Mutualistic Symbiosis Between Two Classes in Rumaan Alam's Leave the World Behind

Abstract

This study examines how the upper and middle classes have a mutual interaction in Rumaan Alam’s novel Leave the World Behind. The data for this study were collected from selected scenes and dialogues where characters from different social classes meet and interact. The collected data were analyzed using a Marxist perspective on class relations. The finding shows that George and Ruth, who are upper class, and Clay and Amanda, who are middle class, are able to work together as a group to solve common problems or face threatening external forces despite the difference in their social class. The finding indicates that the novel depicts class struggle and mutualistic relationships in a unique way. Finally, this study argues that Alam’s novel reveals the complex relationship between classes by noting that despite class conflict, a win-win situation can also be achieved during times of crisis. This study enriches the understanding of the nature of class relations representation in post-conflict literature and broadens the scope by incorporating the concept of cooperation.