We live in a society where all people are considered to be relatively equal. We may have a plethora of examples opposing this statement, but even those are presented out of our deep assumptions that whether or not you own any land, the amount of money you have, and who your parents are should not control who you can associate with and the value you are given in society. Of course, each of these factors does affect a person's life, and prosperity is preferred over being in need, but we are not immediately defined and classified by such factors. In addition, although our society does have a social structure, we must admit that it is relatively flexible. You are neither guaranteed nor doomed to the level you are born into. On this continent of the self-made man who can pull himself up by his bootstraps, individuals earn their own place in society.
Jane Austen writes about a different world entirely. Hers is a rigidly structured society. Titles and land are passed down through families, allowing status to be inherited. That is how Sir Walter Elliot became a baronet, and he is very proud of his station. It is interesting to learn from Wikipedia that baronetcy is not a noble status, but rather a high rank among commoners, similar to knighthood except that it was inherited. The honour associated with baronets was beginning to decline in the nineteenth century, however. This gradual societal shift is illustrated in Persuasion through the constant tension between Sir Walter's obstinate family pride and Anne's practical recognition of a person's worth regardless of social status.
Sir Walter's title did not confer wisdom upon him. At the beginning of the novel, we meet him in a position where his lifestyle is putting him in debt. He refuses to make necessary cutbacks, however, because he believes that his title must be accompanied by a certain standard of living. Because of his title, he deserves to live with every comfort available. Finally it is decided that he must leave his home in order to live within his means in a manner that still allows him a comfortable living. Although he does not have wealth, he clings to the status that being a baronet provides him. Later he is summarized as "a foolish, spendthrift baronet, who had not had principle or sense enough to maintain himself in the situation in which Providence had placed him" (298).
An early discussion of the navy provides a window into Sir Walter's opinions. He declares that it is "the means of bringing persons of obscure birth into undue distinction, and raising men to honours which their fathers and grandfathers never dreamt of... A man is in greater danger in the navy of being insulted by the rise of one whose father, his father might have disdained to speak of, and of becoming prematurely the object of disgust himself, than in any other line" (27). Sir Walter believes that people should remain in the position to which they are born. He has no use for the meritocracy of the navy, where a person can distinguish himself with his acts. It would be interesting to see whether Sir Walter would still feel strongly about a rigid social hierarchy if he had not inherited an honourable title.
This conversation also gives Anne an opportunity to reveal her opinion: "The navy, I think, who have done so much for us, have at least an equal claim with any other set of men, for all the comforts and all the privileges which any home can give" (27). They are discussing a tenant for Kellynch Hall, and Anne believes that any person who has served his country is deserving of a pleasant home, regardless of his status. She echoes the meritocracy espoused by the navy.
When Admiral Croft is finally considered as a tenant of Kellynch Hall, Sir Walter's strongest thought is about status: an Admiral is a respectable person to have renting one's house, but is thankfully still beneath Sir Walter. Sir Walter can feel both superior and unashamed. Anne, on the other hand, easily comes to recognize that the Croft family, despite their lower status than the Elliots, are much more deserving of her former home. "She had in fact so high an opinion of the Crofts, and considered her father so very fortunate in his tenants, felt the parish to be so sure of a good example, and the poor of the best attention and relief, that however sorry and ashamed for the necessity of the removal, she could not but in conscience feel that they were gone who deserved not to stay, and that Kellynch Hall had passed into better hands than its owners" (149). Anne must admit to herself that the Crofts are morally superior to her father, and her ability to see this indicates and likely loosens her light hold on rigid social hierarchy.
The Dalrymples provide another view into how Anne's measure of a person differs from that of Sir Walter and Elizabeth. The Dowager Vicountess Dalrymple and her daughter, the Honorable Miss Carteret, are cousins of the Elliots, though the relationship is strained. They are also, however, carriers of noble titles. Associating with them would improve the Elliots' social status slightly, and so Sir Walter and Elizabeth make a priority of repairing the relationship, improving it, and boasting about it. Anne is embarrassed by their actions, and she even finds herself wishing that they had more pride (177). The Dalrymples turn out to be very common, undesirable people. "There was no superiority of manner, accomplishment, or understanding. ... Miss Carteret... would never have been tolerated in Camden Place but for her birth" (178). Anne would prefer to primarily consider their personalities and forgo the acquaintance, but her family cares about nothing beyond their titles, and they grovel before them.
Anne vastly prefers the company of her friend Mrs. Smith to that of the Dalrymples. Mrs. Smith is poor and ill, and she has nothing to recommend her. But Anne explains, "My idea of good company... is the company of clever, well-informed people, who have a great deal of conversation" (179). She enjoys her time with Mrs. Smith and she feels she owes her the loyalty of past friendship, so it does not matter to Anne that her friend does not weigh highly on the social scale. When her family finds out about this friendship, they mock her for it.
In some cases, money is enough to buy a person an adequate place in society. Captain Wentworth was originally dismissed as a suitable match for Anne (a "degrading alliance" [35])because although he had great potential, he had no money and no title. He is later accepted as a son-in-law because he has become rich and because Sir Walter can recognize his other positive attributes. Sir Walter admits that Wentworth's "superiority of appearance might not be unfairly balanced against [Anne's] superiority of rank" (299). Perhaps Anne's age is a factor in the acceptance of her husband, however. If she were younger, Sir Walter may have insisted upon a more eminent mate, but in her late-twenties, perhaps a rich but unimportant husband was considered better for her than no match at all.
Lady Russell provides an interesting middle opinion between Sir Walter and Anne regarding a person's worth. She deserves the title "Lady" by being the widow of a knight (18), a lower rank than a baronet but one that carries some distinction. Austen admits that Lady Russell "had prejudices on the side of ancestry; she had a value for rank and consequence," but she balances this by affirming that she was "generally speaking, rational and consistent" (18). In many instances she seems to agree with Sir Walter, but she does not come across in the same obstinate, hot-headed manner that he does. She believes the acquaintanceship of the Dalrymples ought to be cultivated, and she asserts that "it was an acquaintance worth having" (179) despite the inferiority of their personalities, and but yet she adds, "if it could be done, without any compromise of propriety on the side of the Elliots" (178), Lady Russell's disapproval of Anne's past relationship with Captain Wentworth was the factor that made Anne break off the engagement. It seems that Lady Russell was concerned by Wentworth's lack of wealth, but it must be acknowledged that her advice was likely guided more by her care for Anne's future happiness than by any prejudice against Wentworth's poverty. Lady Russell's encouragement of a relationship between Mr. Elliot and Anne is probably another function of her desire for Anne to have a happy life, free from want - and her desire to see Anne restored to Kellynch Hall as Lady Elliot, filling her mother's honoured role and achieving high status, is a function of her status pride that is not unreasonable (190). Lady Russell approves of Anne's friendship with Mrs. Smith and even aids her with transportation for her visits (182). Although Lady Russell values rank and title, she does not prioritize them more than is wise, kind or respectable.
Other examples of characters who contribute to the conversation of social hierarchy: Mary boasts about the limits her acquaintance with the Hayter family, even though they are her husband's cousins and are accepted by the rest of the family (105); the Musgrove parents are pleased with their daughter's choices of husbands (Hayter and Benwick), and do not consider status to be a problem; Mr. Elliot married a socially inferior but rich woman in his youth, defying the Elliot family, but later began to value being the heir of a baronet.
