More handpicked essays just for you.
Class structure in Britain in the 1920's
Class structure in Britain in the 1920's
Class distinction in britain during the 1900's
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Class structure in Britain in the 1920's
Saturday Night and Sunday Morning is a novel following the rebellious life of twenty-two year old Arthur Seaton. Arthur spends his weekdays working at a bicycle factory and relaxes on weekends with plenty of drinks while in the company of various lady friends. The novel was written by Alan Sillitoe who came to be known as one of the “angry young men.” This group of writers was a dominant literary force during the 1950s and was immensely popular due to their accurate portrayal of postwar Britain and the working class. The angry young men produced a number of books (amongst other things) expressing their contempt with the class system, postwar welfare state and the lack of class change post war, the disdain of these issues are very prominent throughout Sillitoe’s novel. The 1950s was also known, as ‘the age of affluence’, which was a period of time featuring high employment rates, wage increases, and rising consumer purchases. From 1951 to 1961 the average weekly income of men rose from 8.30 pounds per week to 15.35 pounds per week. With employment levels running high and production up, items once unobtainable by the lower classes soon became everyday household objects. For example, television sets were rare during the early 1950s but by the early 1960s seventy-five percent of households had one. Sillitoe alludes to this growth in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning when Arthur makes a statement about seeing antenna’s on almost every chimney on the street. The angry young men were a group of writers who expressed their distain for the government through their work. The writers were angry for various reasons, but one such reason was that after the war the British government worked hard to implement the new welfare state. The legisl... ... middle of paper ... ...book needed to be to changed in order for the film to get released: the termination of Brenda’s pregnancy, love scenes needed to be toned down and Arthur’s violent beating by Winnies husband when he finds out Arthur has been messing with her in his absences. Both the novel and the film went on to become a success because of their accurate portrayal of the working class. Critics proclaimed the novel was a “uniquely true picture of industrial working-class life from the pen of a working-class writer.” Sillitoe’s novel Saturday Night and Sunday Morning gives a clear insight into post war British society, The main character Arthur is a rebellious young man who lives his life by doing just enough work to get by The angry young men were a group of writers who emerged during the 1950s and expressed their angry with the government and post war life through their writing.