Stella Dallas Prouty

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Stella Dallas Stella Dallas, a novel written by Olive Higgins Prouty, is about motherhood and self-sacrifice. Stella Dallas is married to a wealthy man named Stephen Dallas, and they have a daughter named Laurel. Stephen eventually divorces Stella solely due to their class differences. Stephen eventually marries his old love Helen, who’s much wealthier than Stella and is a part of high society. Helen, due to her high-class position, is characterized by Prouty as a perfect mother. She’s portrayed as having natural maternal instincts and is characterized as being a very nurturing and loving mother. In comparison, Stella due to her lack of wealth and low-class position is characterized by Prouty as being overbearing and naive. Prouty’s position in society …show more content…

Helen has always been a member of high society, so she doesn't feel like she needs to prove herself. Stella feels as if she does have to prove herself and tries to appear like she belongs in high society, even though she doesn’t. Her narrow definition of what it means to be upper class is the problem. She married a man from the upper class, but she had no idea what it meant to be a member of high society. This concept is examined in the article "Two Mothers United': Interclass Female Friendship in "Stella Dallas". In the article the author writes, “Stella's working-class roots limit her view of elite society to representations in popular fashion magazines and other popular media, and this limited view results in her gross misunderstanding of what it means to be upper class” (Branham 129). Stella’s quite naive and doesn’t know how to present herself properly. Prouty uses Laurel's interactions with Stella to try and make Stella seem shallow. I was thinking, "What a burning shame you haven't naturally curly hair!" Stella says to Laurel at the start of the book (Prouty 9). Stella continues by saying that they don't have the money for Laurel to get a

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