Sociological Theories In Juno

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In the movie Juno, the sociological imagination is studied through the lens of three different sociologists: Karl Marx, Émile Durkheim, and Dorothy Smith. Karl Marx focuses on class among the bourgeoisie and proletariat. Marx explains how the capitalist society separates people into these two classes, and the exploitation of the proletariat from the base (economy) of society to the superstructure of society (education, law, etc). Émile Durkheim argues how society is an organic solidarity more individualized, but more dependent on one another without realizing the dependence. Dorothy Smith analyzes text-mediated “knowledge” and how women’s voices and experiences are not validated according to society. Each theory can be applied to Juno through …show more content…

Paralleling the first high school scene, Juno is walking opposite of the crowd and everyone is now staring at her because of her clothes fitting her awkwardly (her stepmother sewed an elastic on her jeans) and her stomach showing her pregnancy. This continues the idea that students will look at Juno as separate from society, because it is not normal for teenagers to be pregnant and showing a more traditional society than an organic society. A traditional society is also reinforced earlier in the movie when the office receptionist, an old woman, stares at Juno’s obvious stomach, which is showing a strong collective conscience among students and staff. Juno is seen more as a modern representation of society, according to Durkheim because she is different than other students and individualized in society, but her overall role is to give her baby to adoptive parents who cannot have their own child seen as organic …show more content…

The separation of class is explicitly seen through Juno, representing the proletariat, and the adoptive parents (Vanessa and Mark) representing the bourgeoisie. The audience first glimpse at the adoptive parents house, is seeing a woman (Vanessa) organizing a nice vase of flowers, adjusting glass picture frames, and a nice white bright house. Then the scene switches to Juno’s dad driving their old beat up van, driving through “Glacial Valley Estate” an evidently rich neighborhood and as they drive the houses bigger in size, compared to Juno’s crowded small house. The visual of rich house versus a poorer house is apparent in this scene can be compared to Marx’s argument who would view the base, the economy, and based on Juno’s father’s the superstructure of his education and job as a handyman in heating/air conditioning can be connected as to why Juno is excluded from society and distinguished as lower class. Compared to Mark’s job as a composer for commercials, and Vanessa having a career (not specified what career in the movie), which shows their wealth and superiority to be able to adopt a

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