In today's society and in recent years, socioeconomic status has been and continues to be a relevant topic. When analyzing an individual, it is necessary to consider the subjects' education, income and occupation to develop a reliable conclusion about their standard of living. I believe that socioeconomic factors play a huge role in a person's life and I will prove this through the comparison of different individuals. According to the American Psychological Association, socioeconomic status is “the social position or class of an individual or group. It is often measured as a combination of education, income and employment.” Socioeconomic status has a substantial effect on an individual's lifestyle. Education, income, and employment are all factors of socioeconomic status and are aspects of everyone's life, whether or not we excel in these areas. Those who excel in these categories tend to live well while, on the other hand, those who lag behind tend to live very poor or mediocre lives. I believe that socioeconomic status is a topic of relevant and growing interest in today's society as it continues to influence various important aspects of life. Studies have been conducted to test the effects of socioeconomic status on learning abilities, health, family relationships, and even obesity, but there are currently no recognized studies on its effects on lifestyle in general. This is undoubtedly a topic that needs to be further studied in the hope of one day understanding the issue better. There is a significant difference in the lifestyles of those of opposite socioeconomic statuses. This semester we read two works that demonstrate this difference, The Rise of Silas Lapham and The Friends of Eddie Coyle. While these two stories are......middle of the paper......t Coyle within the text including the fact that he was a short, stocky man and that one of his hands had been badly frightened by a previous deal Deal. Since The Friends of Eddie Coyle is written in complete dialogue, Coyle's perception must be drawn based on the conversations he has with his "friends" within the novel. While sitting and talking to a supplier, Coyle describes his true feelings about his life by saying, “I work my ass off all day to bring home a hundred and seventy dollars a week” (Higgins, 29). In this moment the reader can really see how Coyle is struggling and working hard to simply get by. Coyle not only had to support himself, but also his family. Ultimately, based on their socioeconomic status, these two men were led to live completely different lives. The main difference is their occupation: entrepreneur versus arms dealer.