Movie Poster
The film It Happened One Night contains two major contrasting characters who display the different classes. Claudette Colbert's character Ellen Andrews shows the high class society while Clark Gable's character Peter Warne represents the working class society. The characters display the differences between the two classes.
Upper Class
Ellen Andrews- Ellen Andrews displays the high class society during the nineteen thirties.
Aspects of her higher social status are shown through her father's yacht, the power her father is able to use in order to track her down, and the amount of press that is given to her. She is always used to having body guards with her and she had never been alone until the day she met King Westley. After growing up in a society where she was always taken care of and pampered she does not know how to do simple things such as dunking a donut in coffee or how to give a proper piggyback ride. Also, she has not even eaten raw carrots nor hitchhiked before. In addition, her higher class upbringing has bred her bossy, spoiled attitude. This is shown when she tells the bus driver to wait when she knows she will be late. She is inconsiderate of the other passengers and expects special treatment because of her status.
Lower-Working Class
Peter Warne- Peter Warne, the struggling news reporter, displays the lower working class society of the nineteen thirties.
Right away we see that he has lost his job and is drunk, therefore representing his crestfallen lower class status. In contrast to Ellen's experiences, Peter is accustomed to eating raw carrots, dunking donuts properly, piggyback riding, and hitchhiking. Due to his different upbringing, he is more independent of others. This is shown in the scene where Ellen and Peter argue over whether or not to get free food from the man whom they were riding with.
Lower Class Status-
This lower class is represented by the sick woman on the bus and her son. They used the last of their money for a bus ticket to New York so they have not eaten the whole trip. Again, the lower class is displayed with the innkeeper and his wife. They have to be very careful with who they trust because they can not afford to have freeloaders.
In closing, class consciousness evens out because each class shares their knowledge and abilities with the other classes. The marriage between Peter and Ellen represents this joining of the two classes, the upper-class and the working class.