Britt-Marie Was Here

Social class is a major delineation of the boundary between in-group and out-group status in Borg, but appears in other aspects of Britt-Marie’s life as well. While Britt-Marie’s social class is never explicitly stated, her life trajectory indicates some social mobility. The apartment she lived in as a child is not described in detail, but the relatively insular world and Ingrid’s dreams of Paris suggest a relatively economically underprivileged life. Britt-Marie’s decision to work as a waitress rather than attending university to support her mother also suggests this, as does Alf’s decision to enlist in the military. After marrying Kent, however, her social class advances to at least comfortably middle class.

Kent’s fixation on money and desire to show off his wealth reflect his financial insecurities as a youth, especially since he gets upset if no one asks how much his BMW cost. His vocal condescension of Borg’s small-town decline and relative poverty both hide his financial desperation due to his failing entrepreneurial ventures and reinforce his desired outward perception as a wealthy city man. The ruse works on Omar, an impressionable youth with similar dreams, but the adults know better, especially Britt-Marie, who realizes he isn’t so different from the Borg residents after all; he just postures and lies more.