In the film The Pursuit of Happyness, there is significant evidence of social stratification and inequality depicted throughout. It's clear from the beginning that Chris and his family are lower working class, ending up living in absolute poverty as they didn't have enough money to stay somewhere safe, so they had to go to a shelter. plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay According to conflict theory, social stratification benefits the rich and powerful at the expense of the poor, creating a system maintained by those at the top. People at the bottom of the leaderboard don't have a fair chance to compete and get stuck at the bottom of the leaderboard. In the film, Chris starts his journey from the bottom, as he is part of the lower class, is a struggling salesman and becomes a single father. His circumstances put him at a disadvantage compared to his peers when he begins his unpaid internship at the stock brokerage firm Dean Witter Reynolds. Because he is competing with upper-class people for a job at the company, Chris hid his lower-class identity to be considered for a position, while secretly struggling and living among shelters. This shows the power of the upper class over the lower class. Functionalist theory views stratification as different aspects of society exist because they serve a necessary purpose. This essentially means that the most qualified people in the company fill the most important positions. This is true in the film as all of the brokerage firm's employees have at least a post-secondary education and degree. An example of this theory in the film is when Jay Twizzle initially didn't want to give Chris a chance in the internship program until Chis impressed him with the Rubix Cube and then gave him a chance. The Dean Witter Company also proves to be an example of functionalist theory as interns are given the opportunity to learn a new trade, with the hope of receiving the only job available at the end of their internship. Brokers get unpaid employees who are giving their best. So, in the end, intermediaries choose the best person, bringing an advantage to the company. When Chris got the job at the company, it was also an open class system because he started as an entrepreneur selling bone density scanners and worked his way up to a higher social class. This is functional as it benefits both parties. Symbolic interactionism theory helps explain social stratification of how people's social position influences their daily interactions and how an individual's appearance reflects their perceived social position. A prominent example of this in the film is when Chris shows up to the interview with the broker in paint-covered jeans and a tank top from the day before. Chris showed up in this outfit knowing that he would stand out from other people and be perceived as inferior because of his appearance. Even though he knew he didn't look his best for the important interview, he still showed up because he wanted a chance to do better for his family and this was an opportunity for him to do so. After Chris gets a spot in the internship program, to keep up with the look of a successful businessman, Chris alternates between his only two outfits, pretends the other cars are his, and runs away from a taxi after pretended to be able to pay the bill for the brokers' rush. Chris had offered to.