Changing Social
Order in Persuasion
Jane
Austen uses satire in her novels frequently to poke fun at the society she was
living in. In Persuasion, Austen makes remarks
regarding class structure and mobility, along with how people of different
standings viewed each other. Austen
makes Sir Elliot the embodiment of pride and vanity. He is obsessed with his family history and
its placement in society. He even reads
the Baronetcy, the history of his family, for enjoyment as it pleases him to
see his stature in society. Sir Elliot
also looks down on the men of the Navy because he believes the job gives them
an undeserved climb up the social ladder.
He tells his family how being in the Navy “brings persons of obscure
birth into undue distinction, and [raises] men to honours which their fathers
and grandfathers never dreamt of; and secondly, as it cuts up a man’s youth and
vigour most horribly” (Austen 13). Sir
Elliot is part of the landed nobility in England at this time who cherishes his
rank due to birth and appreciates others of his similar standing. Because these new naval officers are gaining
wealth and merit and moving up the social ladder, even though they were not born
with a good standing, Sir Elliot sees them as unworthy of being in the same
level as him. Sir Elliot carries this
bias towards naval officers throughout the novel which shows his character’s
emphasis on pride and rank.
Austen uses Sir Elliot’s
character to show the change in the view of the typical gentleman. During the early 1800s, the time when Austen
was writing Persuasion, England was at war with multiple different nations and
their Navy was at its prime. Naval
officers, having good manners and being strong and independent, were beginning
to be seen as the new gentleman compared to the older landed gentry. Austen uses many characters, such as Admiral
Croft and Captain Wentworth, to show the increased appreciation for the naval
gentleman. When describing Captain
Wentworth, Austen points out how “his genius and ardour had seemed to foresee
and to command his prosperous path… He had distinguished himself, and early
gained the other step in rank and… [has] made a handsome fortune” (Austen
21). When Anne was engaged to Wentworth,
her family and especially Lady Russell did not approve of the match because he
was of lower ranking than Anne. Because
of him being poorer and less noble, Anne called off the marriage. However, after eight years, Wentworth becomes
a prominent naval captain and gains a lot of money, which puts him higher on
the social ladder. His acquirement of
wealth and merit allows him to be seen as more of a gentleman and able
suitor. After learning of Wentworth’s
higher importance, Anne’s family and Lady Russell agree to their marriage and
accepts Wentworth.
Along
with the changing social order, Austen satirizes how people in society viewed
each other. Mary constantly makes
remarks of how the Hayters are of lower standing than the Musgroves so she can
never associate with them. Also, while
in Bath, Sir Elliot makes it a priority to befriend his cousin, Lady Dalrymple,
because she is part of the nobility. Sir
Elliot and Lady Russell are two main characters who value place of birth and
use ranking to decide who they associate with and the appropriateness of
marriages. Elizabeth, being Sir Elliot’s
daughter, does not want to invite the Crofts to dinner because the Elliots do
not want to be associated with them due to their lower standing. Class placement is a frequent motif in Persuasion because social standing
dictates who everyone hangs out with and how people view others.
Works Cited
Austen, Jane. Persuasion. Mineola: Dover Publications, Inc., 1997. Print.
I like your point about the changing social order and class divisions. I would also add Anne as an example. She, in some ways, looks down at her father for being so concerned with rank and privilege, but she refuses to marry Wentworth until he moves up in social standing.
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