Capitalism and Class

Undergirding the central themes of All This Could Be Different is an overarching suggestion that each of the obstacles faced by Sneha is in some sense related to the class divisions spurred by American capitalism. In many respects, the novel serves to critique Sneha's naïveté about the class realities in America by demonstrating not only the burdens they imposed on underprivileged people but also the ways in which they drive wedges between otherwise-like-minded individuals. However, Mathews also explores the ways in which Sneha's particular circumstances (and her background as an immigrant) lend credence to her defenses of American life.

Broadly speaking, Sneha herself suffers from the ways in which American capitalism serves to prioritize labor over all else while also punishing people of color in disproportionate ways. Sneha is forced to endure the cruelty of her landlord, Amy, because her residence in Amy's...