Class: A Memoir of Motherhood, Hunger, and Higher Education

Emilia is Stephanie’s daughter. Her father is Jamie, who lives in Portland. Emilia and Stephanie moved from Seattle to Missoula so that Stephanie could attend the University of Montana. In recent interviews, Emilia has also used the names Mia and Story. Emilia is six years old at the beginning of the memoir. She started kindergarten a year later than her peers, which Stephanie hoped would give her an advantage. Her life is marked by instability. She has lived in 15 homes. Her mother fled from her abusive father, but she still visits her abusive father several times a year. When she is visiting him, she does not have her own bed to sleep in, and she lives in a house full of her father’s roommates. Her mother also lives in a house full of roommates, but Stephanie is pleased with this arrangement since the college students are convenient babysitters.

Emilia has attachment issues. Adults with whom she is supposed to rely on flit in and out of her life, and she grows too close too quickly to a rotating carousel of babysitters. Stephanie pays for babysitting in beer, and Emilia grows very attached to Seth, one of the 19-year-olds who is very pleased with this arrangement. She also grows very attached to Stephanie’s various boyfriends, many of whom are also enlisted for babysitting.

Emilia begins therapy so that Stephanie can have documented abuse to present in the child custody hearing. During therapy, she reveals that her teacher physically went through her pockets after she stole from her teacher. She is frequently punished for acting out in school.

Despite her tumultuous life, she is a sweet and affectionate child. She is very excited to become a big sister, especially when she learns that she will have a baby sister. Emilia is very resourceful and self-sufficient; she is good at entertaining herself and taking care of herself. For instance, after Stephanie forgets that Emilia has an early-release day from school, Emilia manages to cross several busy streets by herself to find a classmate’s home.

Stephanie frequently cites Emilia as her motivation for pushing herself through higher education and thinks Emilia will be proud of her for earning her MFA. However, after getting rejected from the MFA program, Stephanie learns that Emilia is actually very pleased that Stephanie will no longer have homework so that she can spend more time with her daughter.

Jamie is the father of Emilia and the ex-boyfriend of Stephanie. He lives in Portland. Stephanie cites his emotional abuse. Though he was furious when she became pregnant, he now wants to spend time with Emilia. Stephanie believes this is more to get back at her than to actually bond with his child.

When Emilia does visit, Jamie behaves unscrupulously. He badmouths Stephanie and tries to get Emilia on his side. He does not have adequate arrangements for Emilia; she has to share a bed. Jamie’s mom lives in North Carolina, and he prefers that she fly out to help him with childcare when Emilia is visiting because he does not have time to watch her. He love-bombs Emilia, and she resentfully misses him after every trip. He tells Emilia that he cannot buy her presents because Stephanie wants him to pay more child support, and he tells her that Stephanie does not want her to spend time with her dad. At every opportunity, he tries to corrupt the mother-child relationship. However, he does not prioritize Emilia either; he frequently misses their scheduled video-chats.

Jamie and Stephanie have communication issues, and the issues with child support occupy a major part of the memoir. Nearly every chapter features the deleterious effects of Jamie’s constant, badgering attempts at communication and Stephanie’s determination to ignore them or make him feel as annoyed as she is. Stephanie is the default parent with whom Emilia spends most of her time, and she resents Jamie’s attempts to have a say over how Emilia should be raised. For instance, Stephanie reflects that Jamie would be annoyed that Emilia eats food from McDonalds that is not nutritious. Jamie is an inconsistent father: He supposedly cares about Emilia’s well-being but prioritizes himself being the fun parent.

Jamie does not want to pay more child support because Stephanie does not work full-time; Stephanie wants Jamie to pay more child support since Emilia lives with her more often. Jamie does not believe in Stephanie’s dreams and thinks that she should be working full-time instead of going to college and grad school. Jamie is very charming when he wants to be, and Stephanie loathes that this is often effective on those around her. Jamie is one of the people whom Stephanie is most determined to prove wrong. His constant badgering about her life choices motivates her to show him that an English degree has value, and she wants to show him that everything he’s said about her is incorrect.