The Credential Society: A Literary Analysis

Possessing the necessary skills in order to be a valid member of society has always been important in an individual's success in their society. The credential society, a society which educational merit, such as degrees and diplomas, determines the eligibility for a person to work (Macionis, 2000), takes this belief and constructs the perfect system around it. In theory, this practice seems like the perfect way in which to run societies so that the most capable people are put into positions of work. However, when it comes to putting this theory into practice, the theory becomes muddled and the expected results end up becoming skewed. In the science fiction dystopian novel, Legend by Marie Lu, the corruption of the established credential system shows how the system can keep social classes …show more content…
Armstrong (1981), reviewing The Credential Society: An Historical Sociology of Education and Stratification by Randall Collins, summarizes Collins's argument for the idea that education can’t be the proper determinism for credibility in a society. Through the analysis of Legend and many peer reviewed journals, the credential society theory shows merit but presents many flaws in it's actual application.
Set a hundred years into the future, after the devastating collapse of the United States, one of the two surviving countries, the Republic, has devised a specialized credential system. Through the system called the Trials, a complex testing system meant to determine a citizen's worth to society at the age of ten, the Republic can best select those ready to defend the country from their enemy, the Colonies. The highest score a person can receive is a 1500 and has only been accomplished by one person, June Iparis. Day, the co-main character, is unsure of what happens to someone with that score "Probably lots and money and power, yeah”