Analysis Of The Stolen Party Novel

Categories: Symbolism

Lilian Hekers "The Stolen Party" is about a nine-year-old girl named Rosaura who goes to a rich girls party. This takes place at a rich girls house where her mother works as a maid. Rosaura thinks she is Lucianas friend but at the end finds out that they could never be friends because of social class difference. The monkey and the magician represent the same kind of relationship between Rosaura and Senora Ines and that is the monkey and Rosaura are both servants, but dont realize it.

What is really going on is both the magician and Senora Ines are taking advantage of them. Symbolism such as the monkey and what the party represents compared to society are used in "The Stolen Party."

Near the middle of the story it is evident how Lilian feels about the social class system. She compares the party to the social class, and how the rich people are on one side and the poorer people are on the opposite side.

Get quality help now
Writer Lyla
Writer Lyla
checked Verified writer

Proficient in: Symbolism

star star star star 5 (876)

“ Have been using her for a while and please believe when I tell you, she never fail. Thanks Writer Lyla you are indeed awesome ”

avatar avatar avatar
+84 relevant experts are online
Hire writer

Heker does not like the social class system and she doesnt want the reader to like it either. This story shows how the people in the story are the same, but still separated by one big gap and that is class status. The first hint to that was when the girl with the bow talked to Rosaura. "I and Luciana do our homework together," said Rosaura very seriously. "That is not being friends," the bow headed girl said (614). In that quote what the girl with the bow said that Rosaura was not a friend of Lucianas just because you do your homework together.

Get to Know The Price Estimate For Your Paper
Topic
Number of pages
Email Invalid email

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy. We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

"You must agree to out terms of services and privacy policy"
Write my paper

You won’t be charged yet!

She did not understand what real friends are. She thought that friends were made by the social class you are in, which she probably learned from her parents. This represents Hekers anger about the social class system and she wants you to see how stupid the class system is.

Another symbolic element that illustrates the theme about social class is how the monkey and the magician have the same relationship as Senora Ines and Rosaura. Senora Ines and the magician are taking advantage of somebody that is clueless as to what is going on. Senora Ines led on Rosaura that she was Lucianas friend, but she was really there to be part of the help. She found out the hard way as she was leaving the party. Rosaura noticed all the other kids got toys when they left, but when it was her turn she got money. She knew then what her mother was saying at the beginning about how she didnt belong was true.

Ah yes, your friend, her mother grumbled. She

paused. Listen, Rosaura, she said at last.

That ones not your friend. You know what you are

to them? The maids daughter, thats what.(613)

Her mother was trying to hint to Rosaura about why she did not want her to go to the party at Lucianas.

Lilian Heker used symbolism and a party to show her feelings about the social class system. Although the first time reading this story it does not seem like anything is really going on, if you read it a second time you begin to see the hidden meanings behind the party and what symbolism was used. If she had not used those elements to explain her feelings it would have made for a very boring story.

Works cited

  1. Heker, L. (1992). The Stolen Party. In L. Heker & A. Simic (Eds.), The End of the Story: The Collected Fantasies of Liliana Heker (pp. 604-615). University of Nebraska Press.
  2. Birkenmaier, J., & Berg-Weger, M. (2018). The Practitioner's Guide to Social Work with Older Adults. Oxford University Press.
  3. Bussey, K., & Bandura, A. (2004). Social Cognitive Theory of Gender Development and Differentiation. Psychological Review, 111(3), 429-456. doi:10.1037/0033-295X.111.3.429
  4. Cuddy, A. J. C., Fiske, S. T., & Glick, P. (2008). Warmth and Competence as Universal Dimensions of Social Perception: The Stereotype Content Model and the BIAS Map. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 40, 61-149. doi:10.1016/S0065-2601(07)00002-0
  5. Durkheim, E. (1997). The Division of Labor in Society. Free Press.
  6. Feagin, J. R., & Sikes, M. P. (1994). Living with Racism: The Black Middle-Class Experience. Beacon Press.
  7. Foucault, M. (1995). Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. Vintage Books.
  8. Marx, K. (1867). Capital: A Critique of Political Economy (Vol. 1). Penguin Classics.
  9. Parsons, T. (1951). The Social System. Routledge.
  10. Weber, M. (1947). The Theory of Social and Economic Organization. Free Press.
Updated: Feb 02, 2024
Cite this page

Analysis Of The Stolen Party Novel. (2024, Feb 12). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/analysis-of-the-stolen-party-novel-essay

Live chat  with support 24/7

👋 Hi! I’m your smart assistant Amy!

Don’t know where to start? Type your requirements and I’ll connect you to an academic expert within 3 minutes.

get help with your assignment