Is Bly's "After the Baptism" a story about social class?

Social class is a significant part of Bly's "After the Baptism."

In "After the Baptism," Bly shows the importance of class in how the family members perceive themselves and their world. They believe that social expectations are extremely important. They want to make sure that their family displays the images of wealth and privilege intrinsic to conformist notions of the good. This emphasis is where economic class is most evident in the story.

The family...

Social class is a significant part of Bly's "After the Baptism."

In "After the Baptism," Bly shows the importance of class in how the family members perceive themselves and their world. They believe that social expectations are extremely important. They want to make sure that their family displays the images of wealth and privilege intrinsic to conformist notions of the good. This emphasis is where economic class is most evident in the story.

The family wants to make sure that appearances are maintained, and adhere to an upper middle class portrait of American life. This can be seen in the party that takes place after the baptism:

A blessed week passed, and now the baptism party was going off well. The caterers had come, with their white Styrofoam trays. They set out sauces and laid the champagne crooked into its pails of ice. They dropped the lobsters into boiling water. There was lemon mayonnaise and drawn butter, a platter of dark-meat turkey-damper, better than white meat, Lois Benty and the caterers agreed.

The world that Bly depicts is one where the vision of wealth is extremely important. The caterers, food, and condiments must reflect privilege. Failing to adhere to those standards is seen as a sign of shame. An awareness of economic class drives these characters. When Doreen warns Merv that she will never "forgive him" if he gets drunk, it is because she does not want to be embarrassed. Her social standing will suffer from such a display. Maintaining this social position, projecting an image of upper class wealth, and ensuring that convention is upheld are motivating factors in how people see themselves. In this way, economic class plays a very important role in Bly's story.