Appointment in Samarra | The Theme of Social Snobbery
In the following essay excerpt, Carson explores
the theme of “social snobbery’” in Appointment
in Samarra.
Appointment in Samarra constitutes O’Hara’s object lesson in the cruel side of social snobbery. Julian English, the novel’s protagonist, affronts a social climber at a dance. In turn, English himself is made the subject of ridicule for this error in taste. Two days later English commits suicide in despair.
Two varieties of social snobbery exist here. One is that of the “smoking room of the Lantenengo Country Club” and the other is the kind of censure exerted upon English by the middle class populace of Gibbsville who “collectively . . . presented a solid front...
[The entire page is 1846 words long]
Join eNotes
The above is a free excerpt. Get total access to this content with the:
Summary and Analysis – Themes – Characters – And much more...
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
Tell a friend about Appointment in Samarra at eNotes.
