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Essay: Socioeconomic Class Struggles in Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” and Emily Bronte’s “Wuthering Heights”

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According to Michael Kraus PhD, “The contexts we grow up in and are socialized in are an important part of what shapes the self,” (Angelis).  Emily Bronte and Jane Austen are two female writers that seemed to be underappreciated in their own time but are now thought of as some of the greatest of all time.  Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice was written during the Napoleonic Wars in England, this time period is often referred to as “The Victorian Era.”  Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, on the other hand, was written somewhat transitionally between “The Victorian Era” and “The Gothic Age.”  For both eras, many of the traditional English values for socioeconomic class are seen being held up.  This included women searching for men of a similar or higher status than their own, family reputations being determined mostly by socioeconomic class and their ability to marry others of high class, etc.  Throughout Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen’s conservative characters and conflicts derive from prejudices about socioeconomic class, most evident in the lack of emotional connection between classes and the social ramifications of marriage, while in Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte creates highly progressive characters and conflicts resulting from the generally vitriolic attitude and the resulting passions between different classes.

Jane Austen has socioeconomic class play a major role through the lack of true connection between the Bennet family and upper society.  In many instances, Mrs. Bennet is the main vessel for both her criticisms of and her compliments to traditional English values.  For example, while discussing the the likes of Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy with Mr. Bennet, Mrs Bennet says, “You must know that I am thinking of his marrying one of them,” (Austen 4).  Mrs. Bennet simply wants to marry off her daughters with no real regard for Mr. Bingley’s character, given that she has never met the man.  Rather, due to the cultural norms of the time, she feels the need to have her daughters marry the richest men they can find.  Mrs. Bennet is highly conscious of her own family’s class, as well as that of Mr. Bingley.  Additionally, after Jane and Elizabeth had been at the Bingley estate for several days, “Mrs. Bennet sent them word that they could not possibly have the carriage before Tuesday; and in her postscript it was added, that if Mr. Bingley and his sister pressed them to stay longer, she could spare them very well,” (Austen 40).  As a result of the prospect for Jane to marry Mr. Bingley, Mrs. Bennet is thinking irrationally and illogically.  Her daughter is very clearly well again and should come home, however the potential for her to spend more time with Mr. Bingley is simply too beneficial to let pass.  By reviewing these events from the point of view of the Bennets, who often represent the lower socioeconomic class, there is highly evident struggle between those of different classes.  “The theme of family resonates with Austen’s class-driven social criticism, presenting the social rank of the family unit as an all-powerful, shaping force. Through her treatment of courtship and marriage, Austen also draws attention to the deep inequalities between the sexes,” (“Pride and Prejudice”).  As a result of the hyperbolized separation of classes, consciousness becomes an extremely important feature of decision making concerning marriage.  The middle class, like the Bennets, struggle to find available and appropriate candidates for a genuine and deep connection, while the upper class struggles to find love that comes in a somewhat respectable form.  However, both of these struggles result from stereotypes between class and the cultural unwillingness to find true love, no matter the form.  Throughout Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen is frequently seen using the Bennets to portray socioeconomic classes as emotionally separate and isolated from one another.

Not only does Austen create the Bennets to exemplify lack of connection between classes, but she also uses Mr. Wickham to present ingenuine connection.  Though Mr. Wickham is initially seen in a very sympathetic but positive light, as the story progresses, he is seen more and more as a scheming and grubbing scoundrel.  For instance, when Mrs. Gardiner is discussing Mr. Wickham with Elizabeth, she says, “His apparent partiality had subsided, his attentions were over, he was the admirer of someone else,” (Austen 99).  Despite Elizabeth believing that Mr. Wickham was in love with her, and she with him, it appears that his love was simply directed towards her money.  When he found out that someone else, Miss King, was available and much wealthier, he left the prospect of Elizabeth for Miss King.  This both represents the class struggle between the lower status Mr. Wickham, who tries to find ways to vault out of his low class, and Elizabeth, who wants to find love in wealthy men.  Also, as seen in his past, “Mr. Wickham’s chief object was unquestionably my sister’s fortune, which is thirty thousand pounds; but I cannot help supposing that the hope of revenging himself on me, was a strong inducement,” (Austen 131).  Mr. Wickham’s primary factor in making decisions is wealth, which shows a class struggle because he is uncontent with his current life and will marry into fortune, rather than marry for love.  Furthermore, Mr. Wickham is seen attempting to leech the wealth of Lydia and her family by demanding, “All that is required of you is, to assure to your daughter, by settlement, her equal share of five thousand pounds…and, moreover, to enter into an engagement allowing her, during your life, one hundred pounds per annum,” (Austen 193).  Mr. Wickham is manipulating Lydia to make such agreement terms because she is in love with Mr. Wickham, however, he simply wants her family’s money.  His actions, as seen previously are almost solely dictated by the possibility that he could scale the social ladder to the upper class.  This, however, is nearly impossible with his unquenchable gambling habit.  Jane Austen’s portrayal of Mr. Wickham and his attempts to find wealth rather than love in relationship aid in illustrating the lack of emotional connection between those of different socioeconomic class.

Austen furthermore uses those in high socioeconomic position to set moments where prejudices prevent strong inter-class connections.  For many of characters of high social order, they feel there is an abstract line that completely separates their fine tastes from the tastes of the lowly middle classes.  When interacting with the Bennets for the first time, Lady Catherine de Bourgh comments with some surprise, “Aye, no doubt; but that is what governess will prevent, and if I had known your mother, I should have advised her most strenuously to engage one,” (Austen 108).  Austen uses Lady Catherine to portray the way that the wealthy “look down upon” the middle class Bennets by having her use a somewhat demeaning connotation.  Austen is trying to create a further philosophical distinction that already exists socioeconomically.  Another instance where those in the high socioeconomic class look down upon those below them is seen in the Miss Bingley mocks Elizabeth and the Bennets, “Pray, Miss Eliza, are not the —–shire militia removed from Meryton?  They must be a great loss to your family,” (Austen 171).  Miss Bingley’s spiteful comment about the socioeconomic status of the Bennet family further characterizes the general distaste between middle and upper classes of the social scale.  Austen is further creating an antagonist that can be seen in the most of the upper class, rather than a singularity.  Though the upper class can in some ways be seen as the antagonist, there are others that perceive the cultural traditions of England to be the real difficulty.  “Most ‘respectable’ middle- and upper-class figures, such as Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy, strongly disapproved of the immorality of Regency culture,” (“Historical Context: Pride and Prejudice”).  By the conjecture that higher classed people disapproved of the French influence on English culture, the author is also pointing to the idea of upholding class structure and the boundaries that compose it.  This concept also extends to marriage because the traditional values of marriage were somewhat of a same class marriage system.  In short, Jane Austen’s method of establishing relationships, or a lack thereof, between classes that show their general distaste for one another accurately depicts her thoughts on the lack of true connections between classes.

Jane Austen also creates lower class characters that make many of their decisions with the incurring social ramifications kept in mind.  During the time of Pride and Prejudice and its writing, people in the the middle classes of society often had reputations built upon their ability to marry off their children to respectable spouses.  This is portrayed in the Bennets in many instances, such as when Mrs. Gardiner is speaking to Elizabeth, “But as it is–you must not let your fancy run away with you…You must not disappoint your father,” (Austen 95).   By Mrs. Gardiner openly warning Elizabeth about the social ramifications of her marrying Wickham, she is using class consciousness and prudence as the primary factor in her advice.  Mrs. Gardiner admits that she has nothing against Mr. Wickham personally, however his low socioeconomic status is appalling to her.  Also, within the Bennet family, the potential for marrying off the children to some of the wealthy men in and around Meryton is exhilarating.  For instance, when Mrs. Bennet learns of the marriage between Lydia and Wickham, “Mrs. Bennet could hardly contain herself… To know that her daughter would be married was enough,” (Austen 195).  The circumstances of Lydia’s marriage are unusual to say the least, but Mrs. Bennet does not care, as she has now had one of her daughters married off.  She somewhat disregards the fact that Wickham is forcing them to pay him to stay married to her, Wickham has demanded a substantial amount of money presumably from the Gardiners; not only this, but she is ignorant to the fact that he is literally a “gold-digger”.  Many historians and literary critics agree in the belief that the social results of marriage during the time were almost the sole motive for decisionmaking.  One such conjecture made is:

The concepts of pride and prejudice weave into a social commentary about Austen’s class-driven society, in which social position was a determining factor in people’s prospects and destinies. Many scholars and critics have noted that in her work the author frequently expresses the notion that people are deemed virtuous by others because of their social standing, rather than their actions or their true character. (“Pride and Prejudice”)

This illustrates the idea of aestheticism throughout Pride and Prejudice that has a tendency to dominate decisions.  Characters, like Mrs. Gardiner and Mrs. Bennet, often consider what may happen as a result of an action or the lack thereof.  Through much of the plot, Jane Austen makes these characters and others maintain their careful reading of situations and the possible results before making a decision.

Additionally, those in the higher classes within Pride and Prejudice are sculpted by Austen to make their decisions with careful consideration of the ensuing consequences.  Those in the upper classes of society are often portrayed as stiff, strong willed, judgemental people that have difficulty overcoming prejudices.  For instance, when Mr. Darcy is discussing the situation of the Bennets with Ms. Bingley, he points out, “But it must very materially lessen their chance of marrying men of any consideration in the world,” (Austen 25).  Austen is using Darcy’s outright admission that the Bennets are not wealthy enough to attract men to marry their daughters in order to characterize his hard exterior towards anyone of lower class.  She is trying to create both a distinction between the upper and middle class, as well as illustrate the distaste between the two classes.  Lady Catherine de Bourgh, who is Darcy’s aunt, also has a tendency to make the same judgements and has difficulty moving on from them, such as when she learns of Elizabeth’s affection for her nephew, “But your arts and allurements may, in a moment of infatuation, have made him forget what he owes to himself and to all his family,” (Austen 227).   Lady Catherine de Bourgh is in angered disbelief at the notion of someone as low class as Elizabeth Bennet marrying someone as high class as Mr. Darcy.  She displays her anger by condemning the potential marriage, despite Elizabeth strongly defending the idea.  In this moment, Lady Catherine displays class consciousness for her family, in Darcy and herself, and her concern for the sullied reputation of her family in Darcy marrying someone with such little socioeconomic status.  Critics have also made points that Austen uses the upper socioeconomic plane as a point of reference for passing judgement based on the appearance of things.  For example one critic states, “These…ambiguities concerning the private self and its relation to custom and community make themselves felt in Pride and Prejudice. Austen tempers her affirmation of individual happiness as an ideal by means of a deep aesthetic vigilance over its possible excesses,” (Brown).   By confirming the idea that aestheticism is a driving force of decisions in Pride and Prejudice, the author helps to reinforce the idea of weak emotional love among most marriages because most of marriages are socially due to the economic class of the spouse and how well they (and their family) can support the marriage financially.  In short, Austen’s characterization of those in the higher classes of society is used carefully to show the prejudices that affect decision making.

Emily Bronte’s synthesis of caustic relationships between socioeconomic classes in Wuthering Heights are a key in character development, as seen in Heathcliff and the upper classes of society.  In the early stages of the plot of Wuthering Heights, Heathcliff is the subject of much disdain from those in the upper class, including when he first arrives and, “They entirely refused to to have it in bed with them, or even in their room, and I had no more sense, so, I put it on the landing of the stairs…” (Bronte 27).  The fact that Nelly is referring to another human being as an “it” is the first distinct instance of definite class division and the attitudes that result from such divisions.  Additionally, the fact that neither child, Hindley nor Catherine, would dare let a gypsy sleep anywhere near them also shows some of the preconceived notions that different socioeconomic classes have for each other.  Also, when Hindley becomes the master of Wuthering Heights, “He drove him from their company to the servants, deprived him of the instructions of the curate, and insisted that he should labour out of doors instead, compelling him to do so, as hard as any other lad on the farm,” (Bronte 33).  Hindley’s pushing of Heathcliff essentially into slavery immediately upon returning from schooling shows his obvious distaste for Heathcliff.  Bronte uses the method of his retribution to illustrate where Hindley spitefully feels that Heathcliff belongs in society.  Literary analysis of Heathcliff’s childhood as Bronte wrote it sees similar points being made; “Initially…The reader sympathizes with Heathcliff, the gypsy oppressed by a rigid class system and denigrated as ‘imp’ or ‘fiend’,” (“Wuthering Heights as a Socio-economic Novel”).  As seen in the beginning of the novel, Heathcliff is seen tormented, both purposefully and inadvertently, by those of high socioeconomic status.  This results in his hatred of the upper class and those that hold the status, and propels the plot of the novel.  Not only does Heathcliff feel the torment of physical labor, “He…turns to the lively, spirited, fearless girl who alone offers him human understanding and comradeship. And she, born into the world of Wuthering Heights, senses that to achieve a full humanity, to be true to herself as a human being, she must associate herself totally with him in his rebellion against the tyranny of the Earnshaws and all that tyranny involves,” (“Wuthering Heights as a Socio-economic Novel”).  By asserting the point that Heathcliff is driven by his oppression by the upper classes of society, the author is also illustrating both the bitter attitudes that people of different classes may feel for one another as well as the passionate grudges that are held as a result of such feelings.  Bronte uses Heathcliff’s oppression at the hands of the high classes of society to characterize the volatile and bitter relationships between different classes.

As a result of Bronte’s established bitterness between socioeconomic classes, many higher class character’s actions in Wuthering Heights are driven by passion.  This is most evidently seen in Heathcliff’s adulthood after he has returned to Wuthering Heights and Thrushcross Grange.  For instance, when Heathcliff is discussing his plans with Catherine, he makes clear that, “I’m trying to settle how I shall pay Hindley back.  I don’t care how long I wait, if I can only do it, at last,” (Bronte 44).   As a result of his poor treatment, Heathcliff wants to take revenge upon Hindley; this statement, as well as Hindley’s actions, show the distaste between the different socioeconomic classes and what both are willing to do with with the class of their effectors in mind.  Also upon Heathcliff’s return, “He had grown a tall, athletic, well-formed man… looked intelligent, and retained no marks of former degradation,” (Bronte 70).  Despite being the gypsy of Edgar, Catherine, and Hindley’s childhood, Heathcliff scales the socioeconomic scale against all odds and rounds out to be a seemingly very fine gentleman.  Not only does Heathcliff’s appearance vexate Edgar, his striking into wealth also makes Edgar very jealous of Heathcliff.  Based on their childhood, Edgar was supposed to end up “on top” and Heathcliff was supposed to fade out into obscurity, at least as far as the cultural and social norms were concerned.  As for Edgar, he is driven to make passionate decisions mostly by the actions of Heathcliff.  For instance, when Heathcliff and Isabella elope together, Edgar declares, “…hereafter she is only my sister in name: not because I disown her, but because she has disowned me,” (Bronte 98).  Edgar feels betrayed by his sister, who has eloped with Heathcliff, based on the fact that in his eyes, Heathcliff is still just a gypsy boy whom Isabella should not be associating herself with in any way.  Bronte uses this to illustrate the conflict between classes as well as the consciousness within classes.  From a critical standpoint, the relationship between Heathcliff and the whole of society can be seen in a negative tone, however, it is most directed at the upper echelon of society.  “As Heathcliff bitterly notes when he tells the story later to Nelly, Cathy ‘was a young lady and they [the Lintons] made a distinction between her treatment and mine.” … The younger Lintons follow in the footsteps of the older generation’,” (Shapiro).  Following in the traditions of generations past, people of little socioeconomic class, such as Heathcliff in his youth, are fiercely treated as scum, while those of “pure-blood” are given every opportunity in the world to succeed and live a happy life.  This shows evident class consciousness on the part of the Lintons, in their realization that Heathcliff cannot be associated with themselves.  As a result of the bitter ties between the different socioeconomic classes, many of Emily Bronte’s characters commit actions that are driven by passions for and against others.

As with high class characters, Bronte allows characters like Heathcliff to see their hate for other classes materialize in their actions.  Heathcliff’s actions are often seen as iconic to the story and are part of what makes it so unique and ahead of its time.  When Heathcliff discourses his intentions with Catherine, there is a somewhat maniacal tone, like, “I seek no revenge on you.  That’s not the plan… only, allow me to amuse myself a little in the same style…” (Bronte 83).  Though Heathcliff’s thoughts are irrational, the root of his hatred and spite lie primarily in associating Edgar with the high socioeconomic class that stole Catherine from him.  Heathcliff’s plans come into fruition when Isabella reveals “He told me of Catherine’s illness, and accused my brother of causing it, promising that I should be Edgar’s proxy in suffering, till he could get a hold of him,” (Bronte 107).  Heathcliff’s intense hatred for Edgar and the high socioeconomic class spills over into his “marriage” with Isabella, which Austen uses to both further divide the classes and characterize Heathcliff as both irrational, spiteful, and most importantly, passionate.  Later in the novel, Heathcliff’s anger even unnecessarily crosses generations to young Catherine in that, “My lady asked some aid of her, when she first came, but Mr Heathcliff told her to follow her own business, and let his daughter-in-law look after herself,” (Bronte 214).  Heathcliff’s vengeful choice to prevent any of the servants from being kind to or helping young Cathy is directly a result of his hatred of the upper socioeconomic classes, given that Cathy is the offspring of Edgar, whom Heathcliff hates, and the elder Catherine.  The critical lens often sees folly in Heathcliff’s actions against a society that maimed and scarred him, for example, one critic asserts, “…as Heathcliff pursues his revenge and tyrannical persecution of the innocent, the danger posed by the uncontrolled individual to the community becomes apparent…Wuthering Heights may really suggest the necessity of preserving traditional ways,” (“Wuthering Heights as a Socio-economic Novel”).  By illustrating the results of an economically overturned society, Bronte has created a false dichotomy to either uphold all of the traditional components of societal economy or face the severe consequences of a progressive and newer system. In short, Emily Bronte’s creation of a social chaos that results from the passionate actions and decisions of Heathcliff helps to demonstrate her views of passion based decision making.

Throughout both Pride and Prejudice and Wuthering Heights, there are many instances where socioeconomic class is what propels the respective plots deeper into anarchy and chaos.  Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice demonstrates that differences in socioeconomic class cause relationships that are hindered by “first impressions”.  Additionally, those in relationships or potential relationships are very cautious of their decisions due to the social weight that every relationship carries.  Throughout Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte shows the harsh attitudes that classes share for one another, caused both inherently or consequently.  As a result of such bitterness between socioeconomic classes, passion drives many of the decisions that are made as they relate to both classes.  Even in modern society, ties between classes are somewhat weak and prejudiced, despite the passage of time.

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