Class System In Neverwhere By Neil Gaiman

Neverwhere is a novel written by Neil Gaiman. It can closely be compared to books such as The Wizard of Oz or Alice and Wonderland due to the fact it deals with an underground world filled with mystery. The story begins with Richard Mayhew, who is nearly ready for his big move from Scotland to London. Before his departure, during a night of drinking with friends, an old woman reads his palm and gives him a strong warning about doors. The next chapter fasts forwards a few years later where Richard is living in London with his extremely needy fiancė who has a constant need to make him presentable in her own view and holds him to higher and higher standards. One night he stumbles across a girl who is bleeding on the sidewalk and while his

London Above is the higher class and where everyone from London Below should want to be. London Below, which can also be referred to as the Underside, is a place where the downtrodden, such as the homeless and unwanted, end up. They are invisible to those around them. This brings light to real-world issues of homelessness and poverty; how often times those without financial problems turn a blind eye to those struggling. When walking down city streets, many people ignore and continue past beggars and the homeless. The homeless, expected to make something better of themselves, are forced into the nether regions and undesirable parts of society and there they stay. A class system is recognized once again in London Below itself. It holds its very own class system, with Door and her family of elves, being at the top. Richards realization of the division in even place where it seemed the same sort of people makes up society is shown in the following quote. “He worried about the Underside. He wanted to unite London Below, to unite the baronies and fiefdoms--perhaps even to form some kind of bond with London Above” (Gaiman 324). This shows the severity of the split between London Above and London Below as well as showing the extent one has to go through to realize these differences.. These two examples show the prominence of class in both societies today and in Neverwhere itself. They relate the issues of homelessness and socioeconomic statuses from the fantastical world in Neverwhere to modern society. The obvious hierarchy and Richards worrisome thoughts both prove Class to be a major theme in