School was a privilege to attend in Dublin during the early 20th century. For many children, it was uncommon to continue schooling above the primary level because after primary school, one had to pay to attend. Children from the lower class were not as fortunate as the upper class children who would be able to afford the tuition to attend school. For lower class families, they would be expected to contribute financially to the family therefore, after primary school, these adolescents were forced to start working or learn a trade (Cohan, 1972). Education was an important influence over whether an individual was going to be able to becomes a skilled worker or a professional. By attending school, especially upper level schools, it was helpful in attaining upper class status (Cohan, 1972).
One can see that ancestry played an important role in whether a child was able to receive an education. Children from wealthy families continued to be able to send their children to schools because they controlled and contained the wealth within their class. This was called "preferential inheritance" which "deterred the rise of other classes and concentration of wealth" (Birdwell-Pheasant, 1998). Wealth and status was passed down through the family thus making it difficult for anyone of a lower class status to break into the upper class.
Education and ancestry is represented in Dublin by Lamplight mainly in Eva's economic and social position. Because she is the only wealthy character in the play, this may be West's commentary on the scarcity of upper class citizens in Dublin. This symbolizes the struggle for anyone outside the upper class to access economic and social prosperity. The system of inheritance and the financial costs in place for schooling contained wealth and upper class status to a very small group of people. Information on education and ancestry provides the reader of the play with a closer examination on the particular lifestyle Eva had access to as a citizen of the upper class in Dublin.
This picture is of the graduating class from the University College Dublin in 1902. These students would all graduate to some sort of professional job. James Joyce is pictured in this graduate photo second from left.
Picture taken from: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/exhibition/education.html
-Sacha Brown