Class Distinctions and Social Standing in Young Adult Literature

Class as a Central Theme

One of the principal points of commonality existing in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Feed, and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is that class figures prominently in all three stories. Specifically, what a person's socioeconomic status is plays a powerful role in determining how others treat him or her. In Harry Potter, the principal sort of class associations varies between those that are pure wizards, part wizards, and those that have no magical ability whatsoever. In The Absolutely True Diary, class distinctions pertain to money and the typical trappings of luxury. In Feed, class distinctions pertain to one's consumer profile. As such, the various characters in each of these novels incur certain problems that are directly related to their class. Therefore, it greatly appears as though the authors of these works—Anderson, Rowling, and Alexie—are subtly implying that class distinctions play a profound role in one's social standing.

The Absolutely True Diary and Economic Mobility

This thesis is demonstrated most prominently in The Absolutely True Diary. The protagonist of this novel, Arnold, is a social pariah on many fronts: he is a Native American, he is poor, and he is born with an unusual condition affecting his brain so that his head is large and he has difficulty with his fine-motor skills. Perhaps even more revealing about the author's intention to make a commentary on the state of society is the fact that he is extremely poor. It is significant, for instance, that one of the turning points in the novel occurs when Arnold becomes exasperated with the immense penury in which he finds himself and throws his mother's former textbook at his teacher.

Forced to transfer to another school, his life becomes much better. Whereas he was frequently teased at his former school, he finds a girlfriend and makes friends with smart students at his newer, wealthy school. He personally begins to thrive as well, making the varsity basketball team and maintaining—with some difficulty—his friendship with one of his friends from his previous school. In this novel, a change in socioeconomic status (which Arnold was able to do simply by switching schools, despite the fact that he is still poor) from a lower class to a higher class is definitely perceived as advantageous. Sherman Alexie's work explores identity formation through Arnold's journey of self-discovery across class boundaries.

Consumer Class Hierarchies in Feed

Similarly, the author of Feed indicates that it is more beneficial to belong to a higher social class than a lower one. The class distinctions in this novel, however, are not as clear cut as they were in The Absolutely True Diary. For the most part, all of the main characters are in an upwardly mobile consumer class. The chief point of distinction in class, then, occurs when Violet persuades Titus to obfuscate their consumer profiles by spending erratically on an assortment of items that belies their current profiles.

This fact, combined with unfortunate circumstances in which Violet's feed ceases to work properly, effectively makes her a cripple. Without her feed functioning properly, she is not able to maintain her health; because her consumer profile is no longer accurate and does not reflect her true tendencies, she cannot obtain the proper assistance for her feed. In effect, she has gone from the upwardly mobile, well-to-do consumer class to an anomalous class of crippled people. These facts greatly impact her relationship with Titus, who no longer is as close to her once she is markedly different than him and the majority of people in his class. Anderson's dystopian vision of consumerism demonstrates how technology-mediated class systems create isolation. As such, the fate of Violet and her physical and emotional distancing from Titus due to a shift in the former's class indicates that it is more advantageous to remain in a higher social class than a lower social class.

Conclusion: Class Across Three Narratives

In summary, class figures rather eminently in all three of the stories discussed in this document. Characters tend to endure more problems when they are part of the lower class, and can enjoy more benefits as part of the upper class. These authors are indicting that it is better to belong to upper classes than lower ones.