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
“...Mayella looked as if she tried to keep clean, and I was reminded of the row of red geraniums in the Ewell yard.” (Lee, Chapter 18). Mayella Ewell and her family were very low on the class scale. They lived in a filthy house by the town dump and everyone thought of them as a trashy family. This quote from To Kill A Mockingbird is taking place during the trial of Tom Robinson. Bob Ewell still looks as filthy as usual but Mayella has attempted to keep herself clean because she wants people to look at her differently. Mayella does not want people to compare her to her father. Her father is a slob, filthy, rude, and a trashy man and Mayella wants a better life that that.
Aunt Tam was part of the upper-class people. Even though she had money and was this
"If the Freedom Democratic Party is not seated now, I question American. Is this America, the land of the free and the home of the brave, where we have to sleep with our telephones off of the hook because of our lives be threatened daily, because we want to live as decent human beings in America?" Fannie Lou Hammer before the Democratic National Convention, 1964. Fannie Lou Hamer is best known for her involvement in the Student Nonviolent Coordination Committee (SNCC). The SNCC was at the head of the American voter registration drives of the 1960's. Hamer was a spokeswoman for the Mississippi Freedom Party (MFDP), which ultimately succeeded in electing many blacks to national office in the state of Mississippi. Through her work with the SNCC and her part in the MFDP Hamer has had a large impact in America's History.
I am envious, I don't think I would be if she let me alone, but she comes here with her magnificence and takes the life out of all our poor little things. Everybody knows she's rich, why does she have to keep rubbing it in?'" Cather 68 - While Rosamond. attained a higher status in society through Tom, Kathleen became jealous of such undeserved wealth, which her sister freely and openly displays.... ... middle of paper ...
The lives we lead and the type of character we possess are said to be individual decisions. Yet from early stages in our life, our character is shaped by the values, customs and mindsets of those who surround us. The characteristics of this environment affect the way we think and behave ultimately shaping us into a product of the environment we are raised in. Lily Bart, the protagonist in Edith Wharton’s The House of Mirth, is an exceedingly beautiful bachelorette who grows up accustomed to living a life of luxury amongst New York City’s upper-class in the 20th century. When her family goes bankrupt, Lily is left searching for security and stability, both of which, she is taught can be only be attained through a wealthy marriage. Although, Lily is ashamed of her society’s tendencies, she is afraid that the values taught in her upbringing shaped her into “an organism so helpless outside of its narrow range” (Wharton 423). For Lily, it comes down to a choice between two antagonistic forces: the life she desires with a happiness, freedom and love and the life she was cut out to live with wealth, prestige and power. Although, Lily’s upbringing conditioned her to desire wealth and prestige, Lily’s more significant desires happiness, freedom and love ultimately allow her to break free.
...allowed to reach her American Dream without being frowned upon by others. Materialism, and the fears of judgment, are restrictions for these characters that keep them from reaching their true happiness and American Dreams.
Another factor in the storyline is society's attitude to class differences. Higher classed people were never allowed to socialise with people below their class. For example, Alice who is a young girl born to a rich high-classed family queries why she cannot marry Thomas, a lower classed boy. This is answered by "'Cos he's not a gentleman." Higher classed people were not permitted to marry out of their class. If they did it would be considered shameful and parents would often disown their children. Another example is, "Never was he more ashamed than when he saw their eyes scan his heavy jacket and breeches, his hob-nailed boots and cotton shirt and these were his best clothes" this is when Thomas visits Alexander's house. Alexander is much higher classed. It shows how he feels to be in the company of those higher classed.
The upper middle class focuses most of their time on how to become more important. Anne Elliot is the main character. Anne’s family is of minor nobility. Her father, Sir Walter Elliot, and older sister, Elizabeth Elliot are conceited people only caring about looks and high social rank. Anne had fallen in love with Fredrick Wentworth when she was very young. He was in the navy while at the time ranking in lower social class since he didn’t really make a lot of money. Anne’s father, being the conceited man he is, and Lady Russell, disapproved Anne marrying Frederick Wentworth and found him unworthy because he was not ranked high in social class and had no title. He felt as if he would put a bad reputation on their family’s social class rank and preferred her to be with a more wealthy man to fit more into their high social class standards. This is what persuaded Anne into breaking off the engagement with
While the first sentence is mostly objective description, the second sentence is full of the affectation of a subjective point of view. Aunt Amy is described as wearing a “white collar [that] rose from the neck of her tightly buttoned black basque, and round white cuffs set off lazy hands with dimples in them, lying at ease in the folds of her flounced skirt.” Words like “tightly,” “lazy,” and “ease” seem to describe what would be considered the traditional concept of the Southern woman. The wealthy Southern female is conservative, pure, fragile, peaceful, and delicate. These descriptive words could be viewed as an alignment with the traditional Southern view of women; therefore Amy is “beautiful and charming” in the eyes of the Grandmother and “every older person” and “everyone who had known her.” However, within those same words there appears the rather opposite yet still highly subjective view of the young girls who are attempting to reconcile the new values and ideas of the present with the old traditions of the past. The words “tightly,” “lazy,” and “ease” could be seen from the young girls perspective as negative descriptions suggesting boundaries, confinement, limitations, and exclusion.
She has been behind bars for 13 years. She claims for her situation to be a “Kill or Get Kill” situation. She describes herself as a survivor. Not only is this affecting Stella but it also affects her family. She discuss how hard is to give her grandchildren a reason for committing the crime. Stella is having mental problems and suffering from many illnesses. Not be able to be with her family when and where she desires affects her health. Stella expectations of coming out of prison soon are very high.
of fact daisy is the image of what is supposed to be a high class
...hasize the influences that the upper-class social status has on a person’s lifestyle, behavior, and perspective of others. They also emphasize the social expectations and restrictions for the upper-class women, including their social role, appearance, and personalities. It is indicated from the authors’ literary works, that people are judged based on their social position. Woolf, Austen, and Wilde’s portrayals of the upper-class in their literary works show that an upper-class social status does not ensure happiness.
Class is something that is stressed in the twentieth century. Class is what identified someone to something. These classes could have been money, love, having a disability and many others. In Virginia Woolf’s novel Mrs. Dalloway there are many different types of relationships. In the novel, the reader learns that Clarissa’s husband Richard and her party planning is dominating her, as where Lucrezia’s husband, Septimus, is dominating her. The domination seen in these two ladies is love. Love is an overwhelming power that can influence someone to do something they might have not thought about all the way through, which can ultimately affect their life in the future.
...udice in the social ladder. The Bennet family, although wealthy, was looked down upon, is relation to their social status. They were seen as low on the social ladder, because they had "new money." Lady Catherine, is another example of pride and prejudice displayed through social status, "Now and then they were honoured with a call from her ladyship, and nothing escaped her observation…" Lady Catherine noticed flaws in everyone and used her position and title of "Lady" to rise above everyone and make herself seem superior to them. Her position gives her pride and she flaunts it in a negative way.
...y a set of expectations and values that are established on mannerisms and conduct challenged by Elizabeth. From this novel, it is evident that the author wrote it with awareness of the class issues that affect different societies. Her annotations on the fixed social structure are important in giving a solution to the current social issues; that even the class distinctions and restrictions can be negotiated when an individual turns down bogus first impression s.