The street lawyer is a story about a lawyer who quits a compelling and promising job for a less paying job, because the lawyer wanted to assist the homeless and those living on the street due to varying circumstances. The street lawyer Michael quit his job after discovering his firm deprived some people of their normal lives and forced them to live on the street. For instance, the person that held the firm hostage for some time forced to the street because the firm through their dirty games made him lose his house, and forced him to be homeless, poverty the main factor prominent in the book (Pringle, 2007).
Michael the street lawyer through social stratification he could climb the ladder to a higher level in a few years, but due to his humanity nature he decided otherwise and quit his promising job to help the street people and the homeless. In the book, social stratification openly seen as the lawyers at drake and Sweeney belonged to a different social class, and they represented people with class and power. Through their economic status, they looked down on the poor people and sometimes went as far as depriving the little they had for their benefits, like the case of the man called Mister who held the firm hostage to revenge for his deprived home (Barbour Publishing, Inc., 2011).
Pringle (2007) noted social mobility in the book, as the street lawyer moves from being in high class to a lower class after quitting his job. He had a well paying employment at “Drake and Sweeney” firm but, he chose to represent the poor and the oppressed for a small fee for justice purposes. Unlike his law, firm, their motive is to climb the ladder of social mobility and be on top in class and to achieve a higher social mobility, they can go as far as depriving the poor their homes for their own success. Mister, the man who held the firm hostage denied his home by the firm forcing him to live in the street. Mister’s social mobility was a bit higher initially since he had a home forced to the streets by “Drake and Sweeney” law firm.
Existence of capitalism can also be seen in the book, as the poor deprived their normal lives to poverty for the rich to benefit. “Drake and Sweeney” law firm is a privately owned firm that controls all, its operations, its main objective to yield a profit at all cost. The firm can manipulate the law in such a way it denies the poor their rights for its own profit making motive. Prejudice and discrimination are rampant in the book as the police shoot the man holding people hostage without asking the man reason for holding the people in the firm hostage. The man had a valid reason since the firm deprived him and others their homes. The police having a negative prejudice and assuming the man as incompetent person they shot him believe he was a criminal. The poor highly discriminated as drake and Sweeney represent the rich and the poor not welcomed in the firm. The society discriminates the poor since it cannot see the deprivation rich law firm’s act to the poor. Through discrimination, the poor have to voice against the law that meant to protect them (Barbour Publishing, Inc., 2011).
The rich can be viewed as the dominant group in this scenario as they are able to achieve their plans by manipulating the poor. When Michael the street lawyer, steals a file from the firm for genuine reasons the law goes against without letting him explain the reason behind his motive. The law firm always wins its cases even when they are in the wrong and the lives of the poor people are in jeopardy. Gender inequality can be seen in the firm as they employ the males only. The females employed in lower rank positions and the males have the opportunity to climb the ladder through hard work (Pringle, 2007).
References
Barbour Publishing, Inc. (2011). The Book Lover’s Devotional: What We Learn About Life from 60 Great Works of Literature. Ohio: Barbour Publishing.
Pringle, M. (2007). Revisiting John Grisham: a critical companion. West post: Greenwood Publishing Group.
