A working class citizen is no less respectable than a gentleman in Biddy’s eyes, it is the character of the person that truly matters. Estella, however, mocks Pip and scoffs at his “coarse hands” and “thick boots”, referring to him as a “common labouring-boy” Raised with the immense fortune of Miss Havisham, Estella has become pretentious, believing Pip to be a worse person because of his social standing. When you have everything given to you in life, you lose appreciation for those around you, becoming detached and cold, Estella tells Pip that in her heart there is “no softness there, no--sympathy--sentiment--nonsense” (238). This contrasts sharply with Biddy’s tender care and help of Pip, through her advice to him and her assistance in his educating himself. Magwitch came into a large fortune through hard work and perseverance, but instead of joining the elite upper echelon of society, he bestows the fortune of Pip,
The biggest change, both economically and socially, facing India during the 20th century was modernization. As the novel unfolds, this unstoppable evolution of forward thinking influences many aspects of Ruku's life in increasingly greater ways. From bringing a factory to her sleepy village to altering her son's lifelong aspirations, modernization and the radical changes that paired with it rattled traditional India. The first affect modernization had on Indian culture is the transformation of the small, quite villages into busier, more industrialized towns. In chapter four, Ruku and her family are mystified at the plethora of workers and supervisors that begin constructing an industrial tannery in their tiny village without warning.
Despite India rising as a modern global economy, it’s working class people lived in excruciating poverty. Balram, the son of a poor rickshaw puller, left his small hometown of Laxmangarh in India to work in New Delhi as a servant and chauffer for Mr. Ashok (a wealthy man) and his family, which consisted of his wife Pinky Madam, his brother the Mongoose, and his father the Stork. Throughout the novel, Balram depicts his attempts to win Ashok’s approval and affection. Despite the few moments where Ashok seemed to consider Balram as more than just an ordinary simple servant, the difference in their socioeconomic status make it impossible for any ongoing contact between them. Eventually, Balram takes advantage of Ashok’s grief and his weakness as a master.
Despite having to pick up their life and leave, the immigrants came in by millions to the United States in the late 19th century and 21st century to build better lives for their families economically, religiously, and educationally. In the 19th century, the United States was an economic boom. Many Chinese came to America for the gold rush in California. They did not believe America was a new home, but a place to work and return to their families rich. Many were turned down at an immigration station: Angel Island, while others were pushed out of finding gold and forced to work degrading jobs.
Industrialization in the United States occurred rapidly in comparison to other nations and also produced drastic changes in the nation’s economy, social structure, and, most importantly, in labor. One factor of industrialization that aided in changing the nation was rapid urbanization. Throughout the first half of the nineteenth century, Americans slowly urbanized and industrialized but by the beginning of the twentieth century urbanization boomed. For example, in 1870 only about one out of every four Americans lived in urban areas and by 1920s more than half of the population resided in urban areas.1 On top of rapid urbanization, the United States experienced rapid population growth from approximately 31,000,000 in 1860 to 92,000,000 in 1910. This increase was partly due to an influx of immigrants.
The family is constantly migrating in search for survival while the job market remains very limited. Charles Hearn the author of “The American Dream in the Great Depression” argues that depression years had classified “little men” as heroes and put emphasis on security over advancement and spiritual values over material values. Moreover, he makes an important observation on the change in the American Dream in the history of United States. The stock market crash of 1929 impacted American families financially as well as psychologically. The rising unemployment and lack of adequate food and shelter were nonetheless circumstances inevitable by majority of Americans.
Many polish immigrants, emigrated from Poland to America during the late 19th century around 1885. They left in search of a new life, thinking that America was a mythical paradise, a land of opportunity, equality, and wealth. During the 19th century, Poland’s economic and social systems changed; the once rural, agricultural society changed to an extremely large increase in population, expansion of commercial agriculture, and the growth of transportation, and industry in the cities. To get to America, “Poles” as they were called, had to sell off their homes, livestock and personal items for money. Anything that was not sold was usually left behind in Poland.
Industry was a main contributor to the economy of Russia and Finance Minister Sergei Witte (1892-1903) targeted output in particular as a means of transforming the economy. One example of Witte in action is the change in coal output: in 1890 it was 5.9 million tonnes (before Witte took over as Finance Minister) but in 1900 it had increased to 16.1 million tonnes. That is nearly tripling the output in those ten years. Furthermore, in 1913 it was 35.4 million tonnes (still increasing because of Witte) however it dipped in 1916 to 33.8 million tonnes. This could be because of two things: the war or the unsustainability of his policies.
Death of a Salesman Coursework : To what extent is Willy Loman a victim of his Social/Economic influence/pressures ? In the book the Death of a Salesman, Miller addresses the painful state of a family in post-war America and also addresses more important issues such as the blind faith in the American dream. He exposes how many Americans could not achieve the degree of social conformity and the ideal that a prosperous , suburban middle-class family championed at the time. During this period, America experienced a rapid cultural change, with many people moving from rural areas to the cities,’’the people had to go somewhere’’(Linda) and the rapid increase in industry and manufacturing leading to high rise apartment blocks. Furthermore during this time Americans had a surplus of goods and services from which to choose, and the money with which to purchase them.
Dubliners: Theme Analysis Theme Analysis Poverty Although Joyce was born into a well-to-do family, his father's drinking soon drove the family into poverty. As a result, poverty is one of the major thematic concerns in Dubliners. Although Joyce never refers to his characters as "poor," he shows us their status through details. For instance, in "Two Gallants," Lenehan's abject poverty can be observed by the meager meal he consumes. He hasn't eaten since breakfast and late at night while he waits for Corley to return with money, he orders a meal of peas and vinegar with a bottle of ginger beer for his dinner.