The Little White Bird · Theme
Social Class and Ambition
How The Little White Bird develops Social Class and Ambition.
Social class is subtly examined through Mary's humble origins as a nursery governess, her marriage to a struggling painter, and her efforts to create a beautiful home from meager means, reflecting aspirations and societal constraints.
Where it surfaces
- III: Her Marriage, Her Clothes, Her Appetite, and an Inventory of Her Furniture
Mary's marriage and her efforts to create a genteel home from meager resources highlight the struggle for upward mobility and the performance of respectability.
- A Shock
Mary's secret pawnshop visit underscores the financial struggles beneath a respectable exterior.
- The Inconsiderate Waiter
The narrator's discomfort with William's familiarity and his efforts to maintain social distance while secretly helping.
- XII: The Pleasantest Club in London
Irene, a Drury Lane child, tells the Cinderella story with a longing to become a lady, revealing her secret ambition and the class barriers she faces.