An Analysis of Social Class of Foster Family in the $30000 Bequest

Seminar on Literature

Lecturer: Drs. Hazairin Eko P., M.S.

`

Written by:
Happy Susilowati
11002084 / 8D

ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION PROGRAM

FACULTY OF TEACHER TRAINING AND EDUCATION
SARJANAWIYATA TAMANSISWA UNIVERSITY
YOGYAKARTA
2015

ABSTRACT
The objectives of the study are: (1) to analyze the social class of Foster family
in The $30,000 Bequest and (2) to analyze the factors that influence social class of
Foster family in The $30,000 Bequest. The object of this study is short story written
by Mark Twain. The $30000 Bequest short story desires for social justice and quality.
Sally and Aleck live modest. They live with luxury among others. Their social life is
very different than people around them. They occupy the highest social class. Several
factors of social classes that influence the Foster family are wealth and occupation.

INTRODUCTION

A. Background of study
Reading a literary work is very important because it can also make the reader
understand the writers emotion, main idea and other things presented by author.
We know that a short story is framework of literature of prose of fiction. However,
in fact reading short story becomes one of the ways to understand literary works.
Some short stories are written in complicated structures and terms are often
strange, so it needs to struggle to capture the meaning and spend much time to
finish reading it.
The reason why the writer chooses the short story is because there are several
considerations. The first is due to reading the novel takes a very long time so the
writer chose short story to be the object of this study. The second even though the
page of short story is a little bit, not as much as the novel but the story is not
inferior to the novel. The author is able to understand the essence of the short
story. In addition, the short story is no less interesting story with the novel. Short
story is very interesting and enjoyable. Short story includes something that
necessary for life, especially in real life.
Based on the explanation above, the writer chooses a short story entitled "The
$30,000 Bequest" because the writer wants to know more about the meaning that
contain within this short story. The short story is written by a famous writer. He is
Mark Twain. Many famous essays that mark twain done is the story implies in
everyday life. The writer is interested in analyzing one of them, namely the social
aspect. The $30,000 Bequest tells about the life of a husband and wife who have
two children. Their life is interesting for analysis. Those aspects motivates to the
writer to analyze this short story.
The aspect that the writer analysis about sociological. Because of in the short
story The $ 30,000 Bequest include the sense of social, especially about social
life. There are various characteristics of human being society. The characteristics
reflect someone's behavior, attitude, and the way of speaking, dressing and
thinking. The variations of their behavior are caused by many cases such as
family, environment and education. In everyday life we know what social
significance. Social means relating to others relate or interact with their
surroundings. So social life often encountered in daily life and every person must

have experienced about it. Thus the writer chose the title "an analysis of social
class of foster family in the $ 30,000 Bequest ".
B. Problem Statement
The writer would like to analyze this form the social class. There is a question
that the writer may ask.
1. How does Foster family has social class in the $30,000 Bequest?

THEORITICAL REVIEW

A. Short Story
A short story is a short work of fiction. Fiction, as you know, is prose writing
about imagined events and characters. Prose writing differs from poetry in that it
does not depend on verses, meters or rhymes for its organization and presentation.
Novels are another example of fictional prose and are much longer than short
stories. Some short stories, however, can be quite long.
The short story has been considered both an apprenticeship form preceding more
lengthy works, and a crafted form in its own right, collected together in books of
similar length, price, and distribution as novels. Short story writers may define

their works as part of the artistic and personal expression of the form. They may
also attempt to resist categorization by genre and fixed form.
B. The $30,000 Bequest Short Story
The $30,000 Bequest (1906) is a short story by the iconic American humorist
and writer Mark Twain. The stories contained span the course of his career, from
"Advice to Young Girls" in 1865 to the titular tale in 1904. Although Mark Twain
had ample time to refine his short stories between their original publication date
and this collection, there is little evidence to suggest he took an active interest in
doing so. American literature contains some of the world's best examples of the
short story. Readers around the world enjoy the finely crafted stories of American
writer like Mark Twain.
C. Sociology
Sociology is the study of the social lives of humans, groups and societies. It
concerns itself with the social rules and processes that bind and separate people
not only as individuals, but as members of associations, groups, and institutions.
Sociology is interested in our behavior as social beings; thus the sociological field
of interest ranges from the analysis of short contacts between anonymous
individuals on the street to the study of global social processes. Max Weber
defines sociology as "the science which attempts the interpretative understanding
of social action in order thereby to arrive at a casual explanation of its course and
effects". Sociology has given sufficient attention to the study of primary units of
social life. In this area, it is concerned with social acts and social relationships,
individual personality, groups of all varieties, communities (urban, rural, and
tribal), associations, organizations and populations. Sociologists are concerned
with a task of "formulating concepts, propositions and theories". "Concepts are
abstract from concrete experience to represent a class of phenomena". For
example, terms such as social stratification, differentiation, conformity, deviance
etc., represent concepts. A proposition "seeks to reflect a relationship between
different categories of data or concepts".
D. Social Class
Social class is defined as a stratum (layer) people who are equal in the continuum
(continuum) social status. This definition tells us that in society there are people
who are jointly have a social position more or less the same. Those who have
more or less the same position will be on a more or less the same layer as well.

Social class is defined as the division of community members into a different class
status hierarchy so that the members of each class have relatively the same status,
and the other class members have a status that is higher or lower. Social class
categories are usually arranged in a hierarchy, which ranged from a low status to
high. Thus, the members of a certain social class felt the members of other social
classes have a higher status and lower than them. Hierarchical aspect of social
class is important for marketers. The consumer buys a particular product range for
these products favored by members of their own social class and higher class, and
the consumer may avoid a variety of other products because they feel these
products are products of "lower class".
Systematic approach to measure social class is included in a variety of the
following broad categories: subjective measure, reputation measurement, and
objective measures of social class. Consumer researchers have found evidence
that in every social class, there are factors specific lifestyle (beliefs, attitudes,
activities and behavior together) which tends to distinguish members of each class
of members of other social classes.

ANALYSIS

The social class of foster family can be seen in the statement between Sally
and Aleck. There are many statements that describe in social class.
Sally and Aleck is a good person. They are famous in Lakeside. They are also kind
person. Saladin Foster or sally was book-keeper in the principal store. He is a
high-Salaried man of his profession in Lakeside. From this, it can be seen from the
work of Sally and high wages throughout the city. This means that social class of
foster family is high social. Their salary can buy anything. Aleck's his wife always
support her husband. Aleck a housewife but she is a smart wife. At the beginning
of their marriage, he had bought the land.
"An acre of ground on the edge of the town and pay down the cash for
it". (1)

She can buy the most extensive land in the city because they have much money.
So she can buy the land in cash.
"She instituted a vegetable garden there, got it farmer on shares by the
nearest neighbor, and made it pay her a hundred per cent a year. She put
thirty dollars in the savings-bank. "(1)
From these statements it can be stated that they are smart people do business. So
that they can earn a living is increasing every year. They are also happy to save
money in the bank. Aleck is a smart business. It can be seen from the following
statement.
"Coal. The new mines. Cannel. I mean to put in ten thousand. Ground
floor. When we organize, we'll get three shares for one. "(4)
He was happy to invest his money. By investing the money he believes that it will
benefit. It can be seen that Aleck a workhorse. He wants to continue to raise their
income by investing stock. No one else can invest stock like her. Only her who
dare to invest. Only people who have high job and who have a lot of money who
like to invest. Every day they try to something new to work. They work hard to
get what they want as the following statement.
"Ah, it'll be grand, Aleck! Out of the first thousand and we'll have a horse
and a buggy for summer, and a cutter and a skin lap-robe for winter "(4)
"We should have seen of other things, too; among the buggy, the lap-robe,
the stove-pipe hat, and so on." (14)
Sally wants their money to buy supplies summer and winter. Not everyone can
afford the equipment. The equipment is very expensive. They also want to buy
other equipment. Only people who have a lot of money who can afford to buy the
equipment.
"Every Sunday they put in the whole day, after morning service, on
inventions. Invention of way to spend the money ". (19)
People who have a luxurious life style are not satisfied with what they have. They
enjoy their money. They spend their money to make merry. They certainly want
what they have not yet. From this it can be seen that they are full of life style
luxury. Their lives are not only happy always. But there is also a feeling of
sadness. When they got the news of Sally's relative who still Tilbury Foster as in
the following sentence.
"Tilbury now wrote to Sally, saying he should shortly die, and should leave
him thirty thousand dollars, cash. Not for love, but money had given him
because most of his troubles and exasperations. "(2)

They also have a problem with their own families. They must leave the thirty
dollars to Tilbury Foster. But they are reluctant to give him a legacy. They dont
care about the problem. Sometimes they think about the problem and then forget
it. They dont care about the environment even on their own families. They
continue to do business. They are looking for is money. Sometimes money is
everything for them. Foster familys social life never escapes from money.
"Although the money was as good as in, it would be as well to wait until it
was actually in". (14)
This statement means that the money is very useful. But it doesnt always have to
be used until the actual moment. Aleck realized that money was not everything.
Sally was the one who always use the money. They Recognizes that the change of
financial conditions had raised up a social bar between reviews their daughters
and the young mechanics. They want their children to look over them. They want
their children to marry with a high social class like a dentist, lawyer, Fulton.
"Yes, must. They need marry nothing below the grade of the lawyer or
merchant; poppa and momma would take care of this."(15)
"Think of it, Sally. It is a family that has never married outside the Royal
and Imperial Houses of Europe: our grandchildren will sit upon thrones!
"(25)
They dont want their children get married with the son who are low class. They
think they should be descendants of the grandchildren who are in high grade.
Their life is getting excessive. Their busniness tended to increase. They are a
successful business. They build buildings in Lakeside. Such as university,
hospital, hotel, batch of churches, and a cathedral.

CONCLUSION

The short story The $30000 Bequest has been analyzed in turn of the
social class. After carefully analyzing those problems, the writer can draw some
conclusion that should be in line with the problems discussed as follows:
1. The social class of Foster family in The $30,000 Bequest
Based on the analysis, the social class of Foster family is high class because
the lifestyle of foster family is up to date and luxurious. Their life filled with
money and power. Sally and Aleck lived modest and happily. Then they lived
with luxury among others. Their social life was very different than people
around them. They occupied the highest social class. It shows in the society of
their life in environment.
2. The factors that influence social class of Foster family in The $30,000
Bequest
Several factors of social classes that influence the Foster family:
a. Wealth
They have much money. Their life style is full of luxury. Their life
oriented on how they can invest their money so that they get more benefit.
b. Occupation
They are a successful especially Aleck. Aleck is a wife who has bright
strategy to do the business. She is brave to take a stock in several
companies. With perseverance and persistence support them to be
successful.

REFERENCES

Cambridge Advanced Learners Dictionary 3d. (2008). New York:

Cambridge University Press.

Falth Sebastian. (2013). Social class and status in Fitzgeralds The

Great Gatsby. Sweden: Halmstad University.

Ritzer George. (2008). Modern Sociological theory. Washington:

University of Maryland.
Henslin.(2013). Essentials of Sociology Chapter Eight: Social Class in

the United States. United States: Pearson Education.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short_story
http://homepage.bnv-

bamberg.de/gk_english/short_story/short_story_definition.htm
http://www.cliffsnotes.com/cliffsnotes/literature/what-is-a-definition-

of-short-story
Bancroft Angus. (2010).Theory of Sociology.Uk: School of social
sciences

Mucha janusz. (2003). Research network n 21: Social Theory. Murcia,

Esa Conference
Weber Max. (1978). Economy and society. An outline of Interpretative
Sociology. Edited by Guenther Roth and Claus Wittich. Berkelet et al.:
University of California Press.