The Getting of Wisdom · Theme
Class, Money, and Social Status
How The Getting of Wisdom develops Class, Money, and Social Status.
Laura's family's relative poverty and her mother's unconventional taste in dress mark her as an outsider among wealthier classmates, leading to constant mortification and the need for subterfuge to hide her financial limitations.
Where it surfaces
- III
Laura's mother is perceived as 'stuck-up,' and Laura feels her clothes are not what they ought to be, highlighting class consciousness.
- VII
The chapter highlights class distinctions among the students, from the daughters of poor ministers to wealthy heiresses, and Laura's sense of inferiority.
- The Purple Dress and the Price of Conformity
Laura's poverty and small allowance force her into 'countless small subterfuges,' while Tilly's wealth highlights the class divide.
- XI
Laura's fear of being exposed as the daughter of a working mother highlights the intense social stigma attached to trade and women's labor.
- XII
Laura reflects on how her own experience with poverty allows her to understand Annie Johns' motive for stealing a tram-fare, contrasting with the wealthier girls who cannot comprehend such need.
- XIV
The invitation to the 'big house' and the promenade on Collins Street reflect the social aspirations and class distinctions among the girls.
- XVI
The Shepherds' modest home, bare mutton-bone, and saving for Robby's degree highlight their precarious middle-class striving.
- XXII
Evelyn's wealth and sophistication contrast with Laura's drab background, highlighted by the dinner at a hotel and Evelyn's elegant mother.