The theme of society and class comes in to play in Code Name Verity mostly through the contrast between Maddie's and Julie's backgrounds. Maddie is middle-class and Julie is a titled aristocrat, but they're best friends anyway, thanks to the war and their respective general awesomeness. It's interesting to think about society and class as a theme in a novel in which the Nazis play a major role, given the way they judged people based on various identity markers that really had very little to do with the person underneath the label. Just like class.
Questions About Society and Class
- Would the novel be markedly different in any way if the two main characters were of the same socioeconomic background?
- Do Maddie and Julie experience any real barriers to their friendship due to differences in social class?
- Do differences in social class contribute to the roles individuals play in the war effort?
- Does Julie's privileged upbringing ever provide her with any sort of protection, special treatment, or courtesy?
Chew on This
The differences between Maddie's and Julie's socioeconomic backgrounds actually serve as the basis for their friendship.
Maddie's and Julie's socioeconomic backgrounds make no difference to their characters or to the development of their friendship.