'Persuasion', written by Jane Austen in 1817, is a novel that addresses the major social and cultural issues of life in a patriarchal society, in which social class is seen be very important. Because of this, we are able to draw contrasts and similarities between the present day and the 19th century. Social class presents the theme in a number of ways such as; through marriage, class issues, the way people behave because of class, as well as the superficiality of class. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Marriage plays a vital role throughout the novel and social class is important in this as it seems to dictate who should or should not marry. This is demonstrated by saying, “he had purchased independence by joining with a rich woman of inferior birth.” The verb “purchased” conjures up an image to make it seem like it is a transaction rather than the pursuit of love, and this is further emphasized by the noun “independence,” which creates a plethora of meanings and gives the reader the freedom to create your own. interpretations. One of which might be him breaking social norms by marrying someone outside his class, and thus becoming a little more independent as he doesn't rely on social contradictions. Furthermore, as difficult as it is to climb the social ladder to be highly regarded, you must be born rich and not self-made as you would still be considered "lower born". The 19th century reader might be more understanding on this topic as it is common for people to marry only within their own class and marrying someone who does not appear to have the same status as you is frowned upon. However, this is very contrasting in the perspective of modern readers as nowadays marriage has almost no barriers and we are a more welcoming society. There is clear evidence that the social hierarchy presented is defective for a number of reasons, an example of this is presented by saying: "First, as a means of bringing people of obscure origins into undue distinction, and of elevating men to honors which their fathers and grandfathers would never have dreamed of it." The adjective 'obscure' demonstrates how if you are born into a certain wealth or situation, you will be shunned and despised in society, furthermore the adjective 'undue' demonstrates how your future would have already passed away. The negative adverb 'never' shows how it is apparently unattainable, which is completely contrary to what the modern reader may think. Apparently, we modern readers feel as if we are capable of working to get to where we want to be and that where we are born does not represent our future, however this may be completely different from what 19th century audiences would think, as this is what society might deem normal. Being of a high social status makes you feel superior to others, however when Elizabeth and her father are in the presence of someone of even higher status, Anne says that: "wish[es] they had more pride; for" our Lady cousins Dalrymple and Miss Carteret"; "our cousins, the Dalrymples," rang in her ears all day. The comparative "more" shows that Elizabeth and her father lack pride when it comes to knowing someone of higher social standing. he use of the personal pronoun “our” demonstrates how by having these social connections they can be considered high-class By exaggerating the amount that Lady Dalrymple and Miss Carteret are mentioned due to the saying “all day,” we can understand that Anne feels an amount. unbearable to deal with them..