'Kiss up, Kick down': Social Capital and the False Promise of Upward Mobility in Tobias Wolff's &quote;Smokers&quote;

This literary studies paper analyzes Tobias Wolff's short story Smokers using Pierre Bourdieu's concept of social capital. It focuses on the question of how social networks and class affiliation shape the protagonist's opportunities for upward mobility and challenge the meritocratic promise of social advancement. By examining the protagonist's relationships with Eugene and Talbot, the paper demons...