Mary Poppins

The novel takes place entirely in London, England where Mr. Banks makes a living in the city and Mrs. Banks worries ceaselessly about the norms and goings-on of her social set. Even Mary Poppins herself carries airs: “[S]he smoothed down her frock and tucked in her umbrella […] so that the handle, or rather the parrot, could be seen by everybody” (17), suggesting an aspirational side to her persona. Humans, magical or otherwise, are unable to avoid engaging with class-consciousness; however, from the hamadryad, Jane and Michael learn that all beings are born, and all beings will die. In other words, everyone is ultimately the same.

The maintenance of class distinctions has long been a quintessential characteristic of British culture, and Travers, an outsider to the British class system as an Australian, clearly has plenty to say about the social strata in place at this time. Travers makes a mockery of excessive upper-class extravagance with the examples of Miss Lark’s over-indulgence and her dog’s Andrew’s shame over being a pedigree. In addition, Travers pokes fun at the anxieties of middle-class women like Mrs. Banks who are so desperate to fit into modern society that they fall victim to individuals who are cleverer and more astute.