The diverse and powerful topic of socio-economics can be explored to develop characters and the overall theme of a story. Two literary stories in particular, Toni Bambara's "The Lesson" and Liliana Heker's "The Stolen Party," used socioeconomic status to create a second theme of self-discovery. The main characters of each of these two stories are young girls who discover themselves as adults at the end. Low socioeconomic status was part of each character's character development in "The Lesson" and "The Stolen Party," which ultimately forced them to embark on a path of self-discovery. Good startIn these two literary works, the low socio-economic status of the main characters is made known to the reader very early on. This status is not a small detail to know about girls; rather, it is an essential part of them. Knowing that these girls are not financially well off is the most important development of their character and the overall message the stories send. In sociology, there is a term called master status, which means "a status that has exceptional importance to social identity, often shaping a person's entire life" (Marshall). In the case of these two stories, low socio-economic statuses act as master statuses for girls; more important than their gender, or their role as girls or students. “The Lesson” is told in the first person by a young African-American girl named Sylvia living in the ghettos of New York. She tells the story of a day with her friends and Miss Moore. Her low economic status is evidenced by the way she speaks; It’s not “appropriate.” An example of his inappropriate speech is: "no one is going to beat me for anything." This speech continues throughout the story as she describes this...... middle of paper...... unfortunately, instead she is handed money and thanked for his help. This is self-discovery for Rosaura, as she is shocked and her innocence is stolen. She is heartbroken to discover that her mother was right. At first, his mother said to him: “Do you know what you are to them? The maid's daughter, that's what. Rosaura discovers his economic status and how much he really means to others. She also discovers her adult self as she rushes into this harsh realization. Works Cited Bambara, T. (1972). The lesson. Retrieved from http://cai.ucdavis.edu/gender/thelesson.html Heker, L. (1994). The stolen party. Chicago: Coach House Press. Retrieved from http://www.schurzhs.org/ourpages/auto/2011/9/30/51370050/The Stolen Party.pdf Marshall, Gordon ed., A Dictionary of Sociology (2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998 ),p. 399-400.