Class Rigidity and Social Mobility - 1521 Words

In late eighteenth and early nineteenth century England there was a sort of moral ‘code’ of behavior and standards that are to be maintained by the middle and upper classes of society. Austen realistically mirrors this ‘code’ through the characters and plots of her novels while showing that social flexibility was narrow and class boundaries were strict. The topics of class stringency and social mobility are important areas in Jane Austen’s literature. We begin to see that Austen is not a revolutionary as she supports and preserves the morals and customs of societies hierarchy. However she often encourages and backs the emergence of new wealth permitting greater social mobility. In Austen’s world the naval and ‘tradesmen’ professions†¦show more content†¦The narrative also pokes fun at Anne’s father, Sir Walter Elliot for being imprudent with his money. This suggests that Wentworth is more favorable to support Anne than Sir Walter, even though he thinks himself highly superior to Wentworth. After Frank Churchill arrives in town Emma takes him to shop at Ford’s and says â€Å"You will be adored in Highbury. You were very popular before you came, because you were Mr. Westons son—â€Å" (Austen, Emma, 155). Mr. Weston was a former army captain and earned enough money to buy his own land putting him in a higher social situation. This quotation shows that not only is Mr. Weston associated with Highbury, he is held in high regard there. Frank Churchill is also a very wealthy man of the trade and because of his known wealth he is the talk of Highbury society. Through satire of the high-class society (Sir Walter), and through approval and regard for navy and ‘trade’ professions as a means of social mobility, Austen shows that the current social structure is moderately changing for the better. Although there are benefits of social mobility from new wealth peoples and patrons, tradition in maintaining class structure is imperative and belonging to a class should be accompanied with finances. After Mr. Elton proposes to Emma, the narrator attempts to understand Mr. Elton’s motives. Perhaps it was not fair to expect him to feel how very much he was her inferior in talent, and all the eleganciesShow MoreRelatedThe Risk Factors Of An Patient Centered Care1289 Words   |  6 Pageswere you diagnosed with PD?’- 20 years ago ’What drugs are you taking for PD?’ -Levodopa†¨ ‘What has been the most beneficial intervention besides drugs?’-Taichi class John claims that he was diagnosed with PD in his late sixties and has been on Levodopa since. He also added that the most beneficial intervention besides drugs was Taichi class. However, his knee pain has become a barrier from continuation. Patient reported 4/10 pain in both knees on the visual analogue scale (VAS). The past medicalRead MoreLysistrata And Aristophara1665 Words   |  7 Pagesexploits the status of women as social outsiders and inverts their role to construct an alternative model to civic government. In The Shoemaker’s Holiday, Simon Eyre, a shoemaker, becomes mayor, the highest position in society for a citizen at the time, in order to highlight the tensions produced by the social realignments of the late sixteenth-century due to the emergence of the marketplace. However, this inversion suggests this tension will not be relieved by eradicating class difference, but by includingRead MoreAnalysis Of The Novel Miss Julie 1436 Words   |  6 Pagesthe rigid class structures of 19th century Sweden. His manipulation of the setting and staging to establish the social strata within his play allows both the criticism and reinforcement of the play’s social hierarchy, as well as that of Sweden. This manipulation is further utilised to exhibit the role of the characters, pr edominantly Miss Julie and Jean, the disparate protagonists, within these strata. Strindberg establishes a single setting, which acts as a platform for sexual and social conflictsRead MoreJohn Updike s A P, As A Reflector Of Our Society1270 Words   |  6 Pagesand the characterization of Queenie to showcase the influence of classism in our country. Updike’s characterization of Lengel is strongly representative of a conservative era that has set this standard and preserved its formalities at the threat of social ostracization. Updike’s use of symbolism and defiant ending shines light upon the extensive effects of these classist ethos and how they have shaped our society. It is Updike’s demonstration of these themes that reveals the dramatic contrast betweenRead MoreThe Street By Ann Petry And The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1854 Words   |  8 PagesThe class system is a prevalent form of oppression in both The Street by Ann Petry and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald as the characters aspire to change their lives. Lutie Johnson is a black woman trapped in the cycle of poverty with her son living in Harlem during the 1940s and Gatsby is a man of new money who attempts to woo his past lover, Daisy in the 1920s. Prejudice against people from a different class leads to classicism being one of the main themes of these texts. Classism isRead Morecomparative ethonographic review Essay2961 Words   |  12 Pagesby the cultures, or rules, that were built upon it. While we see illustrations of elaborate structures within culture that determine if a union between two human beings through marriage is possible, I will attempt to show that such belief of the rigidity of marriage systems being constrained by culture are actually contrary, and that human beings, being agents of their cultural structure, are able to effect change and make decisions outside the control of these marriage systems and cultural structuresRead MoreIn Arthur M iller’S â€Å"Tragedy And The Common Man,† He States1621 Words   |  7 Pagessuccess, but his complete misunderstanding of the properties of the upper class has been leading him down a path of defeat. In The Great Gatsby, author Scott F. Fitzgerald illustrates the life of a tragic character who makes the wrong assumptions about society in almost every way possible, whether it be about the details of social class or the assumptions of the upper class. Jay Gatsby holds incorrect beliefs about the mobility possible in society since he is a child, and his determination to be successfulRead MoreWhat We All Long For By Dionne Brand1645 Words   |  7 Pagesparent’s middle class lifestyle, and the chaotic world of Quy’s criminal lifestyle. In this manner, Tuyen brings a postmodern appeal to the story, since she finds an ambiguous balance between the well-to-do lifestyle of her parents and the lower class world that Quy has had to survive since he was separate d from his family. This family tension defines Tuyen’s struggle with her father as part of the capitalistic mentality of Asian immigrants that she rebels against by living in lower class apartment.Read MorePygmalion and My Fair Lady3190 Words   |  13 PagesDiscuss the different ways of representing class conflicts. Pygmalion, Bernard Shaw, 1914 My Fair Lady, George Cukor, 1964 â€Å"As the purpose of comedy is to correct the vices of men, I see no reason why anyone should be exempt.† This famous quotation of French playwright Molià ¨re proves how powerfully theater and social criticism are linked, and how in its different genres, drama as well as comedy, theater can, and maybe must, be a way of communicating and expressing the human and society’s flawsRead MorePolitical Participation Among Backward Castes Of Panchayat Raj Institutions : A Study On Ananthapuramu District Of Andhra Pradesh1638 Words   |  7 Pagesin Panchayat Raj Institutions: A study on Ananthapuramu District of Andhra Pradesh Social Stratification is a ubiquitous social structure in human societies, be it simple or complex. Stratification is fairly permanent ranking of positions in a society in terms of unequal power, prestige or privileges. It refers to the patterned or structured social inequalities among the whole categories of people not just among individuals. The Caste system is the unique dimension