Les Misérables

City University of Hong Kong

SS3417 Applied Sociological Theory

Movie Report: Les Misérables

Which classical sociological theory on social stratification and social mobility are applicable to today’s Hong Kong or other cities/countries? Critically explain your view with examples.

Student Name: Kendrick John Joseph

Student Number: 55188310

Lecturer: Tsang Eileen

Date of Submission: 1st of November 2017

Movie Report: Les Misérables

The field of social stratification has long been one of the founding sociological theories which explores the disparity between available resources and the individuals who possess them at that point in time. Because of this rift created by social stratification another phenomenon known as social mobility

The Rebellion is organized mainly by young men, many of whom are members of the upper class, but use their own status to help mobilize the less fortunate. Building upon the angers of the marginalized masses Marius and his allies make the social conflicts apparent in France by showing the people how wide the gap is between the echelons and the drudges of society. With the necessary tensions and uneven distribution of resources, status, and power, the Parisians appeared ready for social change as Marius and his fellows took to the streets, however the sway of the upper class proved too powerful and eventually the bulk of the student protestors were butchered by the police in the defense of civil order. Valjean, Fantine, and Marius are the main instances of social mobility within Les Misérables as they show how one could move up or down depending on their status and actions, Marx’s theory of social conflict works for this portrait of France in the 1800’s but it is applicable to modern Hong Kong? (Crossman,

Karl Marx argued that women held no weight in society, as in his time women did not partake in the same fields of work as men did. Les Misérables had women starting to work in factories as a form of cheap labor due to the growing demands of the Industrial Revolution, this influx of female workers allowed the upper class to better facilitate profits and the accumulation of their wealth. Wage-gaps as they are known also exist in Hong Kong a census done in 2011 showed that women made $2500 less than their male counterparts for the same work. Although these figures pop up, little is done to change them, and an article by the SCMP (Karacs, 2015) speculates that this wage-gap has only continued to widen in recent years. Unlike Les Misérables women are an integral part of the workforce now and partake in all fields and