She’ll be upset you’re skipping. Won’t she mark it on your record? You don’t want to be kicked out like some street con” (Lu 35). Clearly displayed though this quote citizens who live in poor sectors are perceived to be thieves. These implications serve a purpose in that the people who are living in these circumstances have no way of escaping their economic conditions because of the dehumanized state the slums serve.
This action leads to him being considered a tragic hero. Creon’s human flaw of arrogance causes him to ignore reasoning and advice and listen only to his own thoughts. He states, "My voice is the one voice giving orders in this city". He is afraid to go back on his word because it will hurt his pride and he is afraid that it will cause him to lose power with his subjects. This action causes him to lose everyone that he loves.
This chapter includes anecdotes which convey the theme of social class throughout the novel. Tom is portrayed as the type of person to treat poor people with no respect, and the reader becomes aware of this in chapter 2 when Nick and Tom visit the ‘valley of ashes’ to see myrtle. ‘No he doesn’t, said Tom coldly. And if you feel that way about it, maybe I’d better sell it somewhere else after all.’ George Wilson, myrtles husband is being made to look a fool, he is being manipulated and controlled Tom Buchanan’s ‘supercilious’ manner, simply because Wilson is poor so Tom knows he can get away
As he says "If I say something, why it's just a nigger sayin' it" and this shows his anger. Being hated has made him seem cruel, but also he sees himself as less important human. He says to Lennie "You got no right to come in my room.....You go on get outa my room. I ain't wanted in the bunkhouse and you ain't wanted in my room." This also shows he built up anger and shouted at Lennie because he is a ‘easy target’.
He is ‘one in a thousand’ with regards to being a pianist not ‘one in a million’. It would be understandable for Paul to feel as if Keller was ‘bad for him, the worst possible teacher’, judging from the way he later narrates his experiences. Keller is highly cynical and dampens Paul’s enthusiasm by mocking him constantly- ‘you are spoilt, first you must learn to listen’. Not used to being critisised and having very disciplined lessons, Paul initially refers to Keller as a ‘Nazi’, failing to understand the word for what it really meant. Paul is frustrated by Keller’s methods; he patronises Paul by making him play pieces that are not challenging enough, such as The Children’s Bach.
On one hand, if we forego the idea of society as a whole and focus simply on the idea of helping ourselves, like the banks in The Grapes of Wrath, we will result in the destruction of the lower and middle classes, ultimately leading to depression, followed by revolution. This was proven through the fall of the communist Soviet Union, when the people eventually became tired of living in poverty and demanded change. Their failure to provide a reason for people to push themselves to excel was ultimately their demise. On the other hand, if we are to constantly help the needy and forget about the responsibilities that we have to ourselves, we not only hurt ourselves by always giving away the things that we have worked for but we also endanger the needy. If they are constantly provided for, how are the less fortunate going to learn to provide for themselves and why would they be motivated to do
However, the fact that the adult society sees through his façade reinforces Holden's alienation from his society. In effect, Holden retaliates by rejecting adulthood and continues to criticize its flaws as he indulges in them. He passes judgment quickly on those that he feels are corrupt and calls them "phony." This only further worsens Holden's situation and even further detaches him from society and help. But how did such a vicious cycle of self-destruction start?
This is just another example of how the NE see’s a “stars” status as something they can tear down and say whatever they want about it just because they feel like they have no moral code when it comes to the upper class. In one article about Jen Garner and Ben Affleck the writer makes the comment that Jen Garner is using friends to spy on Ben Affleck to make sure that he’s staying faithful (George). Now comments like this can cause all kinds of problems and distrust in a relationship. NE is promoting that the relationships of the “stars” isn’t real and can be messed with as they see fit. This is just one of many poor social values that the magazine
People do not like to admit to their failures because they think of it as a sign of weakness. Admitting that you have made a mistake is not a sign of weakness, but an indicator that you have the ability to accept your flaws and take a step in the right direction in order to change the outcome. Many people will blame their failures and misfortune on the life they have been dealt. They will blame society, their race, their lifestyle, or other people. By doing so, the only thing they are accomplishing is pointing the finger.
Birling is also presented as being extremely opinionated. His own success as a "hard headed businessman" gives him entitlement to comment on matters of which he wields little knowledge. He makes proclamations about the titanic being "absolutely unsinkable" and the impossibility of war. These are clever uses of dramatic irony on Priestley's part to make Birling appear foolish to the audience who had the benefit of hindsight. They know that Birling's predictions work out quite differently.