Old School Plays by the School Rules
The school genre is a time honored classic that many notable books fall under. Just as in an actual school establishment there are a set of rules and nuances that a book must follow to be considered of the genre. Old School at first glance would not be considered typical of the school story but under further inspection its clear that it follows the same rules as any other in the genre. The three points that are considered the make or break of a school genre are as follows. There is an outsider character that does not play by the rules set by the school. There is an established authority structure and an unwritten code among students. The last point is there must be a conflict between said outsider and power structure, ending in either the school being changed by the outsider permanently or the school re-asserting its control, either way a balance of power is again found. Old School's outsider is the main character and unnamed narrator. The schools authority is strict and it has unannounced animosity towards Jewish people. The conflict between Outsider and the schools authority structure comes when the narrator believes he can cheat his way into winning a contest and plagiarizes, breaking one the the schools rules and defying the code of honor that the students follow when in contest with each other. The narrator in Old School is not the traditional outsider character, it is not his pears or the staff that labels him as such. It is himself, he puts the label on himself within his own mind. The narrator has a Jewish background on his fathers side; At his school there is an unspoken infamy for Jewish people. "Yet it seems to me that Jewish boys even the popular ones, [...] had a subtly charges field around them."(pg.60) We know that he feels his background sets him apart, even though nobody knows, from the other boys. This is clear when he chooses to continue to hide it when exposing himself as a Jew would have made a situation easier for him. "I simply decided that it would be better to not use the Jewish defense."(pg.60) While he states he simply decided there was no reason given to explain why he decided what he did. The conclusion being he wants to continue to keep it hidden for fear of being seen as an outsider. It's this fear that is what actually makes him one, it is what separates him and makes him an outsider. In compliance with the second point required of the school genre there is an existing authority structure at the narrators preparatory school. This authority is strict and is consistently enforced."Thou shalt not smoke. Get caught and you were out; no discussion no exceptions." In alignment with the school genre it is the role of the narrator to cause an imbalance in the structure of authority by going against its previously asserted order. In Old School this order is that students must strictly follow the authorities rules, no exceptions. So by smoking as the narrator does." resolutes, including me kept smoking anyway." he is completing the role required to prove that Old School is of the school genre. The final nuance typical of the school genre is only fulfilled once an imbalance in the school infrastructure is created by the outsider. In Old School this is achieved when the narrator is caught plagiarizing and is punished in ordinance with the schools honor codes and rules."He already knew i would be expelled." there are two possible ending to a book in the school genre, it can end in the school being changed by the outsider or the school re-asserting its authority. In the case of Old School the narrator is expelled and the school re-asserts its rules. The narrator does not get away with his fauble and thus the schools honor code among students is not tarnished. In this story the school wins conforming to the set rules of the school genre. There must be an outsider. There must be a pre-existing authority structure that the narrator refuses to comply to. A final conflict must determine whether the school is changed by the outsider or if the school re-asserts its authority structure. These are the three points that define a book as being in the school genre and each one is represented in the novel Old School. An outsider is created by the narrator in his attempt to hide who he is. The outsider is struggling against a pre-existing authority structure by continuing to smoke his cigarettes. In the end the school re-asserts its infrastructure by expelling the narrator. With this in mind it is obvious to conclude that Old School is of the school genre.