Competing Discourses

This scene is from the movie Mr. Deeds with Adam Sandler.  To set this scene up, Deeds (Sandler) is a small town guy with a small town life who finds out he has a very rich uncle that left him everything when he suddenly dies.  He is brought to New York under the notion that he will sign away his uncle's company in return for a large settlement.  In this restaurant, he becomes involved with the high society folk that are typical social friends of people with his now high fortune and success.  Obviously a conflict will occur...

The two competing Discourses are extremely evident.  According to the book Literacy: A Critical Sourcebook, the two Discourses are competing in the realm of their Secondary Dominant Discourses because the obvious differences between the two types are status, wealth, class and education. 

Deeds has the Primary Discourse of a middle-lower class man.  He grew up in a small town, but in his town he owns a business and is relatively successful.  He is greatly loved by the townspeople and lives a fulfilled and happy life.  However, as he travels to New York he finds that he is now simply lower class, not loved by everyone, less educated and inferior to the upper part that he is introduced to.  The table of "elitists" with whom Deeds and his date join for dinner have a very dominant and superior ere to their speech, actions and behaviors.  They most likely grew up in a high society with avid culture experiences, higher education, lots of money and very few hardships.  They don't understand or respect Deeds, his background or his future because they have already perceived him as being a lesser person than they.  In a way the Discourses are aligned because they are dealing with similar issues in opposing directions, but at the same time they are not aligned because one is trying to fit in (Deeds) while the others keep him out as he is not a bred member of their particular Discourse.  The effect is Deeds' anger and protective instincts that arise because of his ultimate denial.  That often happens as a defense mechanism when someone from an outer Discourse tries to learn and become a member of another Discourse.  The insiders always know an outsider and often point them out to the point of humiliation.