A Two-Class Society Exposed in The Stolen Party Essay -- Stolen Party

A Two-Class Society Exposed in The Stolen Party  Ã‚   In a perfect world we would all live together in peace. But we don’t live in such a world. In Liliana Heker’s story "The Stolen Party" we are reminded of the real world and the thin line that separates the lower class from the upper class. In an instant we see all the discrimination and inhumane treatment some people feel they have a right to inflict on those whom they consider "not one of them." The story is about Rosaura, the nine-year-old daughter of a woman who does housecleaning for a wealthy family. Rosaura often accompanies her mother to work and does her homework with Luciana, the daughter of the house. As a result, or so she thinks, Rosaura is Luciana’s friend and has been invited to her birthday party. Rosaura’s mother states that she does not want her daughter to go to the party, because "it’s a rich people’s party" (1133). She tries to explain to her daughter that the people will look at her as "the maid’s daughter" and not as another person (1134). But Rosaura is only nine and "the smartest in her class" (1134), and she feels that Luciana is her friend and would not hurt her in any way. Rosaura chooses not to listen to her mother’s advice because she feels that she knows what is best for her. Here we see that Rosaura’s mother is trying to make her daughter aware of the difference between Luciana’s family and her own family. We can presume that her mother has had an incident like this before in her life and wants to prepare her daughter for disappointment. Brandon Spontak states that "Rosaura’s mother is not very educated . . . but has an instinct which only comes from years of experience that she uses to detect problems in life" (89). As Rosaura’s mo... ... delicate balance" (1137), she realizes that there is a thin line between classes of people and that she made it even worse by offering Rosaura money. In a perfect world this would never happen. Innocence would not be stolen, dreams would come true and people would look at each other with acceptance, not ignorance in their hearts. The truth is it’s not a perfect world, and the line never disappears. It is just that some people make it more noticeable than others do. Works Cited Elliot, Kevin. "The Stolen Future." Ode to Friendship & Other Essays. VWC. Virginia Beach: Connie Bellamy, 1996. 61-63. Hatcher, Nathan. "The Deception of Senora Ines." Ode to Friendship & Other Essays. VWC. Virginia Beach: Connie Bellamy, 1996. 59-60. Heker, Liliana. "The Stolen Party." Harper Anthology of Fiction. Ed. Sylvan Barnet. New York: HarperCollins, 1991. 1133-1137. A Two-Class Society Exposed in The Stolen Party Essay -- Stolen Party A Two-Class Society Exposed in The Stolen Party  Ã‚   In a perfect world we would all live together in peace. But we don’t live in such a world. In Liliana Heker’s story "The Stolen Party" we are reminded of the real world and the thin line that separates the lower class from the upper class. In an instant we see all the discrimination and inhumane treatment some people feel they have a right to inflict on those whom they consider "not one of them." The story is about Rosaura, the nine-year-old daughter of a woman who does housecleaning for a wealthy family. Rosaura often accompanies her mother to work and does her homework with Luciana, the daughter of the house. As a result, or so she thinks, Rosaura is Luciana’s friend and has been invited to her birthday party. Rosaura’s mother states that she does not want her daughter to go to the party, because "it’s a rich people’s party" (1133). She tries to explain to her daughter that the people will look at her as "the maid’s daughter" and not as another person (1134). But Rosaura is only nine and "the smartest in her class" (1134), and she feels that Luciana is her friend and would not hurt her in any way. Rosaura chooses not to listen to her mother’s advice because she feels that she knows what is best for her. Here we see that Rosaura’s mother is trying to make her daughter aware of the difference between Luciana’s family and her own family. We can presume that her mother has had an incident like this before in her life and wants to prepare her daughter for disappointment. Brandon Spontak states that "Rosaura’s mother is not very educated . . . but has an instinct which only comes from years of experience that she uses to detect problems in life" (89). As Rosaura’s mo... ... delicate balance" (1137), she realizes that there is a thin line between classes of people and that she made it even worse by offering Rosaura money. In a perfect world this would never happen. Innocence would not be stolen, dreams would come true and people would look at each other with acceptance, not ignorance in their hearts. The truth is it’s not a perfect world, and the line never disappears. It is just that some people make it more noticeable than others do. Works Cited Elliot, Kevin. "The Stolen Future." Ode to Friendship & Other Essays. VWC. Virginia Beach: Connie Bellamy, 1996. 61-63. Hatcher, Nathan. "The Deception of Senora Ines." Ode to Friendship & Other Essays. VWC. Virginia Beach: Connie Bellamy, 1996. 59-60. Heker, Liliana. "The Stolen Party." Harper Anthology of Fiction. Ed. Sylvan Barnet. New York: HarperCollins, 1991. 1133-1137.