Sociology

The Conners is a typical American working class family struggling to survive in the fictional town of Lanford, Illinois. Roseanne applies for a job at Wellman Plastics and gets accepted, along with her sister Jackie and friend Crystal. Jackie has a relationship with Booker, the companys foreman. Dan is employed in a construction firm. He faces a tough relationship with his negligent father. Bev and Al, the protagonists parents, consider moving to Lanford, but decide to abandon it. Darlene, a natural born lesbian struggles with her femininity as she enters the puberty stage. Becky has problems with Chip, her boyfriend. A tornado strikes the town. The Conners barely survives the onslaught. The new foreman at Wellman Plastics is tough and cruel. Roseanne leads other workers in an organized strike. Eventually, they quit their jobs.

Roseanne and Jackie struggle to find new jobs. Jackie becomes a police officer. Roseanne is irregularly employed. His final job is at the parlor shop, sweeping the dirty floors. Arnie, Dan friend, likes Roseanne. The Conners then celebrate Halloween. At a thanksgiving dinner, Dans father is having a passionate conversation with Crystal. Jackie is serious with her new boyfriend. Becky rebels against Roseanne. Roseanne discovers her unique ability to write. She fixes up the basement to serve as the writers den.

There are four social issues identified in the sit-com. Here are as follows 1) working class attitude, 2) irregularity of employment among working class people, 3) fragility of family relationships, and 4) identity confusion. Working class individuals are described as industrious, organized, family-oriented, and to some extent overtly productive. Roseanne is a member of this group  a girl who takes up several jobs to support her family. Employment for this group is more or less irregular. The reason is quite obvious. Most of them only finished high school or second-year college. The viable jobs available are usually menial in orientation. Hence, after the so-called regular work period, the worker usually faces the possibility of being fired. The prospect of finding stable jobs is uncertain since menial jobs are usually periodic.

Family relationships are fragile. Dan for example seldom congratulates or commends his father because of the astringent relationship between them. The same case can be said of Becky. Becky sees herself as a self-sufficient individual who does not need the advice or help of either Roseanne or Dan. Parental authority is just a social construction, and as such, for Becky, it is bound to be broken in the near future.

Identity confusion is also a problem. Darlene thinks herself as a mature male, capable of challenging the strength or position of other males. Indeed, when she enters the puberty stage, she is bound to accept the inevitability of being a female. This perception of being a male is the result of incomplete social learning. As Darlene grows, she becomes more and more acquainted with the opposite sex. Many of her friends are male. Her classmates are predominantly males. She has crushes with the girls of the town. Perhaps, this personality mishap is caused by a hedonistic view of reality. In any case, one can only assume that she has a problem with accepting reality  the reality that she is a female.

These social problems are evident in the sit-com. They are the conditions which shape mentalities and working attitudes. Moreover, it is often attitude which defines the character of an individual.