The social structure of eighteenth-century London was founded on rigid class hierarchies. In Burney's novel Evelina, the protagonist is born as an unnamed illegitimate child because her father refuses to accept her. This places Evelina at a particularly difficult crossroads of London's social structure. Evelina has little knowledge of the scope of social conduct in London and has no name or claimed inheritance to offer as a dowry. In the context of eighteenth-century London, this is a bad situation for a young, unmarried woman to find herself in. However, Burney uses Evelina's illegitimate status to reveal both the arbitrary nature of London's social expectations and the hypocritical members of society who enforce but do not adhere to them. Despite Evelina's naivety, she is probably considered the most suitable individual to navigate the complexities of social customs and rituals. With this in mind, it is important to ask critically whether Burney questions class hierarchies, class hypocrisy, or both. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Burney breaks down 18th century class structures and social behaviors in a two-fold way: he presents Evelina as ignorant but capable. Despite growing up in the countryside before her trip to London, Evelina possesses a self-awareness that most of the novel's characters lack. Upon her first arrival in London, Evelina finds herself overwhelmed by the foreign behaviors she realizes she must conform to. Evelina is often stuck in difficult situations without Barron 2 knowing how to proceed. This is shown when she attends a dance for the first time and has to navigate expected gender dynamics that she has no experience with. In these assemblies it was considered rude to refuse one man and then accept the hand of another. Without this knowledge, however, Evelina understandably refuses the hand of the first man who offers to dance, Mr. Lovel, who offends her with his frankness and excessive confidence. Evelina describes: “Not long after, a young man, who had been looking at us for some time with a kind of negligent impertinence, tiptoed towards me; he had a determined smile on his face, and his dress was so elegant, that I really believed he even wanted to be looked at; yet it was very ugly” (Evelina 21). Here Burney demonstrates nuance in Evelina's characterization. Evelina has little behavioral reference to base her judgments of Mr. Lovel, yet she recognizes the unpleasant aura he possesses. By situating Mr. Lovel, an unattractive character with excessive behavior, as the individual who is experienced with London manners, Burney accentuates the hypocrisy within the structure of the culture. Furthermore, by showing Evelina's awareness of this unpleasant nature, Burney suggests that there are appropriate ways that should be acknowledged: being genuine, respectful, and not condescending. Evelina recognizes and follows these behaviors without knowing the London formalities. Furthermore, the characterization of Evelina as polite against the backdrop of such formalities reveals their arbitrary nature. The fact that Burney criticizes London society but praises characters such as Evelina and Lord Orville's sensitivity, or their awareness of the emotions and behaviors of others, suggests a complex perspective. Burney does not intend to reject the social values ​​of respect and kindness, but he rejects arbitrary customs and criticizes hypocritical individuals. Many characters in Evelina, even Mr. Lovel and Sir Clement Willoughby, can be said to adhere to the expectations of London Barron 3 in terms of classy behavior. This suggests that..