Charlotte Temple · Question
How does Charlotte Temple develop the theme of Class and Money?
Answer
Charlotte Temple by Susanna Haswell Rowson develops Class and Money across the chapters the companion marks for this theme.
The book explores how social class and financial status dictate characters' choices and fates, from Mr. Temple's rejection of aristocratic marriage to Charlotte's poverty and dependence.
Mr. Temple rejects the aristocratic tradition of marrying for wealth and status, choosing instead to live modestly and marry for love, while Captain Eldridge's imprisonment for debt highlights the precariousness of financial misfortune.
Temple's willingness to mortgage his fortune to relieve Eldridge contrasts with his father's emphasis on marrying for wealth and status.
Miss Weatherby's wealth and social status drive the plot, as her fortune tempts the Earl and contrasts with Temple's choice of modest happiness with Lucy.
Evidence in the book
- II: Domestic Concerns
Mr. Temple rejects the aristocratic tradition of marrying for wealth and status, choosing instead to live modestly and marry for love, while Captain Eldridge's imprisonment for debt highlights the precariousness of financial misfortune.
- IV: Change of Fortune
Temple's willingness to mortgage his fortune to relieve Eldridge contrasts with his father's emphasis on marrying for wealth and status.
- Such Things Are
Miss Weatherby's wealth and social status drive the plot, as her fortune tempts the Earl and contrasts with Temple's choice of modest happiness with Lucy.
- VIII: Domestic Pleasures Planned
The planned celebration—a collation of fruit and sweetmeats in an alcove—reflects the comfortable middle-class domestic sphere.
- X: When We Have Excited Curiosity, It Is but an Act of Good Nature to Gratify It
Montraville's father warns against marrying a woman without fortune, and Montraville's inquiry into Charlotte's dowry underscores the centrality of financial considerations in marriage.
- XVI: Necessary Digression
La Rue's calculated pursuit of Colonel Crayton's fortune and the promise of a settlement highlight the economic motivations behind romantic liaisons.
- A Wedding
La Rue's marriage to Crayton represents a strategic social climb, while Charlotte's lack of protection and status leaves her vulnerable to contempt and abandonment.
- XXVIII: A Trifling Retrospect
Mrs. Crayton's rise to wealth and status despite her immoral conduct critiques the role of fortune and class in determining social standing.
