The Rise of Silas Lapham

Penelope and Irene have very different personalities. In what ways do their similarities and differences help them as they try to navigate Boston society? Who do you think is more successful at this navigation? How so?

Silas decides to build a new house in a more fashionable area. Why is it so important to Silas that his family home, as opposed to his business, be located in a specific place? What might this imply about conformity to social expectations?

Examine Silas through the lens of the classic tragic hero. How does hubris work as the tragic hero’s fatal flaw? Does Silas complicate the narrative of the tragic hero?

Silas’s story is something of a “rags to riches” story similar to that which animates the “American Dream” story. Is the novel a critique of this American Dream, or does it criticize something more complicated? Explain with evidence from the text.

How is literacy a component of social class? Consider details such as the use of newspapers and other media.

The novel is famous as the representative of Realist fiction, particularly as a critique of Sentimental fiction. From your understanding of these two genres, what seems to be the difference in storytelling? Does the novel live up to its Realist ideals? How so?

Consider the critique of social hierarchy in the novel. Do the Coreys exemplify those worthy of such critique, or do they offer a more complex picture of what it means to be high class?

Compare and contrast the anxieties that the rules of social etiquette cause the Lapham family and the Corey family. What do the similarities and differences between the families suggest about how social class is created and maintained in a capitalist society?