Week 9 Project Action Plan: Project 2: Class Ranks

For my second project I chose: Choose a reading selection. Then choose one of the following questions, and write an argument in response to it:
How are class differences presented in the work? Are characters aware or unaware of the economic and social forces that affect their lives?

The story I will use is Chapter 6 of The Californians, by Gertrude Atherton. One reason I chose to do my second project on this story was because it was easy for me to read and I really enjoyed it. This story was about two friends: Magdalena and Helena, who happen to be from a different class and a different race. They live in San Francisco, CA and are very adventurous. I will focus on these two characters. I will use several literary devices to show how Magdalena and Helena are from different classes. I will use quotes from this chapter as evidence for this. Some of the literary devices I will use are characterization, dialogue, imagery and more.

 The following are some of the quotes I will use.

"'I want a hack,'" she said peremptorily to the man in charge. "'And double quick, too.'"(Atherton, 313). Helena said this and she obviously comes from money because she is demanding a ride for both herself and Magdalena.

When Helena did not think twice and instantly pulled out ten dollars to pay the taxi, Magdalena was shocked. Her own allowance was only five dollars a month (Atherton, 313).

"'And I have nothing to give them,'" thought Magdalena, bitterly..."(Atherton, 314). This shows that Magdalena did not have a lot of money.

Thesis: Magdalena is middle-class, and Helena is high-class.


Hicks, Jack, et al. “The Californians.” The Literature of California, vol. 1, University of California          Press, 2000, pp. 311–320.