Class Divide and Social Hierarchy in Summers at the Saint

The Fractured World of Saints and Ain’ts

In Mary Kay Andrews’ Summers at the Saint, the resort’s deliberately maintained caste system—dubbed “Saints vs. Ain’ts”—forms the backbone of nearly every character conflict. The novel argues that economic and social hierarchy is not merely a backdrop but an active force that limits aspiration, fuels resentment, and, for a few, can be cautiously transgressed. The divide is introduced early, tested throughout three key plot arcs, and left in an ambiguous state of repair by the epilogue, revealing the persistence of class lines even as individual fortunes change.

The Prologue’s Foundation of Exclusion

The class divide is etched onto the novel’s first pages. Young Traci Eddings sees the Saint from her grandfather’s fishing boat and calls it a fairy castle. Her grandfather replies, “People like us don’t belong over there.” This early lesson in social exclusion is reinforced years later when Traci, at fifteen, works at the Saint’s ice-cream parlor with her best friend Shannon Grayson. Manager Gayla codifies the resort’s unwritten rules: guests are Saints, local workers are Ain’ts. The lesson is blunt: “Y’all are just Ain’ts.” Traci realizes she lives on the wrong side of the causeway, and this understanding never leaves her. The prologue establishes that class identity is both imposed and internalized—and that crossing the divide requires more than money.

Recruitment, Housing, and the Class Battlefield

The divide is dramatized most vividly in Traci’s struggle to staff the Saint after two key employees defect to a rival resort. Facing bankruptcy, Traci proposes converting the old golf cart barn into employee housing—a pragmatic solution that also symbolizes her desire to bridge the class gap. Her brother-in-law Ric Eddings opposes the plan, particularly his daughter Parrish Eddings living there. He calls the dormitory a place for “random strangers,” revealing his fear that his privileged daughter might mix with townies. Traci pushes back, but the tension exposes how deeply the hierarchy is embedded in family politics.

The staff dormitory itself becomes a charged symbol. For Livvy Grayson, recruited from a mediocre restaurant, the free housing is a lifeline. For Shannon, Livvy’s mother, it recalls her own trauma: she was fired after a child drowned at the Saint, a tragedy she believes the Eddings family covered up. She accuses Traci of offering “an opportunity to be exploited.” The class divide is not just economic but carries institutional weight—the old guard, including Ric and the Parkhurst family, can place their own (like KJ Parkhurst, a rich dropout) in jobs while working-class kids scramble for decent wages. The dormitory, as detailed in the symbol of the staff dormitory, is a liminal space where social boundaries are momentarily blurred but never erased.

The Epilogue’s Ambiguous Resolution

One year after the climax, the epilogue shows visible progress. New employee housing units are nearly complete, and Traci is pregnant and married to Whelan, a former employee—a relationship that defied company policy against supervisor-employee romance. Livvy steps into a co-owner role, delivering a toast at sunset. Felice Bonpierre, the chef from Hialeah, has lost weight and is dating Dave, an EMT who helped during the crisis. These pairings suggest a softening of class lines. Yet the resort still caters to its wealthy members; the sunset ceremony is aimed at the same old guard. Traci’s triumph is personal, not structural. The novel refuses to declare the divide closed, instead offering individual acts of crossing as hopeful but incomplete.

Complexity and Contradiction

Traci Eddings herself embodies the theme’s complexity. She began as an Ain’t but married into the family that owns the Saint. She now occupies the Sainty position, yet she retains empathy for the workers. Her management style is marked by a loyalty to those like her, but she also makes peace with the system’s compromises—for instance, hiring KJ because Ric pressures her. The novel resists a simple “class is bad” moral; instead, it shows how individuals navigate hierarchy, sometimes reinforcing it even while trying to reform it.

Study Questions and Answers

1. How does the prologue introduce the “Saints vs. Ain’ts” concept, and what effect does it have on young Traci?
   The prologue shows Traci seeing the Saint from a fishing boat and being told she does not belong. Later, manager Gayla explicitly states the terms. This creates in Traci a fierce aspiration to cross the divide and also a lingering sense of exclusion that shapes her empathy for workers.

2. In what ways does Traci’s own background as an ‘Ain’t’ influence her decisions as owner?
   She prioritizes better pay, signing bonuses, and on-site housing for staff, remembering her own struggles. She also recruits Livvy from a low-paying job and defends the dormitory against Ric’s elitism. Yet she also accepts nepotism (hiring KJ) under pressure, showing that her past does not make her immune to the system’s compromises.

3. What does the staff dormitory reveal about class tensions at the Saint?
   The dormitory, built in a converted golf cart barn, is a practical solution but also a battleground. It offers affordable housing, but its humble origins underline the gap between workers and guests. Ric’s opposition exposes his fear of class mixing, while Shannon’s distrust reflects the legacy of past injustices.

4. How does Shannon’s history with the Eddings family complicate Livvy’s employment?
   Shannon was fired and blamed for a drowning that she believes the family covered up. She sees the Saint as exploitative and fears her daughter will be mistreated. Her past grievance with Traci (who she feels sided with the family) makes reconciliation difficult, and Livvy’s choice to work there strains their relationship.

5. Is the class divide fully resolved by the epilogue? Why or why not?
   Not fully. The epilogue shows progress: new staff housing, Traci’s cross-class marriage, and Livvy as co-owner. However, the resort still operates for wealthy members, and the sunset ceremony caters to the same elite. The novel suggests that while individuals can defy boundaries, the structural hierarchy remains intact. The final image of Traci and Whelan assembling a crib offers hope for the next generation rather than a final solution.