Sophistication In The Rise Of Silas Lapham

When one thinks of the upper class, the picture that comes to mind is one of wealthy people throwing extravagant parties full of cultured people. When sophistication is so easily visualized as rich people doing refined activities – smoking expensive cigars, drinking expensive wine and eating gourmet foods, showing off their lavish outfits – it is easy to imagine a correlation between having excess pecuniary capital and sophistication. In The Rise of Silas Lapham, author William Howells demonstrates this common thought when one character states, “Money buys position at once” (64). This is certainly the mindset of Silas Lapham, who feels that he has class and social status as a result of his wealth, and feels that whatever he lacks in social …show more content…
However, Howells repeatedly shows that simply having lots of money does not grant sophistication and social prowess. This assertion is most clearly shown in chapter XIV, where Howells clearly demonstrates that wealth alone does not cause sophistication, but sophistication is gained through education and experience. This dinner party is hosted by the affluent Corey family, and only the wealthiest of their friends are invited to attend, so naturally there is an air of sophistication surrounding the party. This air of sophistication is created before the party even begins, in Howell’s description of the Corey household. Their house is described as “stately and tall,” with their neighborhood “Buckingham Place” giving off an “air of aristocratic seclusion” (185). By describing the house with such dignified labels as “stately” and “aristocratic,” Howells is able to create a dignified air surrounding the house and, subsequently, its owners. In addition, naming the neighborhood “Buckingham” after the palace implies a sense of royalty and adds increased importance to the area. This atmosphere of wealth and importance carries …show more content…
Silas is as well off as the rest of the party, having made his fortune in the mineral paint business, yet lacks knowledge of the distinguished topics of which his fellow partygoers converse. Most of the conversation at this party “went to his head like the wine he was drinking – they seemed to carry light for a moment, but a film of deeper darkness followed” (196), with Silas following a conversation, trying to make sense of and contribute to it, before the topic becomes too complex or in depth, and he loses any chance of understanding what is happening. That these conversations are compared to wine emphasizes the overwhelming nature of the exchanges happening around him, for wine, when consumed in excess, hinders one’s ability to think clearly and make good decisions. As these conversations drag on longer and longer, Silas becomes more and more confused and unable to contribute socially, akin to drinking more and more wine and becoming increasingly inebriated and unable to function. He is simply unable to connect with his fellow guests, as he does not understand their sophisticated states of mind, especially the sense of pretentiousness that seems to accompany such a sense. For example, when Bromfield Corey talks of offering “occupation…of all the beautiful, airy, wholesome houses that stand empty” by “deserving poor