Journey's End and the Accrington Pals - Class System

The contemporary reviewers of Bleak House fall into two categories when discussing its structure. There are those who like it and there are those who do not. More specifically,

Throughout the course of history, social hierarchies have existed across the globe, spanning from prince to pauper or business tycoon to lowly scrivener. Authors, in turn, have written works regarding social class, often examining the negative effects of societal structure on personal growth. Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre takes place in Victorian England, in the age of industry and genesis of industrial capitalism. The novel’s protagonist, Jane, first lives a life of neglect, then a life in poverty, and eventually finds her happy ending. Through Jane’s personal experiences and interactions with fellow characters, Brontë analyzes the effects of social class. Professor Chris Vanden Bossche’s article analysis “What Did ‘Jane Eyre’ Do? Ideology, Agency, Class and the Novel” examines social inclusion and monetary pressures placed on the central characters during this pivotal era of English history. Through the Marxist lens, Jane Eyre can be understood in terms of complexity and character motives. Vanden Bossche effectively argues that external forces, like money and people, both motivate and repress Jane into choosing her own path. Thus, a more developed explanation is made for Jane’s various behaviors regarding social inclusion and societal rebellion.

One reoccurring point in the novel that the reader is quickly made aware of is how important a good meal can be to a soldier’s mentality. In the beginning of the novel the reader comes to learn that Paul and his fellow soldiers are currently celebrating because they are receiving double rations of food and other supplies after their company loses 70 soldiers the day before. This excitement, despite the fact that they had just lost almost half of the soldiers in their company, shows how

Even if it meant paying out of pocket from their meager pay, Officers expected Soldiers to buy shoe polish, emery, and oils to clean and maintain uniforms before spending any left over money on food to supplement their standard bread rations. Officers had high expectations of and took pride in their units because they identified with the state’s cause and shared its motives, as previously mentioned. Officers’ pride manifested in the form of strict standards enforced on the enlisted rank and file. In some cases, enlistees too developed such pride in their service, as Ulrich Baker, a peasant who was “duped” into military service, tells in his memoirs. When he returned home after his time in battle, he wore his uniform to church with a sense of accomplishment.

The novel in which Jane Eyre stars in can be seen criticizing many aspects of those times such as the role and nature of women, child negligence and social hardships for those in a lesser class. Jane Eyre’s alienation from society allows for a greater reveal of the story’s culture, values, and assumptions. It’s presented through the use of gender, class and character conflicts throughout the story. On multiple occasions, Jane is judged for the presented factors reflecting the type of society Jane lives in and what the times were like at that time.

The soldiers also lacked nutritious food that contained no meat. Dr. Waldo, a surgeon at Valley Forge described the food as “poor” and “nasty cookery”. He also described a small protest among the men due to the lack of meat in their food. Finally, during this cold winter, many of the soldiers

While presenting itself as an institution of the upmost moral character, the Devon School is really the breeding ground for broken students. As a result it is this very framework, the war and the prestige of a distinguished academy, which caused these students to break. The youth at this school were forced to put up with emotional struggle after struggle, and that reflects the harsh setting of this story.

The hypocrisy of the power structure in society is also expressed by the wretched condition of the “hapless” soldiers. The following accusatory lines strongly reveal this hypocrisy associated with the bleakn physical environment of London:

Based on the ideas of Karl Marx, this theoretical approach asks us to consider how a literary work reflects the socioeconomic conditions of the time in which it was written. What does the text tell us about contemporary social classes and how does it reflect classism? Jane Eyre depicts the strict, hierarchical class system in England that required everyone to maintain carefully circumscribed class positions. Primarily through the character of Jane, it also accents the cracks in this system, the places where class differences were melding in Victorian England. For example, the novel questions the role of the governess: Should she be considered upper class, based on her superior education, or lower class,

Without the uniform and title of a soldier who are they really? If they are not in combat then what is the purpose of their life, “I find I do not belong here any more, it is a foreign world”(168) Paul has returned home but what was once a place he called home has become a distant memory from before he went to war. There is a sense of disconnection to the things that had once brought him joy, “I stand there dumb. As before a judge. Dejected Words, Words, Words- they do not reach me. Slowly I place the books back in the shelves. Nevermore. Quietly, I go out of the room” (173). Disengaged from his former life Paul find himself upset, once upon a time the words on the pages of these books had made an impact on him, entertained him but now feels no connection to these words. They are now unimportant in his new life, he now has no time to worry about what will happen on the next page but only worries about the next chapter in his

Life in the Iron Mills is a novella that is hard to classify as a specific genre. The genre that fits the most into this novella is realism, because of the separation of classes, the hard work that a person has to put into their every day life to try and make a difference, and the way society influences the actions of people and their relationships. However, no matter what genre is specifically chosen, there will be other genres present that contradict the genre of choice. While the novella shows romanticism, naturalism, and realism, this essay is specifically centered around realism. The ultimate theme in Rebecca Davis’ Life in the Iron Mills is the separation of classes and gender. It is the separation of classes when the people in the

One feature that can be seen in this picture is the number and closeness of houses. The houses made of brick are packed together tightly under the train bridge. This shows that space was limited in a quickly industrialising England, especially for the low class such as the workers. The smoke and soot from the trains up above must have covered the homes and people. This image shows the separation of the classes, with the terrible living conditions and closeness of the houses. However, the workers aren’t on the bottom of the socio-economic hierarchy, as they are given some benefits; sturdy houses and a small piece of land in the back, while others live on the street.

Power effectively captures their feelings by supplying the reader with an abundance of quotes that contain complaints over the quality and quantity of rations. One in particular complains of, “pickled beef,” which he said could just as easily be dog instead of beef (258). During this siege the once confident Army of Northern Virginia no longer predicted a quick end of the war. The soldiers echoed an uncertainty for when the war would end while expressing a desire for it to be soon. Power depicts a descriptive picture of the life of the soldier by referencing the numerous hardships including extended periods in the trenches as well as long periods without fresh clothes. Many of the soldiers complained of having tattered and worn-down clothing and expressed strong desires for new clothing. Power further captures their desire by noting opinion of the inspector general of the army who believed that “the small rations and inadequate supply of clothing is doubtless promoting desertion among the men” (224).

Jane Eyre, often interpreted as a bildungsroman, or a coming-of-age story, goes further than the traditional “happy ending,” commonly represented by getting married. Instead, the novel continues beyond this romantic expectation to tell full the story of Jane’s life, revealing her continual dissatisfaction with conventional expectations of her social era; as a result, many literary critics have taken it upon themselves to interpret this novel as a critique of the rigid class system present in 19th century Victorian society. One literary critic in particular, Chris R. Vanden Bossche, analyzes Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre through a Marxist lens, asserting the importance of class structure and social ideology as historical context and attributing this to the shaping of the novel as a whole. This approach of analysis properly addresses Brontë’s purposeful contrast of submission and rebellion used to emphasize Jane’s determined will for recognition as an equal individual.

Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte explore social class in a number of different ways throughout their novels Pride and the Prejudice and Jane Eyre. They do this through the use of stylistic devices which in turn appeals to their different audiences. Both Jane and Charlotte are notable writers for their remarkable texts. Jane Austen is known for playing a revolutionary role in the generation of English female literature, which was counteracted by this piece- and Charlotte Bronte also developed her feminist thoughts, which have been displayed throughout her novels. By analysing social class in Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre this essay will compare these two women writers’ texts and display how social class is presented