Spatial Division and Class Crossing in Pack My Bag

Abstract

In his autobiography Pack My Bag, Henry Green depicts the social class divisions in 1930s Britain and his personal shift in class identity. From the perspective of Bourdieu’s sociological theory, Green illustrates the significant differences in living conditions, work environments, and social status between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat through his descriptions of the spatial and social separation between these two classes. Schools, serving as sites for the reproduction of bourgeois cultural capital, had a decisive influence on Green’s class identity, prompting a rupture with bourgeois values through critical thinking. Against this backdrop, Green, through his literary creations, not only achieved a personal transformation in his class trajectory but also expressed deep sympathy and identification with the proletariat. His works not only reflect the individual’s exploration and challenges amid the social changes of the time but also convey a longing for a more just social order and a strong emphasis on individual autonomy, thereby imbuing his literary works with profound realism.