The Theme of Social Class in Mary Poppins

The Revelation of Mary Poppins

The revelation of Mary Poppins in the movie was different from the original version displayed by Travers. One of the reasons that made Travers term the movie as sentimental and silly is because the original Poppins never wasted any moment to act like a nice person. The original Poppins was short-tempered and more of a tyrant. However, Poppins in the movie finds time to display sentiments, as she is seen spending time with birds and saying, “Feed the birds and what have you got? Fat birds! (Disney np)”

Poppins in the Movie and the Book

Poppins in the movie and the book differed based on the societal class. Julie Andrews displayed Poppins in the movie as being Posh and affluent, which differs from the original Poppins. The aspect of being Posh in the movie is seen where Poppins uses crisp consonants and other crystal-spelled vowels such as amortize (Disney np). However, the original Poppins was not comparable to this status since Travels has put her’s at the bottom of the social scale. Besides, the original Poppins could not use refined vocabulary since she had an accent. She termed birds as ‘sparrers’ (Travels np).

The Theme of 'Social Class'

The theme of 'social class,' which acts as the main disparity between the two kinds of Poppins, is seen where Julies Andrews portrays Poppins as a snob. Her actions, which make her a snob in the movie, are displayed when she acts disdainful regarding the aspirations of Banks to embrace the middle-class style. In contrary, Travels did not portray Poppins in such a status, and this is seen when he describes their house as contemptible and their family as poor. This is displayed when Jane and Michael show their worry about lack of money when their children arrive at the house. This section was completely ignored by Disney, thus bringing the disparity between the two characters.

Works Cited

Marry Poppins. Directed by Walt Disney, Perf. Julie Andrews. 1964.

Travels, Pamela L. Marry Poppins. 1934.