Topic > Lee is in The Trap: A Close Reading of "Prep"

Prep, written by Curtis Sittenfeld in 2005, was a New York Times bestseller. This narrative offers a glimpse into the prestigious boarding school experiences of a poor girl named Lee Fiora who comes from Indiana. The author directly reveals the struggles involving social class and race relations at the end of the novel by arranging an interview between Lee and New York Times reporter Angela Varizi. The resulting article suggests that the differences created by social class disparities cause Lee to become an outsider on campus. After all, Lee says she feels left out by her wealthier classmates. It is in fact possible that Lee expresses his negative ideas about Ault, his school, out of revenge. However, Lee's preparations before the interview and her reactions to the aftermath show that she unconsciously paints a negative image of Ault. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayLee intends to say something positive to benefit Ault. Prepare standard answers to questions Varizi may ask: “I have developed two standard answers to this question, which I have varied depending on my audience” (357). Both answers to the question “Why did you go to Ault?” they are not Lee's true thoughts on Ault and both answers are well-intentioned lies. Lee initially responds that she went to Ault because she saw Ault's catalog on TV shows and in Seventeen magazine and is attracted to the glamorous campus. He then says that Ault students have various resources and that students and teachers have closer bonds due to smaller class sizes. The answers that Lee originally prepares are impeccable. When Varizi tries to convince Lee to tell the truth at the beginning, Lee is still defending Ault's benefits. Varizi asks, “I wonder if you think the faculty shows favoritism toward wealthy students. 'No, not really” (359). Lee says that there is a young teacher who is friendly with the "bank boy" in his class, but Lee carefully defends Ault by explaining the situation that the teacher has a closer relationship with the "bank boys" not because they are rich, but because the teacher coached them on the football team. Lee intends to create a positive image of Ault in social class aspects, but Lee does not realize that saying “banker” can be cited by Varizi as a strong point of his article. Lee unconsciously designates the “bank boy,” thus revealing the extent of class tension on campus. Once Lee finds out that Angela Varizi will put “banker” in the article, Lee glares at her: “Please don't” (360). He begs Varizi not to include such words as he knows that his unconscious mistakes can lead to harsh consequences. When we look back over the four years of Lee's life, we can clearly discern Lee's personality in Ault. She is quiet and speaks little in class. He is not exceptional in either academics or sports. He doesn't want to attract the attention of others; even when he is in bad shape, he still wants to hide his emotions. Lee wants to be a transparent and invisible person to Ault because she is so anxious about her appearance, her social class, and her wealth. In fact, Lee panics about the consequences of self-disclosure: "My heart pounded and my fingers trembled" (369). With this type of personality, how could he want to give a negative image of Ault? Surely she knows that if she said something explosive about Ault, the negative consequences would bring her into the spotlight. So, the only reason Lee tells the truth is that she was seduced by Varizi, who uses a story of self-revelation to evoke Lee's empathy. Lee trusts Varizi and tells Varizi his secrets. So, from.