Class Conflict in The Rise of Silas Lapham

In William Dean Howells' novel The Rise of Silas Lapham, Howells tells the dramatic story of the Laphams, a newly wealthy family living in Boston in the late nineteenth century. The story focuses on the Lapham's struggle to fit into the old money, high class world of Boston. Howells illustrates the social problems that the Laphams encounter not only as a family, but individually in their respective ventures. Although the Laphams are extremely wealthy and can compete financially with any or all of the high class Bostonians, their humble background, their lack of manners, and their unfamiliarity with the customs and conduct of the town's elite brand them as outcasts, and despite their numerous attempts to penetrate through the snobbish exterior of Boston's high society, they are continually shunned socially.

The major conflict between the classes in the novel revolves around the alleged relationship between the Lapham's daughter Irene and Tom Corey, a member of the esteemed Corey family. The possible joining of the middle class Laphams and the upper class Coreys creates a stir for all involved. The Coreys are petrified of the consequences of such an ill-matched union with the unrefined Laphams, while the Laphams are horrified at the prospect of being embarrassed by their own lack of social graces. Although the Laphams have money, in the Corey's eyes, that is simply not enough to put the Laphams in their class, and when Tom Corey tells his mother about the Lapham's home and wealth, he truthfully remarks, "Money has its limitations" (93). With this comment, Tom merely states what those in his class believe-money may be able to buy material possessions, but it cannot buy refinement and taste.

The patriarch of the Lapham clan is Silas, a tough businessman who adores his wife and children. Silas comes from humble beginnings, but he manages-with the assistance of his wife-to build a million dollar mineral paint business from the ground up. However, Silas possesses several less than stellar characteristics-he has an incurable sense pride and an unquenchable habit of bragging about his money. Any setting where Silas can flounce his massive wealth, he does, especially when it comes to furthering his family socially. When Silas begins building his new house in a higher class area of Boston, he boasts to Tom, "'that fellow has got me in for sixty thousand already, and I doubt if I get out of it much under a hundred. You can't have a nice house for nothing'" (52). This prideful habit of discussing money does not go unnoticed among the social elite. To them, the unpleasant traits that Silas displays are not looked upon favorably, rather they are thought to be characteristics of vulgar, ill-mannered people.

Another noticeable feature of Silas' lack of refinement is in his manner of speaking. Silas obviously lacks the education that the higher classes are privy to, and his speeches are coarse, over exuberant, and littered with incorrect grammar. Whenever Silas speaks to any of the Corey's, Silas' language and speech differences are exceedingly visible. Silas rambles on incessantly about his money and his new house, and he uses words such as "ain't" (52) on a regular basis. When Silas speaks of his paint to Tom Corey, he brags, "'It's the best paint in God's universe'" (72). In contrast, the upper class individuals in the novel speak eloquently and with clear enunciation, and they lack the high-spirited style of speaking that characterizes Silas' orations. Tom replies to Silas' comment about the paint with a much more toned down version of what Silas has just professed, frankly saying, "'It's the best in the market'" (72). In comparison to Silas, Tom's simple pronouncement makes a definitive statement regarding class-a higher class person speaks with subtlety rather than overwhelming pride or exuberance.

Although Silas' behavior is not what it should be, Silas is not the only member of the Lapham family lacking in social graces. Silas' wife Persis has several unfortunate conduct issues of her own among the high society of Boston. For one, Persis has no idea how to respond to the note sent by Anna Corey inviting the family to a dinner party. Persis' lack of expertise with the formality of letter writing causes her much concern and anguish, and the scene is almost painful in its ability to show Persis' obvious social inadequacies. The simple task of writing a letter in response to an invitation becomes an all-consuming obsession for Persis, and this fixation on the letter also shows how different Persis is from Anna Corey and her set. A woman such as Anna writes letters and accepts invitations everyday without a thought, but to poor Persis, this one letter can cause her terrible embarrassment if she writes something improper or unacceptable: "...she was tormented as to the proper phrasing throughout and the precise temperature which she should impart to her politeness" (168).

The cultural differences between the Lapham's and the Corey's are most noticeably evident during the dinner party that the Corey's host in honor of the Laphams. Besides Persis' letter writing debacle before the party, the Laphams are completely out of their element throughout the entire duration of the evening. Their conduct illustrates their naivety in social situations and it reaffirms Tom Corey's earlier statement that "Money has its limitations" (93). Not only do the Lapham's arrive late to the party, but their daughter Penelope commits a faux pas by refusing to attend. Then, during dinner, Silas and Persis have no idea how to converse with the other guests and are only able to "summon a few words of reply that seemed to lead to nothing" (184). However, the other more cultured guests discuss books and art, subjects that the Laphams know nothing about. In a final act of humiliation that evening, Silas drinks too much wine and drunkenly rambles on to the other male guests about his favorite subject-himself.

The Lapham's disastrous behavior at the dinner party is no accident; instead, the dinner is a calculated strategy on the part of Anna Corey to expose the Laphams as they really are to her romantic and idealistic son. Anna's husband Bromfield agrees with her plot, casually remarking that "'it would be the best way of curing Tom of his fancy...'" (160). The Laphams do not disappoint, but it is not simply their actions at the dinner party that finally make Tom aware of the Lapham's lack of class-it is Silas' conduct the next day when he confronts Tom, and vehemently apologizes for his lack of gentlemanly qualities: "'I disgraced you! I disgraced my family! I mortified your father before his friends!'" (196). Humiliated, Tom begs Silas to cease his apologies, finally comprehending the differences between the Laphams and his own family. Tom simply wishes the entire incident to be forgotten, and says to Silas, "'It's enough, more than enough, for you to have mentioned the matter to me, and I think it's unbecoming in me to hear you'" (197). Tom's feelings are further revealed after he leaves the room and reflects upon how "vulgar, braggart," and "uncouth" (197) Silas truly is. Sadly, Tom realizes that his place is in the upper crust society of Boston, while Silas-despite his enormous wealth-belongs to a lower class of people characterized by "gross appetites" and "stupid arrogance" (197), and although Tom Corey eventually marries Silas' daughter Penelope at the end of the novel, Silas and Persis never achieve any social acceptance.

Ultimately, the Laphams experience their downfall when Silas' business goes under and they are financially ruined. The family returns to their modest roots in Vermont, far from the high society of Boston, and despite their heartbreaking demise, at last they are free from the societal burdens that plague them during their time in the city, and "they returned to something like their old, united life" (326). In the end, the Laphams no longer need to worry over the logistics of cultured conduct, or proper social etiquette. Instead, they can live peacefully in the country where they are comfortable with who they are and where they come from, and although Silas Lapham's "Rise" is certainly not social in nature, it is unquestionably the story of a man's moral "Rise" in a superficial world that places such unsubstantiated value upon the trivial issues of a person's birth and class.

Works Cited

Howells, William Dean. The Rise of Silas Lapham. New York: Signet Classics, 1963.