Analysis Of Paul s Case, A Touch Of Class, And The...

Class plays a big part in marxist literary criticism. Marx defines class as a division of society based on social and economical status (Parker 4). Even though it was more prominent earlier in history, it still exists in today’s society. Class has a big influence on a person’s habits, relationships with others, and the type of work they do. Moon says, â€Å"Class divisions always reflect the beliefs and values of specific groups of people† (18). This is shown in â€Å"Paul’s Case†, A Touch of Class, and â€Å"The Queer feet†. Characters in these stories experience their place in the class system through events that occur in each story such as Paul’s experience in New York, Basil’s delusion, and the silverware scandal. â€Å"Paul’s Case† by Willa Cather is a†¦show more content†¦The first person to experience their position in the class system in this story is Basil. Basil wants to be apart of the upper cla ss so he surrounds himself with upper class guests at his hotel. He also treats people differently based on their class. Even though Basil is of the working class, he treats people of that class unfairly. One example is when he makes a family, who is in the middle of eating, move and give up their table for lord Mulberry. He says: BASIL Could I ask you please to move to that table over there? MR. WAREING But . . . (getting up, protesting) We re halfway through . . . BASIL Thank you so much. (Cleese) He does this because he thinks this is an actual lord and wants him to have the best treatment. Even though Basil does not know he is not actually a lord, he believes his lies because he is not a part of the upper class. It is easy for lord Mulberry to pretend to be a lord to Basil because Basil doesn t know what lords actually look like or talk about. When he pretends to be a lord in front of upper class people who actually know lords, he looks foolish. The second person that experiences their place in the class system in this screen play is the Manuel, who is an usher at Faulty Towers. He is a foreigner from Barcelona who speaks little english. He is treated poorly because he is not American. His place in the class system affects howShow MoreRelatedOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 PagesThe World the Sixties Made: Politics and Culture in Recent America Joanne Meyerowitz, ed., History and September 11th John McMillian and Paul Buhle, eds., The New Left Revisited David M. Scobey, Empire City: The Making and Meaning of the New York City Landscape Gerda Lerner, Fireweed: A Political Autobiography Allida M. Black, ed., Modern American Queer History Eric Sandweiss, St. Louis: The Evolution of an American Urban Landscape Sam Wineburg, Historical Thinking and Other Unnatural Acts: