Society and Class Quotes in Year of Wonders

How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #4

But more than her delicate beauty, Colonel Bradford appreciated her substantial connections. (2.3.40)

In other words, Colonel Bradford is a gold digger: he ain't messin' with no broke Puritans. As long as his lady will help advance his social status, he's going to put a ring on it every time.

Quote #5

It had been a strange thing for us, to have our small village suddenly thrust into the high matter of king and parliament. (2.6.8)

We can imagine that would be bizarre. Mompellion was not necessarily trying to make some grand political statement by suggesting that the villagers remain in town, but it's such a powerful gesture that it resonates throughout England.

Quote #6

"Dear sir, I did not raise my daughter to have her play wet nurse to a rabble. And if I desired to succor the afflicted I would have joined you in Holy Orders." (2.7.16)

Colonel Bradford has no use for Mompellion's egalitarian ideas about confronting the plague. All he knows is that he has enough money to evacuate his family, and that's enough for him. This is an especially significant decision because the Bradfords are the leading aristocratic family in the village.