The Nature of Things

I believe that John Bemrose chose to write about social class because everyone is affected by social class. This creates many oportunities for the audience to relate with the characters. I also think Bemrose chose to write about class and cliques because it is a sensitive topic. This catches the reader’s attention and forces them to think about class and cliques. I had never really thought about my social class until I started reading this book. This novel has become valuable to me because it has forced to me to notice how I judge people and the role class plays in my daily life. This has helped me to become aware of my surroundings and even the reality of my potential in life.

So where do these social markers come from? We all like to think that we can take control of our lives and challenge society –but social order is inevitable. Social class is just part of human nature or even nature itself. Take for example in a herd of horses there is always a boss mare. The boss mare is the leader of the herd. She gets first choice on food and leads the pack. After that there is a social/feeding order. The order goes from the most aggressive and powerful to the smallest and weakest. The bottom horse gets fed last, is bullied, and is constantly scavenging for their meal. The human social order is very similar. There are one or two people who monopolize or “rule the roost”.  Those in the upper levels use their power to manipulate others. Upper class not only get first or top pick on everything, but they also choose the direction in which major decisions and even the economy flow. Meanwhile the lower class work extremely hard to get a miniscule amount of reward (salary, promotions, food, shelter, clothing etc.).

The social class system is in our nature.  We always have and always will have social markers, cliques, and classes. This makes social class a popular topic for books such as The Island Walkers. I had always thought of myself as an optimistic, happy, and accepting person. This novel has made me realize how much I judge and stereotype the people around me and the affects that has on them. This doesn’t make me, you, or anybody a bad person. It should however make us more empathic towards others and the reasons for each classification.  We all should try to be more understanding and  more tolerate of our differences.  It is simply state of mind. When we judge someone we are following what are brains are geared to do; analyze, judge, predict, and categorize. Skills that are all valued and taught inside and outside of school. Social class exists because we are all human.