Social Class In The Great Gatsby

2211 Words9 Pages
“Show class, have pride, and display character,” says Paul Bryant.1 One should always be humble no matter from what social class he hails, and he should not take advantage of his position in the social hierarchy. The theme of social class is dominant in many literary classics, including Great Expectations, The Great Gatsby, and Wuthering Heights. Social class dictates obligations between the characters of a novel, and the way in which these characters react to the obligations reveals their disposition. This idea is evident in Jane Austen’s Emma, in which Emma Woodhouse’s egotism and perception of social class in Highbury affects the lives of several characters. In Jane Austen’s time, people time gave great importance to the social class.…show more content…
Mr. Elton is a parson in Highbury; he holds a respectable place in society, but his wealth does not meet the standards of the upper class in Highbury. However, Elton is certainly of a higher rank than Robert Martin, so Emma convinces Harriet that he is the perfect match for her. As Emma begins to arrange meetings between Harriet and Elton, she “…believes from Elton’s manner that he is beginning to fall in love with Harriet, and she flatters herself on her matchmaking skills” (Moore).20 However, she soon realizes that the gallantries she had taken for Harriet are actually for herself in Elton’s eyes (Moore).21 The truth shocks Emma, and to Elton’s dismay, Emma rejects him because “…in fortune and consequence she was greatly superior” (Austen 91).22 Although Emma rejects him, Mr. Elton does not think he should stoop so low as to marry Harriet. Outraged at the very idea of marrying the socially inferior Harriet, he says, “Everybody has their level: but as for myself, I am not, I think, quite so much at a loss. I need not so totally despair of an equal alliance, as to be addressing myself to Miss Smith!” (Austen 89).23 Elton leaves Highbury for a period of time, but he soon returns with a pretentious wife. “Not only is Mrs. Elton vulgar and brash in herself…but the money to which she is connected and of which she is so proud is unacceptably made and spent on show, not quality,” and she and…show more content…
Jane and Emma, emerging from different social classes, are both beautiful, talented, respected, and about the same age. A self-made woman orphaned as a child, Jane sings, teaches, sews, and plays the piano well. Emma’s personal acceptance and rejection of others are based on whether they positively or negatively influence her self-esteem and because Jane arouses the same respect for herself as does Emma, she evokes bitterness in Emma simply because she threatens Emma’s superiority. Because of the circumstances in which she is brought up, a Cinderella theme revolves around Jane; she is of the lower class, she finds her Prince Charming, Frank Churchill, and she has to live with her disagreeable sisters (Harding 155).31 Jane, like Cinderella, shows her stoicism by accepting the “…prospective humiliations of being a governess,” and she does not wish “to become someone else because of their circumstances…” (Trollope 52).32 After criticizing Jane and finding faults within her, Emma realizes Jane and Frank have been engaged for over a year. After she learns of the engagement, she and Jane become friends because she realizes that nothing she can say will damage Jane’s reputation. Jane Fairfax helps Emma understand that a woman of a lower class can be as beautiful, talented, and respected as a woman from the upper
Open Document