# What Social Class and Mobility means in The Rise of Silas Lapham

> The novel explores the tensions between the newly wealthy Lapham family and the established Boston aristocracy, highlighting the challenges and prejudices faced by those attempting to rise in social status.

## Explanation

The novel explores the tensions between the newly wealthy Lapham family and the established Boston aristocracy, highlighting the challenges and prejudices faced by those attempting to rise in social status.

The Laphams grapple with their social standing, feeling the sting of the Coreys' polite condescension and considering building on Beacon Street to improve their position.

Lapham's building of a grand house on the Back Bay symbolizes his aspiration to rise socially, while his architectural choices reveal the tension between his rustic tastes and the refined expectations of upper-class Boston.

The conversation between Tom and Bromfield Corey explores the tensions between old money and new money, and the social mobility of the nouveau riche in Boston society.

The chapter explores the clash between old-money Boston society (the Coreys) and the newly wealthy Laphams, as seen in Mrs. Corey's distaste for the paint business and the Laphams' social standing.

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