holding an African-American maid’s baby to severely beating her after her confession to the FBI. The women of Jessup County are largely subdued; some, like Mrs. Pell, disagree with the segregationist atmosphere enforced by the racist and discriminatory police department. However, out of fear of their husbands, they remain silent. There is a clear power imbalance in the county that facilitates the discrimination in the county. The women attend high school and, afterwards, immediately resign themselves to marriage. Mrs. Pell comments on this: “You marry the first guy that makes you laugh.”
