Social Hierarchy In The Gilded Age

The late nineteenth century in American history was an era known as the Gilded Age. During this period of explosive urban expansion, the economic divide between the rich and the poor widened, and pretentious demonstrations of wealth by the well-to-do, became popular. Among the upper class in New York City there was a battle to obtain dominance in the social hierarchy. Established old-money families which had largely inherited their wealth over generations, sought to maintain their position at the top of the social heap, warding off-new money families which had obtained their wealth more recently. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines conspicuous consumption as, “the act or practice of spending money on expensive things in order to impress other …show more content…
For example, hosting extravagantly lavish parties, and simply being invited to attend these lavish parties, increased social status for the hostess and her guests. Eager to maintain her status at the top of the social hierarchy, Mrs. Trenor frequently flaunted her wealth by hosting these exquisite and exclusive social gatherings. In fact, Mrs. Trenor wanted to expand her ballroom at her estate, the Bellemont, in order to outdo the grand ballroom of another wealthy family, the Brys’. Van Alstyne in a conversation with Selden confided, “The dimensions of the Brys’ ball-room must rankle [Mrs. Trenor]: you may be sure [Mrs. Trenor] knows ‘em as well as if she’d been there last night with a yard-measure” (Wharton, 160). Apparently, the bigger the ballroom and the more expensive the party, the more social status that was attributed to host and hostess. With this increase in social status, came increased social influence. Mrs. Trenor was so successful in elevating her social status through conspicuous consumption, that “where Judy Trenor led, the rest of the world would follow” (Wharton, 229). While excessive parties and ballrooms were outwardly part of a happy convergence of friends for entertainment purposes, they served as instruments to achieve a mutually understood social agenda for those involved. Edith Wharton created an analogy between this conspicuous consumption involving social events, and the fight for social status, to reveal how dominance was achieved among the upper

Show More

How Did Ida B. Wells Play In The Civil Rights Movement?

Urbanization In The Gilded Age

Women In The Gilded Age

Essay about Lectures Review

Lochner V. New York Case Summary

Gender swap host vs hostess club Essay

An Analysis of the Period from New Kingdom Egypt to the Death of Thutmose IV Essay