Warning: SPOILERS For The Gilded Age Season 3Jack Trotter’s (Ben Ahlers) quest for the American Dream separatesThe Gilded AgefromDownton Abbey.Both of creator Julian Fellowes' popular historical dramas deal with wealth, class, and privilege. However, Fellowes delineates the profound differences betweenThe Gilded Age’s early 19th-century America andDownton Abbey’s Englandin the early 20th century.
The Van Rhijn household’s footman, Jack Trotter came from humble beginnings, but brainstormed an invention that he hopes will lift him out of service:Jack built a more reliable alarm clock that he patented. Jack is also fortunate to be in business with the honorable Larry Russell (Harry Richardson), who can help him sell his invention.
Although Jack and Larry haven’t sold their alarm clock yet inThe Gilded Ageseason 3, hope springs eternal that Jack can strike it rich, andthis is a uniquely American story thatThe Gilded Agecan tell that isn’t feasible inDownton Abbey.
Why Jack’s Gilded Age Story Isn’t Possible In Downton Abbey
Jack Is Pursuing The American Dream
If Jack and Larry can sell their alarm clock, the Van Rhijn footman could potentially earn thousands of dollars and instantly become wealthy by the Gilded Age’s standards. Jack wouldn’t be anywhere as rich as George Russell (Morgan Spector), buthe rises up in society, and would no longer be anyone’s servant.
As Jack told Adelheid Weber (Erin Wilhelmi),“In America, you don’t have to live like your parents lived.“The American Dream is about pulling yourself up by your bootstraps and working hard to become a self-made success. This is very different fromDownton Abbey’s England, where wealth and titles are generational and largely inherited.
“Striking it rich” is part and parcel of the American Dream.
“Striking it rich"is part and parcel of the American Dream. If Jack can sell his alarm clock, he will break out of poverty and will be able to own his own home and hire his own servants. What’s more, American society will look upon him favorably and reward Jack for it. Jack’s dream makes him one ofThe Gilded Age’s most sympathetic characters, especially for American audiences.
Downton Abbey Told A Different Kind Of Get Rich Story
Some Downton Characters Suddenly Inherited Wealth
Downton Abbeydid have its versions of people unexpectedly striking it rich.Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens)was a solicitor who suddenly learned he was heir to Downton Abbeyafter the previous heir died on the RMS Titanic.Matthew had a difficult adjustment to his newfound wealth and responsibilities as the future Earl of Grantham, but he eventually embraced it and married Lady Mary Crawley (Michelle Dockery) before his tragic death.
InDownton Abbeyseason 6, Bertie Pelham (Harry Hadden-Paton), the agent for Brancaster Castle’s estate,suddenly became the new Marquess of Hexamwhen the previous Marquess, Bertie’s cousin, died unexpectedly. Bertie instantly became one of the senior peers of the realm, and his marriage to Lady Edith Crawley (Laura Carmichael) made her the new Marchioness of Hexam.
Strokes of luck and birth gave Matthew Crawley and Bertie Pelham wealth and power they never expected.
Of course, the difference betweenDownton AbbeyandThe Gilded Ageis that strokes of luck and birth gave Matthew Crawley and Bertie Pelham wealth and power they never expected. Jack Trotter invented a device that could bring him wealth and power, and if he strikes it rich, it’s because of his ingenuity, hard work, as well as good fortune.
The Gilded Age
Cast
The Gilded Age, set in 1882 during a time of economic prosperity, follows Marian Brook, an orphaned Southern general’s daughter, as she moves to New York City. She navigates society’s complexities with her aunts and Peggy Scott, an African-American masquerading as her maid, amidst the city’s opulent elite.
Downton Abbey
Set in the early 20th century, Downton Abbey follows the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants in the fictional Yorkshire estate. The series explores themes of social change, romance, and intrigue against the backdrop of historical events, including the sinking of the Titanic, World War I, and the rise of the working class.
