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CTGttW Question 2: Class
Class is a major theme of the book, with the clear divisions between First Class, Third Class, and crew. Even within the crew there are divisions, with the Captain and the Crows apart from the rest.
But with the division set up, the author mostly ignores Third Class, treating them as a mass of people with a few exceptions (notably the Professor). Most of the attention in the book is in First class and the crew.
How do these class divisions influence the story?
What does this say about contemporary society? Are class divisions still important?
(The lack of second class is probably a reference to historic class divisions on British railways, that had First and Third before Third was renamed Standard.)
Comments
Yes, I wondered why there was so little attention on Third Class, and why the occupants thereof were sketched only in very generic rather than unique ways (with the excpetion, as you say, of The Professor). I also wondered why the Third Class occupants were making the journey and how they were paying for it - the motives of First Class were easier to pick up.
The curious thing, if you look at the map of the train, is that there is gardly enough room for passengers of any class. This whole effort, with walls and armoured trains and captains and crew, and past trains from which lessons were learned, is in aid of moving 8 crew, 13 third class, and 10 first class people for 23 days from China to Moscow. Doesn’t make sense. It’s quite possible the 3rd class is ignored because class doesn’t matter. Third class might represent humanity- people moving on the train. First class the scientist/business class. The crows and the Captain and other crew the government. Weiwei the reader. Elena is nature.
Hm, you're right, it's an astonishingly small number of people... one wonders if it ever made commercial sense?!
Nothing in this book makes any real world sense. It's all a strictly a literary conceit. The train makes sense because the author says it does.
I touched on this on another thread, and this only came to me while away on vacation, but the entire third class which seems to have to quietly exist only to allow the wealthier individuals the chance to experience the Wastelands on their own terms and in ways that make them feel comfortable, felt an awful lot like the wonderful individuals who helped us have an amazing time while on various tours/experiences. During white water rafting, they give you the little saftey tour, and point out various wildlife during the quieter parts of the trip, but there is some real danger involved as well that it is the role of the guides to protect you from. My wife fell off the boat and ended up underneath the raft at one point and the guides had to go and fish her out - it was a bit scary for a bit there - but in the end they downplayed it as part of their job. Sort of how the jobs of certain individuals on the train revolve around taking care of the tourists on board who want to see the Wastelands.
EDIT: Ugh, ok I realised that I was confusing the third class and the crew, which are different, so now it falls apart a bit.