Class Structure In Godwins Caleb Williams English Literature Essay

William Godwin uses his narrative, Caleb Williams to highlight and communicate his theoretical book, An Enquiry Concerning Political Justice. In both books, Godwin presents the idea of anarchism and why its development is needed in society in order to reform the individual. He believes that society will only stabilize when individuals live by an inner moral code as political systems and social hierarchy cause corruption in both the individual and in society. The character of Tyrrel, as Godwin presents him, is relentless in protecting the freedoms and privileges that come along with his status in society. He uses and abuses the authority assumed by him due to the capital he owns and the position he holds. Godwin’s characterization of Tyrrel and the upper class he belongs to, compared to the portrayal of Miss Emily Melville at the lower end of the social pyramid, demonstrates how political systems and social hierarchy lead to the suppression and dehumanization of the common people.

Godwin’s Caleb Williams intelligently plays out the points Godwin makes in his An Enquiry Concerning Political Justice about society, equality, rights, and justice. His basic principle is, “If justice have any meaning, it is just that I should contribute everything in my power to the benefit of the whole” (Damrosch 128). Social hierarchy and class structures privilege those with wealth and inheritances while it suppresses those without. But if those with wealth were to contribute it “to the benefit of the whole” of society, then no such hierarchy would exist. According to this principle, Godwin believes that neither social status nor class rank should affect the way in which people are treated. All humans should be viewed and treated as equals, as every individual has the equal ability to reason and to have sensibility. His ideal world would have all people “entitled to equal attention” but he identifies that “in reality… one of us is a being of more worth and importance that the other” (Damrosch 129). And due to this harsh reality, a large percentage of unwealthy people suffer at the hands of those that are regarded with more importance.

An example of such a person is the character of Tyrrel in the story of Caleb Williams. Tyrrel is a wealthy gentry placed at the top of the social hierarchy in the novel. He is ignorant to the human rights and needs of anyone but himself and makes sure that he uses his power to squash anyone who is a threat to his prerogatives or stands in the way of his ideology. His biggest threat in the book is the character of Falkland, whose character is presented as the opposite of Tyrrel’s. He despises him so much that he attempts to punish his cousin Emily for praising and admiring the qualities of Falkland. In Chapter VIII of Volume I, Tyrrel tries to avenge her by forcing her into marriage with his tenant Grimes, who is described as “the diametrical reverse of Mr. Falkland…scarcely human…and [a] half-civilised animal” (Godwin 109). Tyrrel dehumanizes Grimes due to his appearance and his uneducated nature, and feels that he has the right to penalize Emily for her love of Falkland since he is superior to her. He and “his old confident” believe that “an insignificant girl, without either wealth or beauty, ought not to be allowed for a moment to stand in the way of the gratifications of a man of [his] importance” (Godwin 109). Here, Godwin demonstrates how Tyrrel and those in his class rank think and what they assume of people under them in the social hierarchy. People with no capital and no attractiveness are automatically understood as unimportant and unworthy of the rights and pleasures of people who have money. Therefore, when Emily refuses his offer, Tyrrel bursts out with anger at the audacity someone of her status has to refuse:

Be silent! How dare you give yourself such unaccountable liberties? …have you the impudence to think yourself one of our family? …You are the daughter of a rascally Scotchman, who spent every shilling of my aunt Lucy’s fortune, and left you a beggar. You have got an hundred pounds, and Grimes’s father promises to give him as much. How dare you look down upon your equals? …You had rather be Mr. Falkland’s miss, than the wife of a plain downright yeoman. But I shall take care of you.–Ay, this comes of indulgence. You must be taken down, miss. You must be taught the difference between high-flown notions and realities… You, whom we took up out of charity, the chance-born brat of a stolen marriage! You must turn upon your benefactor, and wound me in the point that of all others I could least bear… Could I ever inflict upon you such injuries as you have made me suffer? And who are you? The lives of fifty such cannot atone for an hour of my uneasiness. (Godwin 110-117)

The language Tyrrel uses here is a reaction of social class difference. It is an expression of the higher- class ideology that validates his mistreatment of people lower in class than him.

Although Emily is related to him, he remains that she has no right to call herself a part of his family due to the fact that she came out of a “stolen marriage” and has no wealth to her name. He believes that she can only wish for things offered to her by those superior to her in class and that she dare not give herself any liberties. Tyrrel proves himself to be a hypocrite as he tells Emily not to “look down upon” Grimes for his inadequacies while that is exactly what he is doing with Emily. Furthermore, Tyrrel deems that his experience of emotions and feelings are of more worth and significance than those of Emily’s. He believes that she is causing him more “injuries” and “uneasiness” by admiring his enemy than he is causing her by suppressing her and taking her rights away. Just as he does with Grimes, Tyrrel dehumanizes Emily as he considers her a thing of no sensibility and of no worth. Also, he asks her “Who are you?” deducing that his existence in this world is of more value than hers, and showing that he would go out of his way to take her down if she dared to think otherwise.

Tyrrel proves to be a character who exemplifies Godwin’s point about class ranks and socio-political structures that continue to widen the impermeable gap between the wealthy and the unwealthy. These structures not only enable people such as Tyrrel to act in the ways they do, but they also encourage it. They persuade both upper classes and lower classes to believe the lie of inequality and forces them lower class people to accept their fate or continuous suppression and dehumanization. Tyrrel’s treatment of Emily based on class is just one example of the horrifying conduct displayed by those of wealth towards those in unfortunate circumstances.

Through many such scenes in Caleb Williams, Godwin expresses his stance on politics and its repercussions. His basic argument is that man should be guided by truthfulness, goodwill, sincerity, and fairness and not by assumed authority, social status, or one’s capital. It begins with every individual reforming themselves by internalizing this moral code and not depending on politics to spell out what is and wrong. Placing that power in the hands of politics enables class structures to arise and begins to corrupt and harden the hearts of those who are superior and dehumanize the inferior. Rather, if every individual were to share their wealth and goodness with others, society would stabilize and suppression would end.