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The Trail of the Serpent · Theme

Social Class and Inequality

How The Trail of the Serpent develops Social Class and Inequality.

The book contrasts the lives of the wealthy in places like Park Lane with the poverty of Seven Dials and Slopperton, highlighting how social class determines fate, opportunity, and moral judgment, as seen in the workhouse origins of Jabez North and the disdain for the poor.

Where it surfaces

  • The Good Schoolmaster

    Jabez's origin as a workhouse foundling and his rise through the social hierarchy highlight class divisions and the arbitrary nature of names and status.

  • VI: Two Coroner’s Inquests

    The contrast between the sensational interest in a murder in a 'respectable rank of life' versus the indifference toward the death of a poor drowned woman, whose body is buried in a parish burying-ground without recognition.

  • I: Blind Peter

    The contrast between Mrs. Marwood's wealth and the poverty of Blind Peter highlights class divisions; Jabez's respectable appearance masks his true intentions.

  • Like and Unlike

    The stark contrast between Jabez's relatively comfortable position and the Lomax family's destitution highlights class divisions.

  • I: The Value of an Opera-Glass

    The contrast between the opulent opera house and the mention of 'misery, starvation, vice, crime, and death' beneath Paris's roofs underscores class divisions.

  • Working in the Dark

    The power dynamics between the wealthy Marquis de Cevennes, the lounger, and the servant Finette illustrate class hierarchies and the exploitation of the lower classes.

  • The Count de Marolles at Home

    The opening contrasts the lives of the rich in Park Lane with the poor in Friar Street, yet notes that sorrow and death visit both alike.

  • The New Milkman in Park Lane

    The chapter highlights the rigid class distinctions among servants and between servants and their masters, as seen in Mrs. Moper's aspirations and the Count's aloofness.

  • IV: What They Find in the Room in Which the Murder Was Committed

    The contrast between the dilapidated 'Bargeman's Delight' and the middle-class home of Martha Jones highlights class divisions, while Peters' low status prevented him from testifying at the trial.