In Elizabeth Gaskell's novel Mary Barton, class inequality becomes an important theme from the beginning of the book, especially in light of the possibility of a marriage between Mary Barton and Harry Carson. While Mary saw Mr. Carson as an escape from her lower-class life of squalor and disappointment, Harry found this partnership exciting for reasons other than love. Although the two believed that their nuptials involved only them, Elizabeth Gaskell exemplified how a cross-class marriage was more complicated, largely due to the different social classes included. Harry, being fortunate in his family of origin, does not understand the disparity between love and lust or, if he does, chooses not to recognize his actions as those of lust and desire. While Mary grieved the physical loss of her mother, she was also forced to deal with a mentally absent father whose lack of attention and love may have pushed Mary into Harry's arms. John, Mary's father, is angry at this prospect of marriage, but not because Carson wishes to possess his daughter; rather, John Barton has a feeling that his daughter will grow up to be the kind of upper-class citizen who despises him. This is mainly due to the fact that «... the worker was made to feel... that the bourgeoisie treats him... as its property, and for this reason... he must present himself as its enemy» (220, Engels). This drives John Barton to not only harbor hatred for Harry Carson's personality, but also for his business practices and the practices of those like him. While all of the characters exist in the same time period and place, each has had a different experience based solely on income and finances. John Barton understood this fact because he knew that “the worker lived in poverty and want…” even though he was “…he who did the most for society…” (221, Engels). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay John Barton, however, was not the only one who was aware of the seemingly dark class structure; those who resided within the elite class were also aware of the social organization that placed England and its citizens in their rightful place. Harry Carson first mentions this when speaking to the object of his infatuation, Mary Barton, about her parents' feelings about their supposed marriage. “Now I just want to tell you how much I love you, what I'm ready to give up for you. You know (or maybe you're not fully aware) how little my father and mother would like you to get married. They would be so angry, and I would have to face so much teasing... I will marry you in spite of the world... In a year or two my father will forgive me, and in the meantime you will have every luxury that money can buy, every charm that money can buy. 'love can devise to make your life happy... Now, Mary, you see how much I am willing to sacrifice for you; I can even offer you marriage, to satisfy your ambitious little heart..." He believes that winning Mary back involves "...buying every charm that love can devise to make your life happy." As Gaskell demonstrates, Mary is not human to Harry: it is simply an opportunity to prove to himself that he is capable of winning someone's love. While Harry mentions how Mary is “…perhaps…not fully aware…”, he is commenting on her lack of understanding the politics of his lifestyle does, however, make use of the power of wealth, a power he has grown up with since birthlower classes, especially not Mary's. It is quite possible to see how Harry could believe that Mrs. Barton would respond positively to just the mention of expensive items; however, this further demonstrates the differences between the classes. While Mr. Carson enchanted Mary with the mere mention of monetary gain, Mary required Jem to proclaim her love pact several times before confessing hers to him. The differences mentioned above are also evident when talking about the ways in which Mary's suitors confessed their affection for her; it was only after learning that he would lose her that Harry Carson chose to tell Mary "...what I am prepared to give up for you..." and how he would "...sacrifice much for you." Compared to Jem, who could not give Mary such expensive items, but could instead give her a love that was not based on the purchases he would make for her, Harry becomes a superficial suitor and loses his "trophy". Considering "...how little my father and mother would want you to marry", it seems that Carson sees his marriage as an opportunity not only to win Mary back, but also to distance himself from his parents' wishes, giving him even more reason to chase Mrs. Barton. This is partly due to the fact that Carson's, or rather Harry's, John Carson's father, having enough money, no longer needs to stress himself with trivial matters such as romance. This is further exemplified when Harry offers Mary a marriage license “…to satisfy your ambitious little heart.” Harry has developed a sense of privilege and it is because of this same privilege that Harry finds no problem in ignoring the harsh and difficult lifestyle that Mary faces every day. Maria should find the strength to reject a man who cannot understand or does not even try to understand the harsh challenges she has faced. The physical death of a loved one is obviously heartbreaking; However, Mary also had to deal with the mental loss of her father, a man so caught up in his own life that he lost the will to fight for the feelings of the daughter he loved. Although she ultimately escapes from the arms of Harry Carson, Mary is also well aware that “…work and study alone were not sufficient to achieve the same level of comfort afforded by inherited wealth and the income derived from it” (241, Piketty ). Class inequality in Mary Barton is found not only in the relationship between Mary Barton and Harry Carson, but also in the relationship between Harry Carson and Mary's other suitor, Jem Wilson, someone who shares the same social position as Mary. The link between her suitors is, of course, Mary; however, this is also where they differ. The way they treat Mary, whether good or bad, represents the way they live, or rather the result of their social position. Mary's social pressures only complicate this dynamic: “Women agree with men who speak that a woman's place is in the home; They also protested the heavy taxes taken from their wages and the stress of working hard for a pittance inadequate to support their families.” (234, Clark) As Anna Clark explains in “The Struggle for the Breeches,” the amount of stress placed on female workers was truly incredible. While Mary may not have worked in a factory, she faced similar emotions simply by having the responsibility to “…work hard for a pittance inadequate to support…” her family (234). Gaskell introduces the motivation behind Mary's social climbing ways or, as Harry Carson puts it, "ambitious" ways by illustrating the strained relationship between Mary and her father, and the lack of progress her paychecks seemed to make as they arrived. he entered without saying anything to Maria in exchange for her cheerful greeting andamazed. In the context of this quote it is not entirely correct to say that John Barton's mood is based solely on his relationship with his daughter, but his lack of even simple acknowledgment demonstrates how even Mary, who loves him so much, cannot to cheer him up. , as he wishes to do. Of course, it is not John Barton's fault, at least not entirely, that Mary found joy in the attention given by Harry Carson, but her neglect could be attributed to her need for Harry's "love." The fact that John Barton believed strongly in the Chartist movement also placed a heavy burden on the already difficult father-daughter relationship. If Maria was already without a maternal parental figure, the absence of her father only increased her need for some sort of family interest. While John Barton implored parliament to pay attention to the needy lower classes, Mary earned money for the family, an action which the Chartists found almost offensive in nature because "...cheap female and immigrant labor was often used to undermine male workers..." (Hudson). It also didn't help John or Mary's situation that Mary took on the role of breadwinner while her father struggled against near-impossible odds in dealing with the mill owners. Today it is widely believed that women in Mary's position simply helped the family with childcare and household chores when "...in practice many families depended on women's earnings, especially those run by widows" (Hudson); although Mary was an orphan rather than a widow, she performed the duties necessary to support her family. A mentally unstable father combined with the lifestyle she knew growing up pushed Mary to work, and although John's Chartist ideals stated that "...working women weakened the virility of male workers and demoralized communities..." there was no other option in the Bartons' situation. It is very likely that Mary also wanted to marry a rich man because she knew that many graphic designers believed that "...cheap female and immigrant labor was often used to undermine male workers..." (Hudson). While Mary Barton was subjected to neglect and forced into a supporting role within her family, Harry Carson never lifted a finger in his life. His luxurious upbringing afforded him opportunities unknown and unimaginable to those who worked for him and his father. "Mr. Carson tried to refuse her treasure, but she convinces him to accept, saying that he must have it. Although this exchange occurs between Harry's younger sister, Amy, and his father, John Carson, it projects the general attitude in comparisons of money in the Carson family. Amy's request for a new rose, even if it costs "half a guinea", is immediately granted as Gaskell states "'She knows her little daughter cannot live without flowers and perfume.'" Gaskell reveals. one of the reasons why Harry has an affair with Maria in this exchange; it can be assumed that Harry gets what he wants just as quickly as Amy, so he may decide to chase something that will not come easily to him Maria, being the daughter of a Chartist , she is not easily won over. Although she may flirt and ask for marriage, she is never entirely convinced of her feelings, making her a prime target for Harry's predatory actions. It is also more than possible that Harry wished to be disobedient in an attempt to earning his father's actual attention rather than the monetary attention given to all his siblings. Harry's unexpected encounter with Mary may have been the result of absentee parenting and a child's attempt to put a stop to such behaviorthrough an unexpected and unwanted love interest. Both Mary and Harry may have been guided by the need for care and love from their parents, rather than the blatant ignorance seen in their fathers. While it was a sad truth, the social hierarchy that existed in nineteenth-century England was exactly that, a truth. However, this reality was not silenced by the upper class, as many would have liked to happen; the lower classes found within themselves the continuous protest against the treatment they received. Many at the top of the hierarchy found the workers' protests useless; despite this, the workers continued to protest "... simply because they must protest against any reduction... because their silence would be a recognition of these social conditions..." (226, Engels). These Luddites or “English workers of the early 19th century who destroy labor-saving machinery in protest…” (Merriam Webster) found a representative in this novel in John Barton, an enemy of those rich factory owners who did not feel responsible for the grievances of the working class. It was a blatant class war between the rich and those who served “beneath” them; both classes firmly believed "...one party's harm is the other's gain..." (230, Engels) and it seemed that no sort of peace could be achieved. Where the lower class found wages and working conditions despicable, the bourgeoisie found that "...the crude mule spinners had abused their power beyond endurance..." (230, Engels). These textile and industrial workers harbored a «... bitter hatred of the workers against the propertied class» (227, Engels). Whether one belonged to the upper or lower class, it seemed impossible to avoid conflict, as was the case when several factories were stoned and closed by their former workers. Specific examples include “…an explosion caused by a powder packet…in the Bently & White sawmill…” which “…produced considerable damage…” (228, Engels) as well as “ ...an attempt...to blow up Padgin's saw-works, in Howard Street, Sheffield” (227, Engels). Working class conditions had lasted long enough and they believed that violence was the. only option to help them assert their reasons. The social inequality prevalent within by Mary Barton was also a big problem in nineteenth-century England; unfortunately, it was usually the richest who won, as their monetary status allowed them leeway against the police and workers who couldn't afford to strike In the eyes of the Catholic Church, the rich would apparently be in the wrong, especially after treating their workers as they did; however, this may not be the entire case. As stated by Pope Leo XIII, “...the authority of divine law adds its sanction by prohibiting us in the most severe terms even from desiring what belongs to others...” (4, Rerum Novarum) which means that the inferiors had wrong in desiring the lives of those of the upper classes. However, they are not alone here; Harry Carson is also seen to yearn for something that his neighbor, Jem Wilson, possesses in Mary Barton, which he attempts to purchase with "...every charm that love can devise..." Furthermore, the Church recognizes poverty in which the lower class suffered every day; they regarded this scarcity as “…no misfortune…” and believed “…that there is nothing to be ashamed of in earning one's bread by work…” (8, Rerum Novarum). Although Jesuit ideals would have "... the respective classes... be united in the bonds of friendship... and in those of brotherly love..." the class system remains today, with the added security of one. 2015.