Erewhon · Question
How does Erewhon develop the theme of Wealth and Social Status?
Answer
Erewhon by Samuel Butler develops Wealth and Social Status across the chapters the companion marks for this theme.
In Erewhon, wealth is equated with virtue and moral worth, with the rich exempt from taxation and revered as 'works of art,' satirizing capitalism and the worship of money.
The narrator's desire to better his fortunes and achieve a position beyond ordinary men drives his exploration and risk-taking.
Social standing depends on maintaining a balance at the Musical Banks, despite the currency having no commercial value, highlighting the performative nature of wealth.
The narrator's pension and physical appearance (light hair) make him an eligible match, despite his dislike of the Nosnibors' worldliness.
Evidence in the book
- Waste Lands
The narrator's desire to better his fortunes and achieve a position beyond ordinary men drives his exploration and risk-taking.
- The Musical Banks
Social standing depends on maintaining a balance at the Musical Banks, despite the currency having no commercial value, highlighting the performative nature of wealth.
- XVI: Arowhena
The narrator's pension and physical appearance (light hair) make him an eligible match, despite his dislike of the Nosnibors' worldliness.
- Ydgrun and the Ydgrunites
The high Ydgrunites are described as gentlemen of courage, honor, and good qualities, linking moral character with social standing and peer influence.
- XX: What They Mean by It
Erewhonians revere wealth as a symbol of duty and exempt the very rich from taxation; the narrator argues that money is a greater aid to culture than poverty.
- XXV: The Machines—Concluded
The counter-argument links machines to extra-corporeal limbs, suggesting that the rich benefit from such 'limbs' and are thus deemed more worthy.
- Escape
The narrator's prosecution is tied to his possession of a watch and attempt to reintroduce machinery, reflecting Erewhon's inverted values.
