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The Lady of the Barge · Question
How does The Lady of the Barge develop the theme of Class and Social Mobility?
Answer
The Lady of the Barge by W. W. Jacobs develops Class and Social Mobility across the chapters the companion marks for this theme.
The book explores rigid social hierarchies and the desire to rise above one's station, as seen in the barge skipper's discomfort with a female passenger, the carpenter's envy of his sister-in-law's inheritance, and the pretensions of the doctor and solicitor forced into menial labor.
Professional men are forced into menial labor and treated as lower class, highlighting rigid social hierarchies at sea.
Evidence in the book
- An Adulteration Act
Professional men are forced into menial labor and treated as lower class, highlighting rigid social hierarchies at sea.