Wages and Cost of Living in the Victorian Era
Title
Wages and Cost of Living in the Victorian Era
Subject
Wages and Cost of Living in the Victorian Era
Description
This article should help to put into perspective some of the references to money in Jane Eyre. Also, as we have discussed, Jane’s social class, as a governess, is somewhat ambiguous. I think the article may help to convey this idea:
The article allows one to put into perspective the scene on page 307 of Jane Eyre, when Jane must ask Mr. Rochester for her wages. She has on her, at the time, about five shillings. From the article we can see that this is slightly less than the average weekly pay of a bricklayer (so, not very much). Jane then receives ten pounds from Mr. Rochester. We can compare this to the annual pay of an Army Cornet, which, at about 200 pounds annually, is significantly higher than the pay of a governess. This allows us to place Jane, in terms of pay, somewhere in between a common laborer and an army officer. This highlights the ambiguity of Jane’s social class, as she seems to be neither in the lower class laborer category or middle class officer category.
Also in the article, we can see the average cost of living for a senior clerk, which is about 150 pounds annually. Compare with Jane’s annual salary of 30 pounds, as noted in Chapter 10. Jane, of course, has most of the basic services provided for her (food, rent, candles, etc.) while living at Thornfield. So, we can determine that Jane’s cost of living is significantly lower than that of a senior clerk. This is perhaps one of the advantages of being a governess: In that, in addition to an annual salary, one is provided with food, shelter, and basic necessities. Nonetheless, being provided with these necessities also highlights the ambiguity of Jane’s governess class. Is she a dependent like any other servant? Is she part of the family?
When Jane receives 20,000 pounds, we can determine that this is 100 times more than the annual salary of an Army Cornet (a relatively well-paid position). Given the extravagance of this sum, it perhaps seems more reasonable that Jane gives away 15,000 pounds, as 5,000 would be more than enough to support a practical middle class person for life.
The article allows one to put into perspective the scene on page 307 of Jane Eyre, when Jane must ask Mr. Rochester for her wages. She has on her, at the time, about five shillings. From the article we can see that this is slightly less than the average weekly pay of a bricklayer (so, not very much). Jane then receives ten pounds from Mr. Rochester. We can compare this to the annual pay of an Army Cornet, which, at about 200 pounds annually, is significantly higher than the pay of a governess. This allows us to place Jane, in terms of pay, somewhere in between a common laborer and an army officer. This highlights the ambiguity of Jane’s social class, as she seems to be neither in the lower class laborer category or middle class officer category.
Also in the article, we can see the average cost of living for a senior clerk, which is about 150 pounds annually. Compare with Jane’s annual salary of 30 pounds, as noted in Chapter 10. Jane, of course, has most of the basic services provided for her (food, rent, candles, etc.) while living at Thornfield. So, we can determine that Jane’s cost of living is significantly lower than that of a senior clerk. This is perhaps one of the advantages of being a governess: In that, in addition to an annual salary, one is provided with food, shelter, and basic necessities. Nonetheless, being provided with these necessities also highlights the ambiguity of Jane’s governess class. Is she a dependent like any other servant? Is she part of the family?
When Jane receives 20,000 pounds, we can determine that this is 100 times more than the annual salary of an Army Cornet (a relatively well-paid position). Given the extravagance of this sum, it perhaps seems more reasonable that Jane gives away 15,000 pounds, as 5,000 would be more than enough to support a practical middle class person for life.
Creator
Article by James Skipper, Houston, Texas, and George P. Landow, Professor of English and Art History, Brown University
Source
Victorian Web
Date
2-2-15
Contributor
T.J. Carter
- Date Added
- February 2, 2015
- Collection
- Global Victorians, Spring 2015
- Item Type
- Hyperlink
- Tags
- class
- Citation
- Article by James Skipper, Houston, Texas, and George P. Landow, Professor of English and Art History, Brown University, “Wages and Cost of Living in the Victorian Era,” SMU Student Research: Victorian Studies and Beyond, accessed October 14, 2024, https://globalvictorians.omeka.net/items/show/85.