Theme Of Class Struggle In Charlotte Temple

Women, especially were inclined to be criticized or ostracized if they did not follow society’s gender roles. They were thought to be mothers and the main caretakers of the family. At the time, women were seen as delicate and feminine. Their work was found in the house with domestic duties. Charlotte Temple, by Susanna Rowson describes the ideal women and was specifically targeted to “factory girls” who left their homes in the farms to work in the city (Rowson, xii). Mrs. Temple, Charlotte Temple’s mother, decided not to let her grief consume her and instead focused on making her husband happy and taking care of her father after Charlotte left (Rowson, 56). If a woman was not committed to one man, then she was not the ideal woman. Mademoiselle La Rue, Charlotte’s teacher, was far from a role model. She was scandalous because she “eloped from a convent with a young officer” and she even had to hide it to get a job at the school (Rowson, 26). Moreover, women with no financial fortune were unfit to marry. Marriage was a financial transaction and a man’s success required that he married someone wealthy. Montraville’s father explains to his son that he would be happy if his son were to marry a woman with a fortune, but if he was to marry a woman with no fortune he’d be sticking her into the evils of a small income with a potential

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 major argument throughout the book is that religion and the color of the skin effect social norms and how they are enacted but I also think it brought new prospects for women by the seventeenth century. For example, in the case of Eliza Lucas Pinckney. Eliza Lucas Pinckney has a new job that forced her “to master both male and female roles within her culture"

Women in society sometimes are subject to objectification, meaning they are treated as a mere object; unequal to men. In the novel, The House of Mirth, by Edith Wharton, this holds true, except, women are said to be equal to men, but are not treated in this exact manner. Lily is apart of the upper class society of New York and attends parties, gambles all her money, and throughout the whole book tries to marry a rich man. Wharton’s feminism is apparent in the way she treats Lily; Lily gets through society, merely by keeping up her appearances. Beauty and appearance are everything in this society, if you are beautiful you will get far in society, however, the only thing Lily is lacking is wealth. In the novel, feminism is present with the idea of appearances and the symbol of money is used to convey that men are needed to control a women’s social stability.

In its simplest form, Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre tells the story of a young woman, Jane Eyre, who grows up poor, makes the decision to be independent, does so, and, eventually, marries rich. The novel follows her from her childhood to her reunion with the love of her life and she, throughout it, deals with classism and sexism and exhibits her own form of feminism. By the end, it becomes clear that, with this semi-autobiographical novel, Charlotte Bronte was providing a criticism on society’s discrimination toward those of a lower class, a subtle argument against the male-dominated society’s treatment of women, and an even subtler call to action for women to find their own agency outside of the men in their lives. On another end, however,

Charlotte Temple was a novel written by Susanna Rowson, in 1791 in England under the title Charlotte; or, a Tale of Truth. Although it is not technically an American but British novel, Charlotte Temple became extremely popular in America after the America Revolution. Rowson arrived in Philadelphia in 1793 in hope for better financial fortunes. She was successful. In 1794, Charlotte Temple was republished in America and became the country’s first best-seller. In the novel, Susanna Rowson frequently interrupts the story to addresses her readers directly. She reveals that her target audience for her novel is as she addresses them “dear girls.” She, also, addresses men or older women who might be reading the book, suggesting that she anticipated

The Victorian era set for a “women's status in a newly industrializing society” throughout Braddons novel we can see this change by which Lady Audley took initiative into herself into getting what she wanted, though she used it by the help of men. We see a different outlook of women throughout the novel. Though this aspect of women being sensitive is still shown in the novel through. She uses whatever she has and turns into the best she can be. This motto is used though various successful men, in which the typical low-income man builds himself from nothing as Mr Tallboys shows when his wealth is taken from him and he builds himself up from absolutely nothing to this man with immense wealth. Lucy as Robert knows her does the same in which she comes from a troubled childhood and transforms herself into a woman into this “high class” society who is filled with wealth and jewels. Basically shows the same problem but we see the in justness of women that she went through far more obstacles than Mr. Talboy’s for her gender enabled her for doing her as mr talboys did and be as simple as getting a job she had to make ends meet through her body. These two instances show the feminist aspect in which both a man and woman face the struggle of no wealth and building themselves

With Susanna Rowson’s publication of Charlotte Temple and its acceptance within society as the bestselling book in America, there is evidence that the responsibilities, such as writing, that women could perform increased. However, the contents of Charlotte Temple itself suggests that women continued to be viewed as weak by society. Not only is the titular character, Charlotte, indecisive which allows herself to be seduced by a man against her better judgement, she also becomes so overwhelmed by what occurs around her that she often faints, a symbol of her innate weakness. When Montraville, her seducer, attempts to usher her into his carriage that will take them to America, “The chaise [drives] off. She [shrieks], and faint[s] into the arms of her betrayer” (48).

Charlotte Temple is a seduction novel written by Susanna Rowson that tells a story about a British soldier, Montraville, who seduces a British schoolgirl, Charlotte, into falsely loving him and following him away to America, where Charlottes tragic life will unfold. Montraville takes advantage of Charlottes love for him and promises her that he will marry her one day and he also tells Charlotte that her parents would be proud and happy to hear that their daughter ran off with a man of honor. This manipulative and strategic doing of Montraville will continue up until the day Montraville leaves Charlotte due to the mistrustful actions of Belcour and Charlotte. The treatment and equality that the women have, or do not have, in the 18th century is evident in the novel by Rowson which is displayed by many factors such as Charlottes inability to live a happy life simply because the expectations of women during this time were standardized by men. Most jobs in the 18th century needed quite an amount of physical strength so jobs were mostly occupied by men, married women mostly did not work and many single women were private servants. The expectations of women in the 18th century that were set by men, halted the progress women were taking to try and step by step, alter the time ahead of women’s rights and equality so that the tales of Charlotte Temple would be one short told by women in the future.

After post seventeenth century literature, figurative and literal representations illustrate the human body as a commodity in the American culture. Whether through the purchase of the slave trade or the purchase of sex through women, the human bodies, physical representation determined the presence and absence of worth. In Olaadau Equiano’s, The Interesting Narrative and Other Writings, bodies suffer at the hands of society's desire for greed as Equiano illustrates the ultimate worth and the effects of the body through the medium of money. Similarly, in Susan Rowson’s, Charlotte Temple, the young character’s physical form is regarded more valuable based on a dowry which is needed to preserve one's self. In the failed transaction of marriage, Charlotte’s physical health and appearance illustrates her worthlessness. The element

Although she at times opposes what would be expected, like when she decided to pay the extra shilling to the man carrying her trunk, against Mr. Grummage’s orders (14). She always easily goes back to the fact that she “ had been trained to obey, educated to accept” (21). Charlotte dressed like a young woman and had never even thought about dressing differently (5). She “ certainly wanted to be a lady” (5).

Our history illustrates the journey of human civilization. What we learned from history is that we grow and progress as a society because we learn from past mistakes and build off of them. Change is essential to this process of societal growth and development. Edith Wharton introduces the world to a special novel that targets the gender inequality and double standards present in America during the late 19th century. Specifically, she outlines the everyday life of New Yorkers during a period of fault where men majorly held the position of power in society. Newland Archer is the medium of which Wharton uses to show how sinister a patriarchal society can be. Most readers will see the book only as shame to sexism, but Wharton actually has a more profound conflict that she is trying to portray to the reader, and it is that very ubiquitous theme that helps facilitate the growth of humanity. In the novel The Age of Innocence, Edith Wharton transcends the idea of patriarchal oppression and emphasizes a central motif of rejection to change because of the unforgiving nature of old New York society, which can be demonstrated by Newland Archer’s fiancee May Welland and the relationship between Newland Archer and Ellen Olenska.

Susanna Rowson uses Charlotte’s seduction in Charlotte Temple to warn of the situations and interactions that can lead any woman, even one brought up with virtue, into a sinful and compromising situation. With seduction, she also shows how compromising one’s virtue, even once, can lead to a slippery slope of immoral decisions. In addition, she warns parents to be wary of allowing their children to be in the presence of immoral people because they may influence their impressionable children and teenagers.

At the beginning of the Victorian Period, both single and married women’s rights were limited. The changes during this era in the identity of genders are represented in the characters the author Wilkie Collins describes. For example, Marian Halcombe is characterized as strong and predominant. She is Laura’s voice when regarding to her husband and protects her throughout the story. Although Marian knows her role as a woman in society, she disapproves with the beliefs of the era. On the other hand, Laura personalizes the conventional quiet woman that obeys customs. To emphasize this, in Collin’s novel, he lets the reader know that Laura is marrying the man that her father approved even though he is now dead. When she marries, her rights legally belong to her husband and is treated with the laws and customs of the Victorian era. Throughout this period, the distinction between classes was also notable. Comparatively, The Woman in White presents how the middle class as Laura and her uncle refer to the working class, Fanny the maid. Even though Fanny has always been their maid and is the only person they trust, they only communicate with her at their convenience. Moreover, Mr. Fairlie does not even call the maid by her name, but refers to her as “Young Person”. Certainly, the Victorian Period was a significant impact in the novel where

The women in Lily's Society, whom she is trying to imitate, achieve a strong financial status through marriage. With marriage, comes a new moral license where these women indulge in affairs to satiate their longings. Lily, who3 has been trying to adopt the standards of this frivolous, mercenary society, gradually starts disengaging herself from it. This movement away from the wealthy patriarchal world, her failure to adopt its standards of morality and femininity pushes her into the abyss of destruction. Failure in imitating the codes of feminine phase decentralizes her existence and the derailing leads to devastation. Edith Wharton positions Lily as a woman who is encapsulated to play a fixed role. She delineates Lily's plight caught in as