Understanding the Social Stratification in the Modern Society: An In-depth Study on the

Social Classes of the Characters in the Twilight Saga: Series

Introduction

In the Twilight Saga, we see how the town of Forks is divided into three basic groups: humans,
vampires, and werewolves. Just like in real life, these groups are highly stratified, but the
stratification present seems to create some sort of social order in the town. This shows how
group stratification has functions for society. Stephanie Meyer the writer uses social classes
throughout Twilight, using wealth, color, and other obscure characteristics to differentiate the
classes. The Cullen family represents the highest class in Twilight. They are the wealthiest, the
most civilized, pale white, beautiful and superior to everyone in Twilight. The supporting quote
is "He shrugged as he parked next to [Alice's] glossy red convertible with the top up" (Meyer
199). This shows how the immense wealth of the Cullens, a traditionally high-class trait. The
Werewolves are seen as the lowest social class in Twilight. Everyone else is above them, and
they are not superior to anyone, being very animal-like, secluded from society and they are failed
protectors. Humans are ranked below the two vampire classes, but they are not the lowest class.
Not wealthy (There are no wealthy humans in Twilight) mortal, white but not pale and dependent
on vampires to survive. The supporting quote is "So I got Jacob alone and tricked it out of him"
(Meyer 184). This shows how the werewolves are able to be deceived by humans, which proves
their inferiority.

According to Tyson (2006), there are three classes in Marxist perspective: lower class, middle
class, and upper class. He also describes each class as having their own characteristics. The
lower class is the class which is oppressed and suffers from economic distress. The upper class is
the class which gets more privilege and does not suffer from economic distress. While the middle
class is the class that can be positioned between those two classes, they get privileged and also
suffer. The class holds what kind of power which is ruling and being ruled in a society. However,
the class definition today has been enhancing into complex structure. Barker (2004) states that
“class is now identifiable not simply through direct ownership of the means of production but
through share distribution, managerial control, income, education and lifestyles”

Charles See (2013) stated that one of the main functions of the grouping of humans, vampires,
and werewolves is to instill a sense of identity and belonging among the group’s members, thus
fostering a sense of solidarity. For example, the Cullen family kept to themselves all of the time
and did not mingle with those from outside their group. The human students therefore, imagined
them to be dating one another. At the same time, the werewolves were also a highly integrated
group. They would spend all of their time together and fiercely protected members of the clan.
When Jacob was hurt in a battle, the werewolves immediately came to his aid. However,
humans treated them differently because they were deemed to be descendants of a North
American ethnic group. The humans thus imagined them to be less different than the Cullens.

Thereupon, the researcher showed interest in using the twilight series as data in order to
determine the social stratification in the modern society based on how they were described and
presented in the film, Also, these series would be analyzed by the researcher using the Marxist
Approach
Related Literature

Social Stratification

Social Stratification Historically and sociologically speaking, there is no classless society. All
societies exhibit some forms of ranking whereby its members are categorized into positions that
are higher or lower, superior or inferior, prestigious or insignificant, in relation to each other
(Davis & Moore, 1945; Shankar-Rao, 2006). This form of categorization that operates in a
structured system of inequality in which members are ranked based on selected criteria thereby
limiting members’ access to wealth, power and opportunities is referred to as social stratification.
That is, social stratification is a sociological term that applies to the ranking or grading of
individuals and groups into hierarchical layers such that inequality exist in the allocation of
rewards, privileges and resources. According to Giddens (2001), social stratification simply
refers to as structured inequalities between or among different social groupings. It is to be noted
that these inequalities are engendered not by mere categorization of individuals according to
their attitudes but by an established system of classifying groups; a complex of social institutions
that generate observed inequalities which unequally distribute societal resources (such as income
and power) with the most privileged individuals and families enjoying a disproportionate share.
Some individuals, by virtue of their roles or group memberships, are advantaged, while others
are disadvantaged. If stratification is universally necessary (Davis & Moore, 1945) and
disadvantageous to certain groups, then societies must create a democratic structure that allows
social mobility – the ease and frequency of moving into a different class, rank, group or
hierarchy than that into which one was born – since the fairness of societies is only judged by its
level of social mobility (Simandan, 2018). Social Mobility and Social Stratification

Functions of Stratification

Observation of the social world reveals that all societies across the globe are stratified. The
universality of this stratification is made possible as a result of its functional necessity. The
Social Stratification 129 key functional necessity of stratification is the requirement faced by
society of placing and motivating individuals in the social structure (Davis & Moore, 1945).
Aside the social classes that social stratification creates therefore, it also performs key functions
for societal integration, continuity and development. According to Davis and Moore (1945),
Johnson (2013), Ritzer (2011), and Shankar-Rao (2006), some of the functional necessities of
stratification are explained thus:

1. Social stratification determines individual placement: With the help of social stratification,
individuals are placed into various positions or statuses in the social structure. Every position is
functionally necessary for societal survival (Davis & Moore, 1945). While some are pleasant,
others are not, and while some are more prestigious, others are not. Therefore, since all
individuals cannot be found in prestigious positions for instance, every individual would strive to
occupy the positions they desire while considering the rewards the society has to offer for those
positions. Hence, encouraging competition and hard-work.

2. Social stratification encourages competition and hard-work: Social stratification

encourages members of society to aspire for the top position; average human beings do not
aspire to be at the bottom (although some may choose to be there). Social stratification therefore
induced individuals to live up to societal expectations. Those who best fit for these expectations
(through competition and hard-work) are rewarded immensely for their efforts. It is established
that high ranking positions are those that are less pleasant, more important, and with scarce
personnel (Davis & Moore, 1945). Those who sacrifice to attain these high-ranking positions
(since they require prolonged training, for instance) are then rewarded with money, prestige,
power, comfort, et cetera.

3. Social stratification regulates human relationships. Human behavior in the upper class is
different from those in the lower echelon in stratification system. For instance, while a lower-
class woman may decide to sit on the floor in public place where no chair is available, an upper-
class woman may choose to remain standing even when required to sit. Role expectations, norms
and standards of behavior are involved in relationships with each stratum. Stratification regulates
and controls individual and group behaviors and relationships. Inequality of opportunity gives
advantages to those in higher strata and deprives those belonging to the lower strata thus
regulating human relationships.
4. Social stratification performs economic function: According to Davis and Moore (1945),
individuals must be motivated to perform the duties required of their positions. This requires
motivation to fill certain positions and to perform the duties attached to them. Since these
rewards are unique to each category of positions, it is therefore functionally necessary to give
different rewards to various positions so as to encourage individuals (for instance, those in the
upper classes) to work at maintaining their positions.

5. Social stratification serves as social control: Existence of social classes is functional to

every society. Each social class has its own sub-culture which guides and controls the behaviors
of members. Certain amount of mutual antagonism between social classes is therefore useful as
one social class serves as reference point to another.

6. Social stratification engenders different socialization: With the existence of social

stratification, individuals are born into different social classes which in turn lead to different
training and upbringing of members of society. With different socialization comes different
values, norms, and standards of behaviors. Different perspectives of life eventually make
individual members of society to seek different occupations. Since every occupation has
different values, prestige and importance, well trained and educated individuals (more likely
from the upper echelon in the society) will seek occupations that align with their values. Hence,
the influence of socialization on individual occupational selection.

7. Social stratification performs integrative functions: Members of one class tend to restrict
their intimate association to those they share class with and rarely establish relationship with
members of different class. This is not pride or humility, but such relationship flows due to
shared values and norms of every social class. This tends to integrate members of same class and
perpetuate their peculiar values and interests.

Sociological Explanations of Social Stratification

Since its inception, sociology has concerned itself with social order and social dynamics. This
reflects in the works of its founding fathers such as Auguste Comte, who sought to find solution
to social disorder of his time. More importantly, the system of social stratification that existed in
his time accounted for the social revolution experienced in the very late 18th century and early
19th century. As sociology developed, the question of why social stratification and division
should feature in human condition provided a central focus of the new science. Through the
years, two strikingly divergent perspectives have emerged. The two theories explain why social
stratification is universal. On the one hand is functional theory which supports the existing social
arrangement, emphasizing that differential distribution of rewards is necessary instrument for the
societal continuity. Conversely, conflict theory has been highly critical of existing social
arrangements, contending that 134 Introductory Sociology social stratification is not a necessary
condition for societal survival, rather, an exploitative relationship arising from continuous
struggle between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-not’. (Hughes & Kroehler, 2008).

Statement of the Problem

Generally, this study aimed to unravel the dominant and existential role of social
stratification in our society with the aid of the Twilight Saga: Series using Marxism Approach.

Specifically, this study aims to answer the following questions:

1. What are the specific situations in the literature that displays the vital role of the social
stratification in the socio-economical classes of the characters in the movie series?

2. How did the social classes of the characters function in the story and how did it play an
important factor in relation to social stratification?

3. What are the possible contributions of this study in the understanding of the existence of
social stratification in our society?

Theoretical Framework

The researchers employed the Marxism approach to understand the social stratification in
modern society with the aid of twilight saga: series and figure out the social classes of the
characters there

Marxism Approach
Marxism Approach is ideal for this research because it tackles about social, economic and
political philosophy that analyses the impact of the ruling class on the laborers, leading to uneven
distribution of wealth and privileges in the society. It stimulates the workers to protest the
injustice.

There’s a ruling class in the novel of twilight saga: series when it comes to representing the
social stratification or social classes of the characters, the researcher believes that this strategy is
the most effective in locating the appropriate to backup the claims.

Marxist approach also studies the social class to which an author belongs and the effects of the
author on her/his society. It explores how the author has interpreted the society, culture and
political systems. It emphasizes on the social reality; it does not give importance to the aesthetics
of a text. The Marxist approach to literature became dominant and was defined through the light
of socialist realism. Andrei Sinyavsky defined the socialist realism as the basic method of Soviet
literature and literary criticism. It demands of the artist the truthful, historically concrete
representation of reality in its revolutionary development. Moreover, the truthfulness and
historical concreteness of the artistic representation of reality must be linked with the task of
ideological transformation and education of workers in the spirit of socialism” (Sinyavsky,
1934).

Conceptual Framework

Twilight Saga: Series

Marxism Approach

Characters Characteristics Characters Social Classes

Figure 1 The Conceptual Framework of the Study

The researcher used the Twilight Saga: Series and they analyzed using the Marxism Approach. The
researcher used this theory in order to identify the characters characteristics and characters social classes
in the twilight saga: series and determine the characteristics of social stratification on the social classes of
characters in the modern society.

Methodology

This section presents the methodology for answering the problems of the study. It includes the research
design, sampling procedure, corpus of the study, data gathering procedure, and method of analysis.

Research Design

The researcher uses a phenomenological qualitative research design in order to analyzed the Twilight
Saga: Series of Stephenie Meyer. Phenomenological research is a qualitative research approach that seeks
to understand and describe the universal essence of a phenomenon. The main purposes of
phenomenological research are to seek reality from individuals' narratives of their experiences and
feelings, and to produce in-depth descriptions of the phenomenon. Qualitative research may involve
presenting data collected from a single person, as in a case study or from a group of people (Risk, 2013)

Sampling Technique

The purposive sampling technique is used in selecting the Twilight Saga: Series namely, Twilight, The
Twilight Saga: New Moon, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 and
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2. Purposive sampling refers to a group of non-probability
sampling techniques in which units are selected because they have characteristics that you need in your
sample. In other words, units are selected “on purpose” in purposive sampling (Nikolopoulou,2022).

Corpus of the study

The researcher studied the Twilight Saga: Series of Stephenie Meyer. The series included Twilight, The
Twilight Saga: New Moon, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 and
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2. The Twilight Saga is a series of romance fantasy films based
on the book series Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. First Installment, Twilight was released on November
21,2008. Second Installment, The Twilight Saga: New moon followed on November 9, 2009. The third
installment, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse was released on June 30, 2010. The fourth installment, The
Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn-Part 1 was released on November 18, 2011, while the fifth installment,
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn- Part 2, was released on November 16, 2021.

Data Gathering Procedure

This study aimed to understand the social stratification in modern society with the help of
Twilight Saga: Series to figure out the social classes of the characters in the series. Hence, the
researchers made sure to conduct the following steps in order to attain the desired outcome of
this study.

The research was conducted as follows: the researchers carefully watched to Twilight Saga:
Series to pinpoint the social classes of the characters that were presented in them, discovered the
social classes of characters in the series, and determined the impact of social classes on the social
stratification in the modern society.

Data Analysis

In order to respond to the first and second question, the researchers carefully watched to Twilight
Saga: Series throughout the analysis. The researcher utilized the answers to the first and second
questions as a starting point to respond to the third question.

The researcher strengthened the study by using the information gathered from Twilight Saga:
Series as a tool to offer explanation, understanding, and interpretation. All of the data acquired
from Twilight Saga: Series and other associated sources was condensed and examined by the
researchers as they analyzed and interpreted the data.