Role Played by Social Class in Pride & Prejudice and Room at the Top - Book Report/Review Example

Role played by social in Pride & Prejudice and Room at the Top (Essay) Introduction Literature is called the mirror of the human mind, not only because it reflects the ethos of the contemporary society and culture, but also gives expression to the opinions and contemplations of the individual authors. This may be the scenario in present times when humanity is thriving amidst the principles of social equality and egalitarianism. But the situation was not the same a few centuries ago. Going back in time, to the era of the late 18th and early 19th century, one might witness the kinds of discriminations and dividing forces in society which painted the vision of the literary artists in those times. Politics, religion, society and clergy were some of the spheres of routine life that left an indelible mark on the contemplative spirits of authors and compelled them to conform to the literary and societal conventions of the age. With the passage of time, the scenario eventually transformed to offer an opportunity to the writers to freely express their souls and minds and retrospect on the bygone times through the might of their pens. The same is reflected in the changing forms of literature over the years. Society and its changing patterns have been consistently used by novelists as a prominent theme of their works. Through the portrayal of society, its strengths and its menaces, the literary artists succeed in giving us a taste of the times that we, fortunately or unfortunately, never got a chance to experience. This essay aims at exploring the role played by the idea of social class in two of the most reputed novels in English literature- Jane Austen’s ‘Pride & Prejudice’ and John Braine’s ‘Room at the Top’. Pride and Prejudice (1813) - by Jane Austen Most of the works of literature serve as a mirror to the values and traditions of the existing society. Hence an understanding of the social and cultural background of a novel is of utmost importance to extract full meaning out of it. In Jane Austen’s time, the class structure in the society was very rigid. All wealth and power was concentrated in the hands of the land owning aristocracy, like Darcy and Bingley, who formed the topmost segment of the social ladder. They were followed by the landed gentry, such as the Bennett family, who came next in rank. Besides, there was an emergence of traders and industrialists, like Mr. Gardiner, in that period. This new group of people was still in the process of gradually rising up the social ladder and earning their social respect. The last and bottom-most status in society was that of the working class and the labourers. They enjoyed neither respect in the society nor their democratic right to vote. Pride and Prejudice, in keeping with the society of its times, is set amidst the middle and upper classes of the English countryside. Most of the characters in the novel belong to the land owning class, who do not work and rely solely on their inherited property for their income and sustenance. However, among the landed classes also there are certain fine distinctions in terms of the volume of wealth owned by the members. For instance, the Bennetts are not as wealthy as the Bingleys or the Hursts, though they all belong to the landed class. The middle class Bennetts may be hanging out with the Bingleys and the Darrcys and the Hursts who belong to the upper class. But the former are clearly treated as inferiors by the latter and this is evident in their behavior and conversations. The novel gives a picture of the changing social setting of Britain in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth-century. It emulates the society of the prevailing times through its depiction of the characters’ concerns regarding wealth, status and property. Almost all of Austen’s novels illustrate the lives of the aristocrat section of the then-existing society which included both the landed gentry who owned vast stretches of land and the working professionals such as the clergy, lawyers and doctors who did not own any land. By the end of the eighteenth century, industrialization and urbanization had set in. Despite this the influence of the landed gentry remained undeterred. The landed sections of the society, though few, continued to stick to their lands and further extend them through consolidation owing to traditional system of stringent laws of inheritance. The ownership rights of the lands in Britain thus remained concentrated in the hands of a few powerful members of the landed aristocratic class. Such enormous power and wealth of the landed class in England is represented in the novel through pictures of the huge countryside estates of Bingley and Darcy. Another feature that saw prevalence in the eighteenth and nineteenth-century in England was the practice of passing on one’s family property to sons or, in the absence of sons, to male relatives, instead of distributing it equally amongst all members of the family. This was a practice aimed at concentrating one’s wealth and expanding one’s assets, as opposed to the influence of approaching industrialization. An instance of this can be seen in the novel when Mr. Bennett passes on his land to Mr. Collins, a distant male relative of their family, thus disinheriting his own daughters of their rightful share but making sure that the asset remains in the family line1. The concept of social class plays a far more overreaching role than that can be apparently observed. Class plays a dual role in the novel as it is one of the central themes of the story as well as a method of characterization in the story. The characters in the novel are, in a way, defined and identified by their respective social class. For instance, Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley are shown as the rich, haughty and pompous ladies who find it below their dignity to interact with people from inferior social status. In sharp contrast to them, we are shown the endless attempts and struggles of Mrs. Bennett to overcome the disgrace of their lower social status in order to match up with the standards of the elite class. There are, however, some characters which have been exempted from this general rule as in the case of Jane and Elizabeth, the two eldest daughters of the Bennett family, who seem to transcend the peculiarities of their social class. But on the whole, Jane Austen uses the demarcating features of the rich and the poor as an effective tool of characterization whereby the characters of the novel are defined by their rank in the society. Though the elements of social class are scattered throughout Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, the novel neither sermonizes the readers with the need of an egalitarian existence, nor does it suggest the idea of a class-less society. But through the subtle use of the theme, the author obliquely criticizes the contemporary society’s over-concern and obsession with the idea of class. This extreme class consciousness is demonstrated through the character of Darcy, whose pride and arrogance emerges out of his social status. But eventually he understands and finally accepts Elizabeth’s viewpoint on class that the gifts of wealth should not be treated as virtues in themselves. It is this realization that is reflected in his reverence for the Gardiners and his disgust for the mean and annoying upper class characters like Miss Bingley and Lady Catherine. The novel thus denounces the tendency of judging an individual’s character on the basis of his social rank, instead of his personality. In fact, some portions of the novel present a satire on the idea of class consciousness and upper class formalities. For instance, Mr. Collin’s absurd formality and flattering tendency during his conversation with his upper-class patron Lady Catherine is portrayed as something comic and ridiculous2. His character is used by Austen to satirise the class consciousness of the English society. Mr. Collins however is just one of the most extreme instances of this type. His thoughts and views on class are shared by many other characters of the novel as well. Miss Bingley looks down upon anyone who lay below her social status; Darcy’s arrogance in grounded in his pride in his rich ancestry; Wickham is desperate to go to any extent for accumulating wealth enough to raise his social rank. Mr. Collins is, thus, only the most apparent and extreme representative of all those characters who disregard the virtues of a person and rely only on one’s wealth while judging his character Collins is therefore Austen’s tool for attacking the rigid social hierarchy of her times. But nonetheless, despite all the criticisms, at the end of the novel Austen adopts a moderate stance and accepts the presence of class hierarchy as an inevitable feature of the contemporary society. This is made evident through Elizabeth’s acknowledgement of class distinctions as valid. Darcy, on the other hand, appreciates her ability to treat all with dignity irrespective of their social status, thus establishing the fact that social institutions are after all meant to ensure, and not impede, the happiness of the human beings. The novel culminates in the marriage of Darcy with Elizabeth and Bingley with Jane, which symbolises the victory of love and passion over all restrictions and prejudices of class and society. Room at the Top (1957) - by John Braine The story of Room At the Top is set against the background of post-war Britain. This was a period when the people of Britain had lost all hopes of a new and bright future which was soon to light up their lives. It was under these bleak circumstances in the year 1921 that Joe Lampton, the protagonist of the novel, was born and started his journey towards a life of social and economic advancement. After having initially spent his childhood as an orphan and a prisoner of war, Joe finally got his chance to enter the mainstream society when he was appointed as a local government officer in a small town of England. In keeping with the pessimistic mentality of the surrounding people of his times, he too judged that he had almost no chances of success in life. So he spent his spare time in unproductive activities such a smoking, drinking and sometimes, amateur dramatics. Braine’s Room At the Top is, in a way, a social document which reflects the society of its own times. Some of the facts that are highlighted in the pages of the novel are that in the 1950s, almost everyone had the habit of smoking and drinking; women were usually not permitted to enter into pubs; homosexuality was rampant though it was held illegal; and most of the English houses lacked bathrooms. Some of the feelings and aspirations of the characters as delineated in the story also appear to be drastically bizarre when judged in today’s context. For instance, Alice expresses her desire to sleep with Joe by explicitly saying that she wants “a big bed with a feather mattress and brass rails and a porcelain chamber pot underneath it.3” In addition to these realistic elements, the factor that is responsible for most of the charm of this novel is the author’s blatant portrayal of the obsession with social class that plagued the British society in those times. The era saw a widening of the differences in social class and shrinkage in the opportunities for social mobility. This tendency is manifested in the character of Joe who yearns for social elevation and perceives marriage to a wealthy woman as the only way to achieve that. Room at the Top effectively showcases the class structure in Britain and the challenges faced by those who aspired to break the hierarchy and rise up the social ladder. Joe Lampton does not fit into the conventional figure of a hero, but still the readers cannot afford to dislike him. Joe is a competent government employee who wishes to reach beyond his existing social rank and live a life of wealth and comfort. His goal in life is to improve his social status even at the cost of compromising his conscience and dignity. To attain his goals he shamelessly resorts to his glib talking and womanizing abilities. He attracted by Susan Brown’s youth and beauty, but above all her wealth and social standing. He shares no real connection or genuine feeling with her. His attraction for her is shallow and superficial and motivated only due to her high social rank, power of affluence and rich lineage. Sharply contrasted to this affair is Joe’s relationship with Alice. Though she is a married lady who is also elder to him, their bond is one of true love and happiness. But they could not unite till the end due to Joe’s uncontrollable greed for wealth and due to the fact that their illicit relationship did not receive the approval of the orthodox British society. The author’s depiction of the class system in British society in A Room at the Top is cruelly realistic. The protagonist Joe Lampton regards himself as incapable of succeeding ever in life as he feels that success is determined by one’ ancestry, family background and wealth, as opposed to talents or potential to succeed. He attributes his lack of success to his drawback in terms of his birth and breeding. During his attempts to impress Susan Brown, he comes across John Wales, a character who is completely opposite to him in all aspects. John Wales breathes the soul of contemporary Britain’s class system. He represents the affluent section of the society with his polished etiquettes, commanding personality, air of superiority and sophisticated education. He is a student at Cambridge and enjoys a secure and prosperous future as the would-be managing director of his family business. He is pitted against Joe as a foil and highlights Joe’s vulnerability and limitations by offering a sheer contrast. Though Joe Lampton, a man of flawed character and vices, is the protagonist of the story, the author does in no ways advocate his views and actions in the novel. The whole idea behind the character was to project the frustration and the pessimism of the less affluent members of the British society. The idea is to make Joe a representative figure who stares hopelessly at the conventions of a society in which one’s fortune and prosperity is handed down to him as inheritance. The only source of success and luxury in such a society is either a rich family background and lineage, or being in the social circles of the rich people. The novel presents the helplessness and anxiety of the lower class people who have no alternative but to resort to the unfair means if they dream big and aspire to live a life of luxury and fortune. This is blatantly demonstrated in the character of Joe Lampton, who ultimately loses his soul, his love and his happiness in his blind chase for material wealth and social status. In the novel the author criticizes not just the flawed nature of the upper classes, but the class system as a whole. It shows how the existence of the class system ruins the decorum of the society by offering unfair privileges and entitlements to the rich sections of society. It also explores the negative impacts of such a system on the lower classes and working people who are not born with the gift of fortune. This air of discrimination breeds in them a sense of falsehood and hypocrisy. For instance, when Joe mispronounces the word "brassier" during a drama rehearsal, the other members of his troupe laugh at him. This enrages him and provokes him to falsely assert that he takes pride in his working class background, when in reality he is ashamed of his lineage4. By saying so, he does not actually defend his humble ancestry but tries to be defensive about his social rank. Again when Joe attempts to woo Susan into marrying him, his uncle asks him: “You sure its the girl and not the brass5”. Such a point, when coming from an illiterate and unsophisticated man like Joe’s uncle, carries several shades of meaning. It is ironical that Joe yearns to marry an upper class woman and be a part of the upper class society, when actually he hates the upper class people. He constantly makes attempts and manipulates people and situations to escape the reality of his working class life. But the ultimate irony lies in the fact that despite his lifelong attempts to reconcile with class system with the aim to attain a life of peace and joy, it is finally the class system itself that crushes his aspirations and reduces him to nothingness, finally destroying all prospects of his peace and joy.  Conclusion While Austen adopts a relatively neutral and moderate stance in describing the nuances of the class system, Braine presents a bitingly sarcastic picture of the same. The protagonists in both the novels fall prey to the prejudices and the discriminations of a class-driven society. But while Elizabeth Bennett has the conviction and stability to overcome the urge to join the race for social elevation, Joe Lampton obsessively chases his dream of luxury and affluence till the point he loses all his peace and happiness in the process. The element of class and status is one of the many themes of the novel ‘Pride and Prejudice’ and is occasionally intercepted by the elements of love, deceit, compassion and family life. Moreover the treatment of social class is also very subtle at times when the author projects the silly formalities and ridiculous habits of people who judge a person by his social rank. But in ‘Room at the Top’ the author realistically describes how the menace of a class-ridden society first provokes, then inspires and finally crushes the ambitions of the young protagonist. A comparative analysis of the portrayal of the contemporary society in Britain by Jane Austen in ‘Pride and Prejudice’ and John Braine in ‘Room at the Top’ shows the difference in the outlook of the individual authors towards the rigid social structure and class consciousness of the then existing society. It shows that the perspective of a work of literature is coloured not only by the prevailing externalities of the times, but also by the individual viewpoints of the literary artists. References Austen, Jane, Pride and Prejudice, Readhow you want, 2009, Print. Braine, John, Room at the Top, Arrow, 1989, Print. Read More

The middle class Bennetts may be hanging out with the Bingleys and the Darrcys and the Hursts who belong to the upper class. But the former are clearly treated as inferiors by the latter and this is evident in their behavior and conversations. The novel gives a picture of the changing social setting of Britain in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth-century. It emulates the society of the prevailing times through its depiction of the characters’ concerns regarding wealth, status and property.

Almost all of Austen’s novels illustrate the lives of the aristocrat section of the then-existing society which included both the landed gentry who owned vast stretches of land and the working professionals such as the clergy, lawyers and doctors who did not own any land. By the end of the eighteenth century, industrialization and urbanization had set in. Despite this the influence of the landed gentry remained undeterred. The landed sections of the society, though few, continued to stick to their lands and further extend them through consolidation owing to traditional system of stringent laws of inheritance.

The ownership rights of the lands in Britain thus remained concentrated in the hands of a few powerful members of the landed aristocratic class. Such enormous power and wealth of the landed class in England is represented in the novel through pictures of the huge countryside estates of Bingley and Darcy. Another feature that saw prevalence in the eighteenth and nineteenth-century in England was the practice of passing on one’s family property to sons or, in the absence of sons, to male relatives, instead of distributing it equally amongst all members of the family.

This was a practice aimed at concentrating one’s wealth and expanding one’s assets, as opposed to the influence of approaching industrialization. An instance of this can be seen in the novel when Mr. Bennett passes on his land to Mr. Collins, a distant male relative of their family, thus disinheriting his own daughters of their rightful share but making sure that the asset remains in the family line1. The concept of social class plays a far more overreaching role than that can be apparently observed.

Class plays a dual role in the novel as it is one of the central themes of the story as well as a method of characterization in the story. The characters in the novel are, in a way, defined and identified by their respective social class. For instance, Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley are shown as the rich, haughty and pompous ladies who find it below their dignity to interact with people from inferior social status. In sharp contrast to them, we are shown the endless attempts and struggles of Mrs.

Bennett to overcome the disgrace of their lower social status in order to match up with the standards of the elite class. There are, however, some characters which have been exempted from this general rule as in the case of Jane and Elizabeth, the two eldest daughters of the Bennett family, who seem to transcend the peculiarities of their social class. But on the whole, Jane Austen uses the demarcating features of the rich and the poor as an effective tool of characterization whereby the characters of the novel are defined by their rank in the society.

Though the elements of social class are scattered throughout Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, the novel neither sermonizes the readers with the need of an egalitarian existence, nor does it suggest the idea of a class-less society. But through the subtle use of the theme, the author obliquely criticizes the contemporary society’s over-concern and obsession with the idea of class. This extreme class consciousness is demonstrated through the character of Darcy, whose pride and arrogance emerges out of his social status.

But eventually he understands and finally accepts Elizabeth’s viewpoint on class that the gifts of wealth should not be treated as virtues in themselves. It is this realization that is reflected in his reverence for the Gardiners and his disgust for the mean and annoying upper class characters like Miss Bingley and Lady Catherine.

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