The question of class and its representations is constantly present in society and permeates daily life to a significant extent, especially when considering the social dynamics of the last century; as such it is also very present in literature, where it can be represented in different ways. However, class divisions can be seen primarily in the juxtaposition of individuals of both lower and higher means, and in the imitations that some of these individuals make of a higher quality of life. In The Overcoat by Nikolai Gogol, the main character unwittingly broadcasts a lifestyle more lavish than his true means and finds that people instantly notice things of this nature; in Leo Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Ilyich, a man who had tried to emulate those of higher social standing throughout his life discovered that ultimately the pursuit of luxury can have unforeseen consequences; finally, in Marcel Proust's In the Manner of Swann, the interactions between bourgeois individuals are examined and the boundaries between social classes are illustrated through the author's observations. Through the examination of the "typical" means of these characters and the socio-economic status that they convey, the links between classes and the ways in which the characters are perceived, as well as the ways in which distinctions of status are determined, will be analyzed. class and the reactions they provoke. will also be explored. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Each of the three works will contribute to this overview of socioeconomic class and its perceptions; despite the fact that their characters come from different backgrounds, they offer a solid view of the different problems that can arise with perceptions and the mistakes made by the characters in these cases. Each of the rooms mentioned describes the way the characters typically lived or the people they typically interacted with; this depended largely on their means and their socio-economic class, with societal and monetary influences being strongly present in their existence or interactions. For example, in Gogol's The Overcoat, the main character is an employee of a Russian ministry; as such, his salary was relatively low, and he and many of his acquaintances could not afford to live in luxurious accommodations with particularly modern amenities for the time. The typical employee described in the story lived in "[an] apartment on the third or fourth floor, two small rooms with a hall or kitchen, with some pretensions of style, with a lamp or some such object which cost many sacrifices in dinners and excursions” (Gogol 764). Thus, their daily existence was mediocre; as has been mentioned, even something as simple as a lamp or other similar fixture would require these men to make severe cuts. Each of the rooms mentioned describes the way the characters generally lived, or the people they generally interacted with; this depended largely on their means and their socio-economic class, with societal and monetary influences being strongly present in their existence or interactions. For example, in Gogol's The Overcoat, the main character is an employee of a Russian ministry; as such, his salary is relatively low, and he and many of his acquaintances cannot afford to live in luxurious accommodations with particularly modern amenities forthe era. The typical clerk described in the story lived in "[an] apartment on the third or fourth floor, two small rooms with a hall or kitchen, with some pretensions of style, with a lamp or some such article which cost many sacrifices of dinners and excursions” (Gogol 764). Thus, their daily existence was mediocre; as has been mentioned, even something as simple as a lamp or other similar fixture would require these men to significantly reduce their spending, whether on food or pleasure. This contrasts greatly with the other two plays discussed, as the main characters in each of these stories would be considered upper middle class based on their income and the quality of life they may have experienced. For these two pieces, the interactions will mainly be explored, showing how they react to those around them, whether they perceive these individuals as being on their socio-economic level or whether they think these people are above them at this regard. In Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Ilyich, the main character is a lawyer serving the Russian government and constantly interacts with his superiors in an attempt to impress and emulate them. In his life, it was said that “everything was done with clean hands, in clean shirts, with French words and, above all, in the highest society, therefore with the approval of people in high places” (Tolstoy 1448). He performed tasks with the approval of those above him, and was thus able to interact in higher society and ultimately carve out a place for himself on the fringes of it. He greatly desired to fit into this society, and through his actions and desire to impress, Ivan Ilyich was able to advance his career (and therefore his salary) throughout the beginning of the play. He discovered that the people around him were the ones he wanted to interact with; most were upper class individuals like him, and the only lower class people mentioned are in his service. This shows class stratification; Between the main characters in Gogol's and Tolstoy's plays, each of which takes place in Russia, there is a significant difference in the qualities of life and interactions that are depicted. Finally, Proust describes the interactions between French bourgeois families and shows how social class conscious Europeans generally were in their daily lives. He describes a meeting with his neighbor, said Swann, whose father was a friend of the narrator's grandparents and great-aunt. Unbeknownst to them, Swann had been serendipitous in his life, climbing the social ladder and winning the favor of several high society individuals. Thus, the narrator describes how “[his] great-aunt and [his] grandparents did not suspect that he had completely ceased to live in the kind of society that his family had frequented and that, in the form of 'incognito that this name Swann gave him among us... [he was] one of the most elegant members of the Jockey Club, a favorite friend of the Count of Paris and the Prince of Wales, one of the most sought-after men in the high society" (Proust 1822). Swann did not reveal his rise to his neighbors, knowing that they would have considered it inappropriate to interact with someone with his connections. The author also acknowledges that in saying, “the bourgeoisies of the time formed a rather Hindu conception of society and considered it to be composed of closed castes” (Proust 1822); in an effort to describe the interactions between his family and others, Proust refers to a system of almost caste-like social hierarchy that existed within the bourgeoisie, detailing with whom they. 1441-1479.