# Social Class and Inequality in Lorna Doone

> Theme guide for Lorna Doone by R. D. Blackmore.

The book explores rigid class distinctions, as seen in John Ridd's humble yeoman status contrasted with Lorna's noble birth, and the Doones' aristocratic lawlessness. Characters frequently grapple with the tension between merit and birthright, especially in marriage and justice.

## Where it surfaces

- [I: Elements of Education](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lorna_doone_se/chapters/i-elements-of-education): John Ridd reflects on his station as a yeoman's son and the limits of ambition for a farmer's son in education.
- [An Important Item](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lorna_doone_se/chapters/ii-an-important-item): The division between boarders and day-boys ('caddes') is based on payment for schooling, highlighting class distinctions among the students.
- [An Illegal Settlement](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lorna_doone_se/chapters/v-an-illegal-settlement): The Doones' noble birth contrasts with their descent into robbery, highlighting class tensions and the failure of justice.
- [A Boy and a Girl](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lorna_doone_se/chapters/viii-a-boy-and-a-girl): John reflects on the social gulf between himself as a yeoman's boy and Lorna as a born lady, noting that even generations of training could not give his family her natural noble bearing.
- [A Man Justly Popular](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lorna_doone_se/chapters/xii-a-man-justly-popular): Tom Faggus's downfall is caused by a wealthy baronet's lawsuit, highlighting class power imbalances.
- [A Motion Which Ends in a Mull](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lorna_doone_se/chapters/xiv-a-motion-which-ends-in-a-mull): Uncle Reuben's wealth and town-bred ways create tension with the rural Exmoor folk, reflecting class differences.
- [Quo Warranto?](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lorna_doone_se/chapters/xv-quo-warranto): Uncle Reuben, though wealthy, is treated dismissively by the justices, highlighting the power of landed gentry over merchants.
- [Lorna Growing Formidable](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lorna_doone_se/chapters/xvi-lorna-growing-formidable): John feels acutely aware of his lowly birth and rough manners compared to Lorna's grace and breeding, reflecting the social divide between them.
- [A Long Spring Month](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lorna_doone_se/chapters/xxii-a-long-spring-month): John worries that Lorna's noble lineage makes her unsuitable for him, a yeoman's son, highlighting class barriers.
- [A Great Man Attends to Business](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lorna_doone_se/chapters/xxv-a-great-man-attends-to-business): John, a simple farmer's son, is caught in the legal machinery of London, highlighting the power imbalance between common folk and the aristocratic legal system.
- [Feeding of the Pigs](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lorna_doone_se/chapters/xxxii-feeding-of-the-pigs): The Doones' outlaw status and potential alignment with a Protestant rising for revenge and recovery of estates; the contrast between wealthy landowners and rural farmers.
- [Two Negatives Make an Affirmative](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lorna_doone_se/chapters/xxxiv-two-negatives-make-an-affirmative): John's awareness of his lower social standing compared to Lorna's high birth, and the family's concern over Tom Faggus's outlaw status, highlight class tensions.
- [Ruth Is Not Like Lorna](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lorna_doone_se/chapters/xxxv-ruth-is-not-like-lorna): The chapter highlights the class divide between John the yeoman and Lorna the noblewoman, as well as Mistress Ridd's disdain for Ruth's lower status.
- [Squire Faggus Makes Some Lucky Hits](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lorna_doone_se/chapters/xlvi-squire-faggus-makes-some-lucky-hits): Tom Faggus, a former highwayman turned squire, is judged by his birth and past; John and his mother feel he lacks deference to a 'high lady' like Lorna.
- [Mutual Discomfiture](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lorna_doone_se/chapters/liv-mutual-discomfiture): John's fear that Lorna's noble birth may prevent their marriage highlights class barriers.
- [John Becomes Too Popular](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lorna_doone_se/chapters/lvi-john-becomes-too-popular): Lorna's noble birth and inheritance create tension with John's yeoman status, and the Doones' schemes revolve around her estate.
- [Lorna Knows Her Nurse](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lorna_doone_se/chapters/lvii-lorna-knows-her-nurse): The chapter explores Lorna's noble birth and the Doones' attempt to use her for inheritance, contrasting with the Ridds' humble status and the community's gifts for Annie's wedding.
- [Lorna Gone Away](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lorna_doone_se/chapters/lix-lorna-gone-away): Lorna's noble title and removal to London underscore the class divide between her and John, as well as Lizzie's sarcastic remarks about 'low degree.'
- [LX: Annie Luckier Than John](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lorna_doone_se/chapters/lx-annie-luckier-than-john): The chapter explores attitudes toward aristocracy, with John's family grappling with Lorna's high birth and Lizzie's conflicted views on nobility.
- [Suitable Devotion](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lorna_doone_se/chapters/lxvi-suitable-devotion): John grapples with the disparity between his own humble farming background and Lorna's noble lineage, as detailed by Master Ramsack. The chapter highlights the rigid class structures of the time and John's internal struggle to reconcile love with social standing.
- [LXVII: Lorna Still Is Lorna](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lorna_doone_se/chapters/lxvii-lorna-still-is-lorna): Lorna argues that worldly position is the only obstacle between them, and she dismisses its importance in favor of love.
- [Not to Be Put Up with](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lorna_doone_se/chapters/lxix-not-to-be-put-up-with): John contrasts the nobility of English gentlemen with the tyranny of the Doones, and his own rise from farmer to knight highlights class mobility.
- [How to Get Out of Chancery](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lorna_doone_se/chapters/lxxiii-how-to-get-out-of-chancery): The tension between Lorna's noble status and John's farming background is highlighted through discussions of money, land, and the legal obstacles to their marriage.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lorna_doone_se/themes/social_class_and_inequality
- Themes index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/lorna_doone_se/themes