The Wealth of Nations · Character
Masters
Employers who command labour and capital, shaping wages and working conditions through the quiet leverage of ownership rather than open force.
supporting
Also known as Masters, their, masters
First appearance: viii of the wages of labour
As a supporting figure in The Wealth of Nations, Masters is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.
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Masters appear throughout Smith's examples as the party who sets terms, advances stock, and decides when to employ. Their interests rarely align neatly with those of their workers, and Smith treats that friction as…
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See Masters in viii of the wages of labourNarrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This passage marks the story's dramatic climax because it presents the emotional and psychological peak of Smi…
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