Social Class System In Snowpiercer

Ever wonder what would happen if an apocalypse were to occur and all life seized to exist? The movie Snowpiercer is about a class system society that lives on a train which travels the globe. The people who lived strive to survive after the apocalypse caused by CW7, which froze the world. Throughout the movie we watch the tail of the train or Tail Sectioners, which is the lower class of the system revolt against the hierarchy of the train. The Tail Sectioners struggle to make it to the front of the train or the sacred engine so they can kill Wilford, the conductor as well as take over the train. As they revolt, they encounter innumerable obstacles from the guards on the train, Minister Mason, Franco Edler, the teacher, egg-head and Wilford.

Not only do we see some of the survivors from the apocalypse but we also see a form of Alienation on the train between the first class, middle class and the Tail Sectioners. We see this class system in the train because they are treated differently from the rest of the train or more so the first class, who eat steak, have fine clothes, have actual beds, services, and in general luxurious goods. Alienation as Karl Marx describes in Communist Manifesto is that “workers are turned to faceless numbers where you are not special and neither is the product of your labor. (Class Notes)” Alienation in the film can be seen when Minister Mason comes to talk to the Tail Sectioners about Andy’s dad getting out of line and attacking a guard when they take Andy. She reminds them that they are not a part of the first class and they are only another number on the train for them to feed and they should be grateful that they are on the train because they do not deserve to even be alive. When making her speech she compares them to hats and shoes, she states “Would you wear a shoes on your head? Of course you wouldn’t wear a shoe on your head. A shoes doesn’t belong on your head. A shoe belongs on your foot. A hat belongs on your head. I am a hat. You are a shoe. I belong on the head. You belong on the

Curtis states: “ “No food, no water... After a month, we ate the weak... You know what I hate about myself? I know what people taste like. I know that babies taste best... There was a woman. She was hiding with her baby. And some men with knives came. They killed her and they took her baby. And then an old man-no relation, just an old man-stepped forward and he said, "Give me the knife." And everyone thought he'd kill the baby himself. But he took the knife and he cut off his arm. And he said:
"Eat this, if you're so hungry. Eat this, just leave the baby." I had never seen anything like that. And the men put down their knives... You've probably guessed who that old man was. That baby was Edgar. And I was the man with the knife. I killed Edgar's mother... And then one by one, other people in the tail section started cutting off arms and legs and offering them. It was like a miracle. And I wanted to. I tried, it's... A month later, Wilford's soldiers brought those protein blocks. We've been eatin' that shit ever