The Road to Wigan Pier

Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 1937

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Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-3

Chapters 4-6

Chapters 7-9

Chapters 10-13

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Chapters 7-9Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 7 Summary

The impact of industrialization becomes increasingly apparent as Orwell travels further north. Towns which were once picturesque now feature mountains of mining waste and columns of black smoke. Cities such as Wigan and Sheffield are, in Orwell’s opinion, now incredibly ugly, though he doesn’t believe this is a necessary result of industrialization; rather, these cities reflect the way people prioritize making money above making the world a nicer place. People may even be thankful that the factories and mines are so ugly, Orwell suggests, because this reminds them how damaging industrialization is to society.

Orwell next examines the cultural differences between people from the North of England and the South. In his experience, people from the North view the North as being more authentic than the South, which they believe is populated by lazy, snobbish, effeminate people. At the same time, people from the South view the North as being brutish and uncivilized. This difference in opinion seems absurd to Orwell, but he remembers that the idea of the tough, hardworking northern businessman is something he learned at school. Orwell’s experience in the North has shown him that these stereotypes are utterly without merit; however, he does believe it’s easier to become friendly and intimate with working-class people in the North, where families offer better support to one another and place an increased importance on education.

Of all Orwell has learned about working-class communities, he thinks his most important realization is that a family’s fortunes depend almost entirely on whether the father has a job. Employment helps families to survive far more than the miracles brought about by modern inventions.

Chapter 8 Summary

As a socialist, Orwell believes workers should own the means of production, and he describes how his own class background led him to this conclusion. He was born into the lower upper-middle class, meaning that his family was comfortable but not particularly wealthy. Though this demographic is now fading, it was once home to government officials, members of the military, and other professionals. A member of this class might be familiar with the lifestyle of the upper-middle class, but they would have no servants of their own, nor would they have hobbies such as horse riding. They have a similar conception of money as working-class people, in that they are always conscious of their spending and their bills (both of which are higher than a working-class family’s); however, they spend this money trying to appear richer than they are.

Orwell’s own life has taught him how much upper and middle-class people loath working-class people. He was told off as a child for playing with working-class children, as his parents worried that he might develop a working-class accent. To middle-class people, the working classes seem almost subhuman. The relationships between the classes have changed somewhat since World War I, but not necessarily for the better; whereas working-class people were previously openly angry, they have become increasingly servile. Orwell attributes this change to unemployment and poverty. Working class people did not previously need to worry that rudeness toward a middle-class person might cost them their job, but now this is a threat. Furthermore, the reality of working-class existence means that that the middle and upper classes can insult and belittle working-class people for their lack of hygiene. Some working-class people respond by embracing this as an example of their hardworking, honest way of life, causing both sides to become more entrenched in their positions and heightening class tension. Orwell hopes that when people from different social classes understand how and why their opinions form, it will help eradicate the existence of the class system.

Chapter 9 Summary

Orwell considers himself to have been a snobbish, judgmental teenager who looked down on working-class people. He spent most of his youth surrounded by far wealthier people and began to resent anyone richer while attending a private school. In the aftermath of World War I, Orwell sensed a feeling of revolution in the society, but this was fueled by anger at the war and has since faded. In addition, the socialism his schoolmates embraced was absent any real knowledge of how social classes functioned, or the anger working-class people might feel.

Orwell moved to Burma (now known as Myanmar) when he was 20 years old. At the time, the country was a British colony. In addition to familiarizing himself with the local culture, Orwell spent time in an army unit with soldiers from working-class backgrounds; however, his previous attitudes toward them continued to linger. After the army, he joined the local British police force but slowly began to hate the idea of colonialism. He knew the locals resented the British, and he witnessed many examples of brutality. This experience made Orwell feel so guilty that he decided to dedicate his life to gaining a better understanding of people who are oppressed or who live in poverty. After returning to Britain, he spent time living among the poorest, most desperate people, including criminals, prostitutes, and homeless people. Although his middle-class accent made him stand out, he gradually learned to become more comfortable around working-class people and slowly began to undo his prejudices against them.

Chapters 7-9 Analysis

Orwell closes out the first part of The Road to Wigan Pier by addressing the aesthetic blight of Northern England. Industrialization has changed the entire landscape, as giant mountains of slag and black columns of smoke dominate the horizon. The scarred wasteland of Northern England is far removed from the idyllic rural scenes of the past, and Orwell acknowledges that much of the region’s natural beauty has been lost. At the same time, Orwell’s description of the landscape is ironic; he notes that its ugliness is visible from the trains he uses to cross the country, thus criticizing industrialization while also taking advantage of one of the main advances in technology associated with it. Additionally, the horrible landscapes that Orwell describes are populated by good, admirable people, and he uses this contrast to show how people retain a fundamental goodness even in terrible circumstances. While he does not believe that industrialization can be reversed, he does suggest that it can be tamed, and that the innate goodness of people can once again flourish.

In the second part of The Road to Wigan Pier, Orwell changes the focus of his book; he leaves the in-depth descriptions of life in working-class towns and seeks solutions for the problems he has witnessed. Orwell describes himself as an ardent, committed socialist, as he believes that socialism is the best way to bring about fairness and equality for everyone. He views poverty in working-class towns as a product of the British class system, so he wants to abolish the class system entirely. His book is therefore not only an attempt to document poverty, but to bring about actual change.

However, Orwell is well aware of the problems facing the socialist cause. He is a middle-class man, so he draws on his own life to illustrate the challenges socialists face in persuading others. Orwell ruthlessly portrays his own failings, outlining the many ways in which he has been wrong in the past, as well as the prejudices and discriminatory attitudes he was raised to hold toward working-class people. In doing so, Orwell makes sure not to elevate himself to the status of enlightened preacher; he is as flawed and as guilty as the people he criticizes, so his self-criticism becomes a model for middle-class people to come to a new understanding of the world around them. By criticizing everyone—himself, fellow socialists, and middle-class people—Orwell suggests that the solution to poverty and unemployment will need to include all of society. No one is exempt from responsibility or criticism, so long as everyone strives toward a fairer, more equal society.