A SOCIOLOGICAL CRITICISM OF LITERARY PIECE

“MEAN GIRLS”

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Literary Criticism Presented To the Faculty and Administration of

Senior High School Department,

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In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the

Subject English for Academic and Professional Purposes under

by

November 2022

INTRODUCTION
 This paper presents a sociological approach to one of the famous novels of Micol
Ostow, entitled Mean Girls, which is also the subject of a movie that is directed by Mark
Waters. Mean Girls is a novel that became popular after its 2004 film adaptation.
Readers like this novel because of its one antagonist, Regina Gorge, the leader of the
Plastics in the movie. The fact that the film illuminates actual sociological phenomena is
the reason it has such enduring power and is frequently quoted.It holds your attention
because it is believable. It seems genuine. Although it may appear to be a show about
young women, it illustrates decision-making with stakes, making it just as tense as Late
Night Poker.

This is a novel that teenagers can relate to because it contains some real-life
scenarios that might happen in our lives, and it's so clever of the author to write this
because we can clearly read in here some situations that are present here in our country,
such as bullying and talking behind your teachers, classmates, and other students in the
school.

Mean Girls is about Cady, the 16-year-old homeschooled daughter of zoologists.

After living in Africa for 12 years to conduct their research, they have now moved back to
the United States. Cady is completely unprepared for her first day of high school.She
learns about the different friendship groups with the help of Janis and Damien. She is
warned to avoid the school's most exclusive social group, the Plastics, the reigning trio
of girls led by queen bee Regina George. Cady captivates the interest of the Plastics, who
invite her to eat lunch with them and go shopping with them after school. When Janis
learns that Cady has been accepted into the Plastics, she sets up a scheme to take
revenge on Regina by accessing the group using Cady.

  Cady learns about a Burn Book after socializing herself with the Plastics in
relation with Janis' plan. This notebook is Regina's top-secret notebook filled with
vicious rumors, secrets, and gossip about all the other girls and teachers in their class.
Cady instantly falls in love with Regina's ex-boyfriend, Aaron Samuels, whom Regina
successfully takes back from Cady in a jealous rage. Cady is hurt and frustrated, so she
carries out Janis' plan, which calls for separating Regina's relationships to Aaron,
destroying her beauty, and turning her fellow Plastics, the conceited Gretchen Wieners
and the sweet but dumb Karen Smith, against her. In order to catch Aaron's attention,
Cady first tries to pretend to be bad at math. She then sets up Aaron and Regina's
breakup by revealing Regina's ongoing affair.

  Cady also tricks Regina into eating high-calorie nutrition bars called Kälteen by
claiming that they actually help one lose weight. She also turns Gretchen against Regina
by convincing her that Regina considers Cady to be a better friend than she does.Cady
gradually loses her individual personality as she seeks revenge on Regina. She soon
becomes as spiteful as Regina, abandoning Janis and Damien in order to focus on her
image.
 As a reaction, Regina distributes the entire contents of her Burn Book throughout
the school, bringing a chaos. Regina also inserts a false accusation of herself in the book
to divert attention from herself and put all the blame on Cady, Gretchen, and Karen in
order to avoid suspicion. Principal Duvall eventually puts an end to the riot. Ms.
Norbury, a math teacher who also appeared in the Burn Book and was slandered by
Cady for selling drugs, helps the girls realize that they are all guilty of hurting their
peers. She makes each of the girls confess and apologize to the other girls. When Janis'
turn comes, Regina makes an insulting joke about her sexuality, which the crowd laughs
at. Janis responds by confessing her plan to destroy Regina with Cady's help and openly
mocking Regina with the support of the entire school. Regina storms out, followed by an
apologetic Cady, and in her rush, she is hit by a school bus. There are rumors that Cady
pushed Regina in front of the bus on purpose.

With no friends left, Aaron avoiding her, mistrust from everyone at school, and
even mistrust from her own parents, Cady decides to make corrections by accepting full
responsibility for the Burn Book. Despite being severely punished for her confession, her
guilt fades and she goes back to her original personality. As part of her punishment and
reformation, she takes part in the Mathletes' competition, which Damien and Regina
both described earlier as "social suicide." While competing there against a very
unattractive girl, Cady realizes that even if she made fun of the girl's appearance, the girl
would still beat her.

Cady is chosen as the Spring Fling Queen at the dance, but she says in her
acceptance speech that the victory belongs to everyone because everyone is wonderful in
their own way and makes the winner meaningless. She breaks her tiara as a peace
offering and distributes the pieces to her classmates. Cady reconciles with Janis and
Damien, as well as Aaron and the Plastics.

By the end of the film, the Plastics have disbanded, with Regina joining the
lacrosse team, Karen becoming the school weather girl, Gretchen joining the "Cool
Asians," and Cady hanging out with Damien and Janis. Cady sees that there is no drama
in the "Girl World."
 About the author
Micol Ostow was born in New York City on April 29, 1976, to a Jewish-American
father and a Puerto Rican mother. Despite her Jewish family background, she
maintained a good relationship with it and remained close to her Puerto Rican Catholic
family. Micol Ostow is a writer, editor, and self-described "complete Anglophile" who
lives and works in New York City. She has authored more than fifty books for readers of
all ages, including works inspired by shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charmed, and
Mean Girls.

And after her graduation from college, Micol Ostow accepted a job as an editor at
the Simon & Schuster publishing house in New York City. Her work there eventually
inspired her to launch a second career as a young-adult novelist. And writing Mean Girls
was a brilliant idea of hers; writing it inspires others, and it has some mind-blowing plot
twists in the novel that make it even more perfect for readers.

Ostow decided to become a freelance writer after working as an editor for the first
eight years of her career. She is currently pursuing a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree
in writing for children and young adults at Vermont College of Fine Arts. Kristen Kemp,
the Media Bistro's YA Writing Course instructor, was looking for someone to continue
her work as an instructor, and Ostow, a full-time freelancer, accepted the position.

Approach to be used

Sociological criticism is primarily practical in nature, expressing society's,

as well as individuals' and groups', relationship with law. The classical
sociological approach to law appears as the legal order of the state is eventually
replaced by a legal order based on etiquette.The sociological approach refers to
the use of theory and experience to go beyond everyday understandings of people
and situations. Sociologists study a broad variety of topics, and they must ensure
that what they say goes beyond 'common sense.' To fulfill this, conduct research
using specific sociological methods and read all of the key literature on a
subject.Sociology can also help us better understand ourselves. Without the
sociological perspective, also known as the sociological imagination, people see
the world that way of their brief understanding of a small circle of family, friends,
and coworkers. The sociological imagination allows us to mentally step back from
our limited experience and see the connection between personal concerns and
social issues. It also allows us to discover the relationship between the patterns
and events of our own lives and the patterns and events of our society.
VI. Sociological Approach: This approach focuses on man’s relationship to others in society,

politics,

religion, and business.

A. What is the relationship between the characters and their society?

B. Does the story address societal issues, such as race, gender, and class?

C. How do social forces shape the power relationships between groups or classes of people in the

story? Who has the power, and who doesn’t? Why?

D. How does the story reflect the Great American Dream?

E. How does the story reflect urban, rural, or suburban values?

F. What does the work say about economic or social power? Who has it and who doesn’t? Any

Marxist leanings evident?

G. Does the story address issues of economic exploitation? What role does money play?

H. How do economic conditions determine the direction of the characters’ lives?

I. Does the work challenge or affirm the social order it depicts?

J. Can the protagonist’s struggle be seen as symbolic of a larger class struggle?

How does the microcosm (small world) of the story reflect the macrocosm (large world) of the

society in which it was composed?

K. Do any of the characters correspond to types of government, such as a dictatorship,

democracy,

communism, socialism, fascism, etc.? What attitudes toward these political structures/systems

are expressed in the work?

Results and Discussion
Synthesis:

.
References