From Rags to Riches

Before the late 1800’s, marriage was a way to connect rich families so that they may grow in power. It wasn’t very common for people of lower standing to marry into a rich family. This almost never happened, which is probably why the story Cinderella feels magical to those who read it in the past. Cinderella was able to marry a prince despite her social standing, which was very important back in the day. In this time and century it is more possible to marry into a rich family as social status is not as important anymore. This is because of the changes in the economy and society at the time. More and more people learned how to read, which used to be a staple quality of the upper class. As society advanced they needed people to do more complicated jobs, and thus they earned more money. As such the middle class was beginning to grow and as they did the gap between the poor and the rich lessened.  This caused the lines between social status to become blurred as there was now a class that wasn’t rich but not poor either. Reaching a higher class through love and marriage was something people dreamed of in the past, because it was unheard of. It became a thing of fantasy so much so that magic would be required to make it a reality. But in today's society it is much more common, that is to say people marry who they want based on love instead of social status.