Wealth In Sense And Sensibility

Can money buy the happiness that people need in their lives? Certainly, this is a controversial question that most of the time leads to an extensive discussion and argument. Many people would say yes and many others would say no. The truth is that it depends. Primarily, it depends on what money means to each person individually and it depends on the society that those people live in. The play “Sense and Sensibility” by Kate Hamill targets this theme of how money and wealth plays an essential part in the character’s lives during the early 19th century. Although John Willoughby (Geoffrey Culbertson) considers wealth as the principal factor for marrying someone, and he is indeed successful in marrying a rich lady, at the end of the play he is …show more content…
“Sense and Sensibility” is taking place during the 1790s in England. When the story was originally written by Jane Austen, it was a period of great change including economic and social change. The social classes were developing but not for equality but for greater distinction between them. The gap was widening between the higher and the lower classes while the middle class was struggling to be noticed. This can be shown by the Dashwood family where they bounced from the family house to a cottage. Definitely, it is not so easy for the Dashwood ladies to change from a really big and comfortable house to a reduced place where they have to live altogether. This change influences Marianne and Elinor’s decisions of looking out for a husband since a marriage allows them to start their own life independently and have their own families. Moreover, at this time the women did not have a strong voice in the society, therefore it was primordial for them to find the perfect husband that will not only help them, but also maintain …show more content…
This design contributes the theme of wealth by displaying how the different classes have their unique characteristics for the ground plan. To illustrate, the Middleton’s house has a large and fancy table showing that it belongs to a wealthy family. Moreover, it has a very elegant chandelier that it is centered in the acting area on top of the table. This kind of lamp is really expensive one that obviously only the rich people like the Middleton could afford such a luxury item. Meanwhile, the cottage where the Dashwood family moved to is portrayed as reduced space where the characters have a hard fitting in since they are not just to living like that in such small place. This demonstrates how the Dashwood went from a high class to a lower one showing the loss of wealth and social