A Handful of Dust

Hetton Abbey is the big, ugly, unfashionable country home that has belonged to the Last family for many generations. Despite the outdated aesthetics, the house is historically significant, to the point where it is included in local guides. In the novel, Hetton Abbey is a symbol of the past. It was built during a previous era and expanded upon, providing the wealthy and powerful of the area with a place to practice their various pursuits such as fox hunting. The house connects the Last family to England’s history, representing how Tony’s family is woven into the fabric of the country itself. At the same time, the house symbolizes how class structures echo through the ages. The house is built with servants’ quarters and stables that are still in use hundreds of years after being built. As much time has passed since the construction of the house, the same basic social structures remain, with the house still occupied by the Last family. Hetton Abbey and the Last family’s occupation of Hetton Abbey illustrate how the history of England is a history of enduring class stratification, intertwined with themes of both Inherited Privilege as a Source of Dissatisfaction and