... financial fall, and that is a crucial part of the plot. If the story where set in a different time period i! t would not have as big an impact. Also during the late 1800's, social standing was very important. In those days a person was measured by their social standing, so it meant everything. The reason this is important is because, interwoven in the main plot is a secondary plot. This secondary plot ... pottering around the rocky family farm in northern Vermont; his shabby clothes suggest the change from pompous merchant to marginal farmer. Yet his triumph is the greatest a Howells cha...

• Word Count: 1648
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School