In Miss Julie, August Strindberg depicts a tormented, sadomasochistic woman held captive by the deep-rooted and inherent restrictions imposed by her aristocratic class. As he attempts to free himself, his escapist tendencies cause various consequences, such as his death. Other characters present also engage in the same desires of escapism, particularly present in Jean's desire to advance to his level in society. Such ideas end in disaster for any party involved. Strindberg manifests various characters' nonconformist ideas towards exaggerated barriers between social classes, such as those of Jean and Julie, to create themes of conformity and consequences. At the beginning of the show, Miss Julie is immediately shown to mix between various social classes. Jean says that: “Miss Julie is letting loose again. She's gone crazy!” (Strindberg 11) This shows Julie's tendency to break social class barriers. As Jean says “again,” this implies that Julie has broken barriers multiple times. Jean also states that "As soon as [Julie] sees me she rushes over and asks me to dance..." (Strindberg 12). This statement clearly describes Julie's enthusiasm and willingness to overcome the restrictions placed on her. Jean's surprise at Julie's actions also shows that Julie's actions are very crude compared to society's expectations. Such expectations are also seen when Kristine says, “She [Diana] snuck out with the game warden's mutt and got pregnant. Miss Julie simply won't accept it! (Strindberg 14) The dog, Diana, symbolizes Julie, as a person, as well as her desire to abandon social barriers. The dog is paired with a mutt, just like her owner doesn't care about the class of others. Yet, this seems very hypocritical as Miss… middle of paper… there are entrenched class barriers that, when overcome, have disastrous consequences. This theme is developed throughout the play and is clearly shown through the actions of Jean and Julie. Julie and Jean belong to their own distinct social classes, in which they try to remain. However, through Julie's relationship with Jean, she jumps social classes and breaks the class barrier. Because of this leap, Julie is mentally incapable of dealing with the ridicule and torment she faces. She states that “I am [Julie] useless. But help me! If you see a way out, help me, Jean, please!" This makes it clear that Julie is desperately looking for something to make up for breaking the class barrier, demonstrating that she cannot handle the physical and mental consequences of her actions. Such inability to cope ultimately leads Julie to commit suicide, the final consequence of her actions.