B**** Betta Have My Money!

     According to Sir Walter Elliot and Elizabeth, social rank is most important. Jane Austen addresses the subject of class in Persuasion to portray how status and class were major values during the 19th century in England. Social hierarchy plays a major role in the fate of the character’s marriages throughout the novel.

     In addition to Persuasion, Jane Austen uses satirical elements to highlight the importance of social classes during the time period in her other novels, such as Pride and Prejudice. Lady Russell is a perfect example of a character from Austen’s novel that speaks in a humorous tone and judgemental approach about lower class characters. For example, Lady Russell convinces Anne not to marry Captain Frederick Wentworth by explaining his low financial status and dangerous companionship. Austen portrays the value of social rank and the consequences that follow afterwards through Lady Russell’s advice to Anne when Austen states, “she had a value for rank and consequence, which blinded her a little to the faults of those who possessed them," (Austen 15). Lady Russell stresses that Wentworth is not worth marrying because he does not have enough money or high rank to marry someone in Anne’s league. Lady Russell respects Sir Walter Elliot since he has a hereditary title, and she is the widow of a knight.

     Sir Walter Elliot is another character who values social class in Persuasion. His character is very vain and he tends to judge many individuals of lower class. His judgements toward poorer characters are ironic because he is in severe debt at the moment and fears that he will lose his high social class label so he makes fun of others who are dealing with his same financial issues. Austen demonstrates how social rank is not challenged in Anne and Wentworth’s happy ending when she states, “On the contrary, when he saw more of Captain Wentworth, saw him repeatedly by daylight, and eyed him well, he was very much struck by his personal claims, and felt that his superiority of appearance might be not unfairly balanced against her superiority of rank; and all this, assisted by his well-sounding name, enabled Sir Walter at last to prepare his pen, with a very good grace, for the insertion of the marriage in the volume of honour,” (502). Sir Walter Elliot does not want Anne to marry Captain Frederick Wentworth, but eventually approves of their marriage because of his physical appearance, well sounding name, and new successful title in a higher social class rank. 

     Work Cited

Austen, Jane. Persuasion. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 1997. Print.

Everything Is Not What It Seems

Joyce M. Wegs explains Joyce Carol Oates ability to write a grotesque story using disguises to show how everything is not what it seems.  In “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been,” the protagonist, Connie is living during the time period of the sixties when parents did not think to question where their children were all the time. For example, Connie’s father does not care about her and her family or what she was doing when Oates states, “he didn't bother talking much to them,” (Oates 1). Connie’s mother pressures her and makes her feel insecure about her physical beauty. Therefore, Connie puts on a disguise when she leaves her family and can act differently than at home. Oates explains her ability to disguise herself as someone else when she states, “everything about her had two sides to it, one for home and one for anywhere that was not home: her walk, which could be childlike and bobbing, or languid enough to make anyone think she was hearing music in her head” (Oates 1). Connie does not have any confidence because her mother underestimates her at home so when Connie steps out into the real world she feels that she cannot act like her true self.

 In addition, Arnold Friend symbolizes Satan, but is disguised as a boy that Connie would desire. The description of his physical appearance was very grotesque because of how his teenage interests and hairdo were all lies to make Connie think that he was a normal teenage guy. Oates efficiently adds suspense to the story by describing each part of Arnold Friend’s disguise when she states that “he had shaggy, shabby black hair that looked crazy as a wig and he was grinning at her,” (Oates 2). In fact, his hair was a wig. Connie also noticed that he was wearing makeup just like her to disguise himself. Although his outfit was teenager like, his gate gave her an idea that he was much older. Joyce M. Wegs shows Oates symbolism by explaining Arnold Friend’s relation to Satan when she states, “although Connie never specifically recognizes Arnold as Satan, her first comment to him both hints at his infernal origins and faithfully reproduces teenage idiom: Who the hell do you think you are,” (Wegs 103). This question hints the reader that Arnold Friend is a demon like figure. Arnold “Friend” is not a friend in any way, but creepily can read Connie and sees her without her makeup/ disguise on.  Both Arnold Friend and Connie create fake characters to influence the other person to think they are someone that they are not.

Works Cited

Oates, Joyce Carol. “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” New Brunswick:

Rutgers University Press, 2002. Print.

Wegs, Joyce M.  “’Don’t You Know Who I Am?’: The Grotesque in Oates’s ‘Where Are

You Going, Where Have You Been?’” Journal of Narrative Technique 5, 1995. Print.