Cassandra Mortmain's I Capture The Castle

In I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith, Cassandra Mortmain distinguishes social status based on levels of maturity; the lower class is attributed with childlike qualities, and higher status is determined by how much influence a person has over society. Before the Mortmain family moved into Belmotte Castle, James Mortmain is well known for his book Jacob Wrestling. His writing, for a stint of time, allows him to possess international influence over the academic community. However, when Mr. Mortmain exchanges writing for childish puzzles, the family’s social prominence deteriorates. This child-like lack of notoriety puts Stephen, their live-in worker who has never experienced wealth, on the same level as the Mortmains in Cassandra’s mind. Whereas

The citizens of Godsend, primarily Miss Marcy and the Vicar, represent Cassandra’s view of a middle class. The Vicar may not be able to dictate society to his will, but his church and charity give him significant influence over their small society. He is not famous, but he makes change in society enough for his legacy to last within the small town of Godsend. Miss Marcy describes her younger-self as “self-centered” (242). It is not until her parents died that she takes a job from the Vicar and moves from the position of a child to teacher; this displays another testament to the Vicar’s affect on society and their resulting middle-class status in Cassandra’s narrative. The Cottons and Fox-Cottons, then, represent the higher classes of society. Their wealth provides them with perfect locations to control society around them, such as New York and London. Leda Fox-Cotton’s job as a photographer gives her influence by being able to control the popularity of those she photographs, such as Stephen’s rise class when he becomes a public actor. In this way, Cassandra’s upper classes are the ones who designate who takes on the role of a child in