A common myth exists in the United States that we all live in a classless society. Rather than accept the existence of different social classes, people prefer to believe in a world where everyone is middle class and class boundaries are inexistent. The media especially is guilty of presenting class-based issues in non-class terms. By turning class differences into “moral and intellectual differences” as DeMott describes, the media manages to protect America’s reputation as a classless society. DeMott criticizes the media’s way of obscuring class barriers and misleading the people with this inaccurate concept of easily permeable class boundaries. By denying that class differences exist, he argues, and that we all belong to the same middle class, then we are overlooking the unearned advantages some enjoy and the social wrongs others suffer. The theme of discovery, a common story pattern that popular entertainment uses to present a classless society, can be readily seen in the movie “Working Girl.” The pattern of discovery, as defined by DeMott, involves “characters who think firm class lines exist” and “discover they are mistaken.” The plot of “Working Girl” can be reduced to this definition: a secretary climbs the social ladder and becomes a corporate manager despite the doubts of her friends and coworkers. Thus, through the lens of DeMott’s appearance/reality opposition, Working Girl can be viewed as a tale of discovery.
To begin the movie, the viewer learns that Tess McGill, the protagonist of the story, is a frustrated secretary, full of innovative ideas, who is never given a chance to prove herself. Despite her aspiring dreams to climb the corporate ladder, Tess finds herself limited by class lines and her secretarial position. However, rather than acknowledge the unfair class differences that exist in our society, the movie goes on to prove that Tess can and will overcome her unfair position in life simply by choosing to get to the top. Sticking to the format of a discovery story, the only obstacle in Tess’s way is her own desire to achieve; all other factors, like class differences and social boundaries, are ignored. As DeMott observed, the movie producers of the film advertise an unrealistic novelty rather than a accurate depiction of the real world’s social hierarchy. In the movie, the spunky heroine achieves upward mobility and her dreams come true, yet the plot fails to acknowledge the various impossibilities along the way. For example, Tess pretends to be her boss for a few days while her actual boss is in the hospital. In order to successfully pull off this feat, Tess wears a sophisticated hairstyle and an expensive dress and changes her accent and mannerisms to appear more “upper class.” Through these minor changes, Tess manages to deceive not only the workers of other businesses but also their elite executives. This unlikely transformation does not acknowledge the fact that Tess is characterized by a habitus developed from a working class background; instead, the producers write the script in a way that depicts Tess successfully rising above her lower class background and achieving a higher social position with very little opposition. This unrealistic plot scenario further engrains the idea of a classless America into the minds of the viewer.
By climbing the social ladder, Tess not only proves wrong her doubting friends, but also overcomes an evil boss. As defined by DeMott, a story following the discovery format involves a protagonist who defies others’ expectations and proves that upward mobility is possible. Tess, true to a discovery tale’s form, is told by her colleagues that aspiring to reach a higher position than her current secretary job is an impossible dream, but Tess ignores their doubts and disapproval. In fact, Tess proves that contrary to what her colleagues believed, the class boundaries in the office are easily permeable.This portrayal of an easily accessible social system misleads viewers of the film into thinking that the actual America is the same. Despite the portrayal of social hierarchy in the film, in reality, class barriers, as DeMott argues, do in fact exist.
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