Concurring with the Italian proverb “After the game, the king, and the pawn go into the same box”, when a person is done playing chess, all the pieces go back in the same box. Thus, no matter how lofty or lowly their position was in the game, nor the side in which they were, all the pieces share the same crummy dark space. The quote captures the essence of social class and the fact that people are equal no matter their wealth statuses. Similarly, in “Northanger Abbey”, Jane Austen criticizes the emphasis that the society of 19th century England places on wealth and social status. The author does this by highlighting the role that wealth plays on the development of interpersonal relations between characters. Consequently, Austen’s message revolves around the life of Catherine Morland, a naïve young girl eager to discover the lives of the rich. An unlikely interaction occurs between three families, the Morlands, the Allens, and the Tilneys. “Trying to control young minds is like attempting to gain control of a runaway train” as the children from the aforementioned families break all protocol and develop relationships. This analytical paper seeks to identify the influence of wealth on the budding relationships in Austen’s novel.
The friendship between the lead female characters in the novel is “like a hot air balloon, colorful on the inside but full of hot air inside”. Whilst Catherine believes Isabella to be a good friend, she is nothing more than a manipulator. For instance, Catherine serves as a bodyguard to unwanted advances, rather Isabella’s pompous beliefs of catching the attention of people. A good example is presented when Austen writes, “Away they walked to the book; and while Isabella examined the names, it was Catherine's employment to watch the proceedings of these alarming young men” (23). However, Isabella later runs after the two men, very much “like a dog after a juicy bone”, in the guise of showing her new hat to Catherine. On that note, it is safe to argue that Isabella only saw Catherine as a sidekick. One to offer praises where needed and act as the “buffer to bumpy situations”. The unrealistic factor of the relationship is evidenced by Isabella’s decision to toss James, Catherine’s brother, “like yesterday’s news” once she meets Fredrick, a richer man. When Frederick leaves her, Isabella writes a letter to Catherine asking for her help in apologizing to James At this point, Catherine finally realizes Isabella’s false intentions and decides to let her handle her own problems. The rich can use the less fortunate in getting their way as Isabelle does with Catherine. Expecting genuine friendship between the two “will only happen when the sky hugs the earth”.
“Like two peas in a pod”, John is no different from his sister, Isabella. His manipulative ways lead to a sour relationship with Catherine and almost nips the flower that is Henry and Catherine’s love, in the bud. Talking to John is “like talking to a wall” as the man fails to consider neither the views of Catherine nor her relations with other people:
Stop, stop, Mr. Thorpe”, she impatiently cried; "it is Miss Tilney; it is indeed. How could you tell me they were gone? Stop, stop, I will get out this moment and go to them." But to what purpose did she speak? Thorpe only lashed his horse into a brisker trot; the Tilneys, who had soon ceased to look after her, were in a moment out of sight round the corner of Laura Place. (Austen 56)
Because Catherine comes from the middle class society, John feels he can treat her anyhow. His refusing to stop the carriage is not the only time the man fails to listen to Catherine. “A marriage to John would be bad for business” because the social life of Catherine will be in ruins. John’s poor qualities are present in the last chapter as he tells General Finley that Catherine is poor. That particular plan however, “dies a rapid death” when later the happy couple was allowed to wed. John gave up on Catherine without a fight, showing he cares more about money than he claims to love Catherine. It is possible that if Catherine were rich, John would have put more effort in trying to win her over. Maybe he would have also stopped trying to pen her life as he saw fit. In addition, it is clear that those in power will use their position to get what they want. If they do not they ruin the lives of other people as an act of revenge. “An empty drum makes the most noise” and the Allens’ inability to care about other people is not hidden for long because their lose tongues destroy their facades.
People fear the rich, a fact that is acceptable because “money talks louder than any person does”. The rich are also weary of the lower class thinking most are gold diggers. “The rich never sleep and the poor never stop scheming”. When Catherine is introduced to a life of riches, she fails to voice her opinions and allows the richer people to manipulate her actions. However, her detective escapade in the Tilney’s Northanger Abbey takes the cup in the loss of her identity. As she begins to suspect that General Tilney for killing his wife, she starts to carry out investigations by searching the house therefore going against all her personal ideologies. Her previous relationships with Catherine and John seem to cloud her judgment of the wealthy as she starts to suspect the eldest Tilney of murder. It was no wonder that Catherine “felt that in suspecting General Tilney of either murdering or shutting up his wife, she had scarcely sinned against his character, or magnified his cruelty” (Austen 175). However, Catherine and General Tinley are “as close as sheep can afford to approach a wolf” and it is no wonder that the relationship between the two is forced and “like mixing water with oil in the hopes of increasing either one of the two”. The General is materialistic and values money more than he does relationships, hence his insistence for his children to marry into wealthy families. His dismissal of Catherine after finding out she is not rich is a clear indication of the aforementioned materialistic ways. Austen manages to portray the societal understandings of class in the novel. The wealthy are suspicious of the lower class and vise versa.
“One bad apple cannot damage the whole barrel” and Austen portrays this through Henry Tilney and his sister, Eleanor. Despite his rich background, the man displays an air of humbleness and rationality especially in his decision to marry Catherine despite her lower social class and his father’s refusal. In fact, Henry “steadily refused to accompany his father into Herefordshire, an engagement formed almost at the moment to promote the dismissal of Catherine, and as steadily declared his intention of offering her his hand (Austen 176). At the same time, Henry does not try to control Catherine and instead, attempts to advice her whenever he can. Eleanor has the same attitude as she shows genuine affection towards Catherine:
You must write to me, Catherine," she cried; "you must let me hear from you as soon as possible. Till I know you to be safe at home, I shall not have an hour's comfort. For one letter, at all risks, all hazards, I must entreat. Let me have the satisfaction of knowing that you are safe at Fullerton, and have found your family well, and then, till I can ask for your correspondence as I ought to do, I will not expect more. Direct to me at Lord Longtown's, and, I must ask it, under cover to Alice. (Austen 162)
For this reason, despite their father’s ideologies, Eleanor and Henry are not governed by wealth. At the same time, societal class does not interfere with the siblings’ choice of relations. Austen’s inclusion of the two children soothes the sting of manipulation and rejection Catherine faces at the hands of Isabella and John respectively.
Conclusively, Henry and Eleanor are “a balm to the burn” behind Austen’s harsh analysis of England’s societal ranking and the interactions between the different classes. Isabelle and John represent the expected attitude of the rich while Catherine falls in between the two groups. The society has a diverse population governed by thoughts of riches and classifications based on it. However, “kindness is the most important policy in the business of life”. Austen proves this as she takes her reader through “a rollercoaster of emotions” through the experiences of the novel’s protagonist. For example, the aforementioned incident where John refuses to stop the carriage can send a reader into a righteous fury on Catherine’s behalf. Simply because a person is rich does not give them the right to step on other peoples toes. In addition, richness in terms of wealth does not guarantee the same for an individual’s personality and relations with others.
Work Cited
Austen, Jane. Northanger Abbey. New York: Dover Publications, 2000. Print.
