Adam Smith peeks in at the new series The Gilded Age

The perceived discontinuity between Adam Smith’s Theory of Moral Sentiments and the Wealth of Nations is so famous as to have been dubbed, “Das Adam Smith Problem.” But as individuals we weave in and out of the situations he’s describing in both works all the time, often within minutes of each other. 

I was reminded of this thought watching the premier of Julian Fellowes’ The Gilded Age on HBO. (You can watch a preview for the series here.) There’s a lot that Smith could say about this show but I’m going to focus on a small scene that sets up a big contrast. There are spoilers ahead but this happens pretty early in the show so it’s more like a little mold on the rind of a nice piece of cheese than rotten meat. 

One of the main characters, Marion Brook (played by Louisa Jacobson), has been left close to penniless in rural Pennsylvania by her father who has recently died and apparently kept her ignorant about the family finances. Her aunt Ada Brook (played by Cynthia Nixon) has sent Marion a train ticket so that Marion can afford to join Ada and her sister, Agnes van Rhijn (Christine Baranski) in “old money” New York City.

The ticket is expensive and considering Marion’s circumstances, hard to replace. It is tragic, then, when her purse is stolen with the ticket inside. What comes next reveals an understanding of how impersonal markets work right next to personal human sympathy. 

When Marion implores the Conductor to let her on the train without the tickets, he refuses. His occupation requires him to refuse, and he’s not the villain. The men who staged a fake fight as cover for the theft of the purse are the villains. The Conductor is acting as he must when acting in the world of markets. 

Marion: “Please, sir, I have to get to New York”

The Conductor: “Not without a ticket”

Luckily, there are other worlds. Marion turns to the only other young, single woman there. One who was literally sitting next to her when the purse was stolen. So close to her misfortune but either through luck (or more likely through savviness concerning purse guarding in public spaces) was not a victim of the thieves. This is Peggy Scott (Denée Benton) who is Black and clearly from poorer circumstances than Marion. Marion has even badly ripped Peggy’s skirt on accident during the faked fight. 

Peggy takes pity on Marion and with Peggy’s own (presumably limited!) money buys Marion a ticket like her own. It’s not for the nicest part of the train but it’s far better than being stranded on the platform. They aren’t exactly friends but they are human beings who see each other and who have begun to care about the other’s safety. 

But this is only the beginning of the journey. As the day and travel wear on, Marion and Peggy stick close to each other. When a delayed ferry looks to strand Peggy in a much worse situation than a sunny train platform in the morning in a city full of her friends, Marion returns Peggy’s kindness—something that seems unlikely to have happened if Marion’s journey had proceeded as it was supposed to. Marion brings Peggy to her aunts’ house even though Marion herself is uncertain about her standing with them and the limits of their affection due to their estrangement. The aunts welcome Peggy somewhat begrudgingly but–without giving too much away–they soon come to see her humanity and value as well. 

This is not the first time that a series by Julian Fellowes has put human sympathy front and center. His work on Downton Abbey also included lovely examples of this. One such example, between the characters Sir Robert Crawley and Tom Branson, is illustrated in a previous Speaking of Smith post, “Adam Smith Visits Downton Abbey” by Shal Marriott. The Smith quote from The Theory of Moral Sentiments she highlighted there is just as beautifully applied here: 

...to feel much for others, and little for ourselves, that to restrain our selfish, and to indulge our benevolent affections, constitutes the perfection of human nature; and can alone produce among mankind that harmony of sentiments and passions in which consists their whole grace and propriety.

While Robert and Tom’s relationship in Downton Abbey took many more episodes (and the birth of an adorable baby!), as the very gilded Bertha Russell says, “Things move faster in New York.” Oh, and, don’t worry if you don’t know who Bertha Russell is yet, I’ll have more to say about her soon, as will the rest of New York City…

Want to Read More?

Steve Horwitz’s Seeing the Invisible Bridge in Adam Smith | Adam Smith Works
Shal Marriott’s Adam Smith Visits Downton Abbey | Adam Smith Works

Janet Bufton’s Adam Smith on the Butcher, the Brewer, and the Baker

For Teachers: 

Reading Guide for The Theory of Moral Sentiments, Part I
https://www.adamsmithworks.org/documents/the-theory-of-moral-sentiments-reading-guide

Lesson Plan: What Would Adam Smith Say? This lesson helps students apply Adam Smith's ideas to contemporary issues AND transfers well to online teaching.
https://www.adamsmithworks.org/documents/lesson-plan-what-would-adam-smith-say

Lesson Plan: What Motivates Us? In this lesson, the students test Smith’s ideas on sympathy by playing a famous game in economics and ethics known as “the Ultimatum Game.”
https://www.adamsmithworks.org/documents/are-we-motivated-by-self-interest-or-sympathy-or-both

*Image is Mary Cassatt, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons