Double Standards In Victorian Society
In both novels the double standards in society are notable, as women always take the blame and were punished for the same actions that men partook in regularly. Both authors cleverly expose the hypocrisy and double standards in society through the portrayal of their female protagonists.
In Hardy’s novel, the double standards of society greatly affect Tess’s life experience. Tess was expected to work, marry, and support her family as she was the eldest daughter. When she was a young virgin girl, she is seen as desirable by men and society. Consequently, after her “relations” with Alec D’Urberville, she is considered a “fallen woman” and immoral by Victorian society. Women in Victorian England were expected to be chasted, wholesome and most
…show more content…
Rasheed forced Mariam to wear a burqa to protect her “nang and namoos”, he claims that, “But I’m a different breed of man, Mariam. Where I come from, one wrong look, one improper word, and blood is spilled. Where I come from, a woman’s face is her husband’s business only. I want you to remember that. Do you understand?” The interaction between Rasheed and Mariam reveals the double standards in society, men set the rules and claimed ownership of women, while women had no say and were regularly silenced by men. He forces her to cover herself, but Mariam discovered in his drawer, “Beneath the gun were several magazines with curling corners. Mariam opened one. Something inside her dropped. Her mouth gaped of its own will. One every page were women, beautiful women, who wore no shirts, no trousers, no socks, or underpants. They wore nothing at all. They lay in beds amid tumbled sheets and gazed back at Mariam with half-lidded eyes. In most of the pictures, their legs apart, and Mariam had a full view of the dark place between.” The sequence of questions which follow, shows the double standard of Rasheed’s demands for Mariam and reveals him to be a hypocrite, “Who were these women? How could they allow themselves to be photographed this way? ... And what about all his talk of honour and propriety, his disapproval of the female customers, who, after all, were only showing him their feet to get fitted for shoes?
What Are The Similarities Between The Scarlet Letter And Their Eyes Were Watching God
678 Words | 3 PagesRhetorical Essay “I am obsessed in becoming a woman comfortable in their own skin”, is something that Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter and Janie Mae Crawford in Their Eyes Were Watching God would most likely agree on. Both of these women in their stories were constantly treated differently because they were not men. A major theme in both these novels would be that female oppression is practiced in the society and how the women in these novels overcame the differences that society has thrown at them however, these novels differ from the process that the women experienced to gain their independence. These novels are similar because both women experienced troublesome time while being under the influence of male dominance.
Social Conventions In Jane Austen's 'Pride And Prejudice'
1091 Words | 5 PagesThe book deals with themes that include love, reputation, and class. However, Pride and Prejudice received much criticism for being a novel full of female characters that fit the social norms for women in the 19th century. The female characters in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, while being seen as frivolous and typical representations of
Morality In Ann Radcliffe's The Romance Of The Forest
1755 Words | 8 PagesOf course, one almost intuitively understands that the novel’s leading women adhere rather closely to socio-gender norms; both Adeline and Clara, the two women who most represent Radcliffe’s idealized morality, are traditionally beautiful, focus on emotional intelligence via poetry and music rather than on scientific pursuits, and represent the appealing innocence of ingénues. In the same manner that Adeline’s unconsciousness contributes to her integrity, it also appears that her extensive physical beauty results in part from her inherent saintliness, her beautiful eyes linked to some intrinsic purity (7). Further highlighting this ethical preference for femininity, Adeline exhibits fear related directly to the presence of men; in the Marquis’s chateau, her terror specifically abates when she realizes that “elegant” and “beautiful” women surround her, and later the inverse occurs as she balks in fear at “the voices of men” (158, 299). On some level, Adeline seems to recognize that masculinity poses a significant threat to her, and instinctively shies away from its
Mariam As A Christ Figure In A Thousand Splendid Suns
690 Words | 3 PagesNot only does Rasheed saying this indicate her deprivation of freedom, but also when Rasheed makes Mariam wear a burqa she loses the right to show her own face. Mariam describes the burqa as “tight and heavy… [and] suffocating”(72). This symbolizes that his controlling grip on her is tight and heavy and that their marriage is suffocating.
Idealised Love In The Great Gatsby
1263 Words | 6 PagesHer subjective female voice challenges the gender expectations of the Victorian Era. In the 19th century, strict social rules guided the interaction of men and women. Victorian women weren’t allowed to meet men without permission or supervision. Additionally, most marriages were based on money and materialistic means.
Adeline Mowbray: An Analysis
1101 Words | 5 PagesAs a matter of fact most frequently critics have looked at how prejudicial her mother’s philosophies have been for our character, and attributed to Editha Mowbray the “fallness” of her daughter. In her essay “The return of the prodigal daughter” Joanne Tong contemplates how “Mrs. Mowbray pays too little rather than too much attention to her daughter” (2004: 475) the outcome of which is a misunderstanding of her position in society with regards to the strict laws of etiquette and feminine ideology in eighteenth century England. Cecily E. Hill also blames Editha for Adeline and Glenmurray’s extramarital affair and their inevitable moral condemnation, and instead of accusing the lovers she sees Editha as the soul villain of the novel. Contrary to the typical concept of a mother who provides a safe education to Adeline, she experiments with dubious theories that ultimately foreground her daughter’s tragic
Mary Shelly's Frankenstein: Towards A Feminist Figure Of Humanity?
1075 Words | 5 PagesIt may skew her thinking and at times be subjective. The intended audience is someone who is studying literature and interested in how women are portrayed in novels in the 19th century. The organization of the article allows anyone to be capable of reading it.
Societal Norms In The Victorian Era
1472 Words | 6 PagesThroughout Bram Stoker 's time in the Victorian Era, societal norms were prevalent in terms of the seclusion of women 's rights, as well as the religious revival of Catholicism. The time in which Stoker lived was when Catholicism made its breakthrough in english societies. In terms of prominent time periods,"The Victorian Age is in fact above all others an age of religious revival" (Arnstein 149). Because religion was one of the largest changes in the Victorian era, Bram Stoker was surrounded by efforts of incorporating Catholicism back into everyday life. In addition, Stoker grew up in an environment where the "Problem of women 's emancipation in nineteenth century Britain was...recognition for their achievements" (Jihang 49).
Men And Women In Oscar Wilde's An Ideal Husband
1285 Words | 6 PagesThe play An Ideal Husband was written by Oscar Wilde in 1895 in England’s Victorian era. This era was characterised by sexual anarchy amongst men and women where the stringent boundaries that delineated the roles of both men and women were continually being challenged by threatening figures such as the New Woman represented by Mrs Cheveley and dandies such as Lord Goring(Showalter, 3). An Ideal Husband ultimately affirms Lord Goring’s notions about the inequality of the sexes because of the evident limitations placed on the mutability of identity for female characters versus their male counterparts (Madden, 5). These limitations will be further elaborated upon in the context of the patriarchal aspects of Victorian society which contributed to the failed attempts of blackmail by Mrs Cheveley, the manner in which women are trapped by their past and their delineated role of an “angel of truth and goodness” (Powell, 89).
Feminism In A Thousand Splendid Suns
1539 Words | 7 PagesA Thousand Splendid Suns’ was written by an Afghan American writer, Khaled Hosseini. The novel narrates the strength and resilience of two women who endure physical and psychological cruelty in an anti-feminist society. It also demonstrates how The Taliban uses fear and violence to control the people of Afghanistan, particularly females. Throughout this story the novel exposes the way customs and laws endorse Rasheed’s violent misogyny and it tells the tale of two women who endure a marriage to a ruthless and brutal man, whose behaviour forces them to kill him. The protagonist Mariam is a poor villager who lives in a remote area in Afghanistan, in contrast to Laila who is a smart, educated daughter of a schoolteacher.
Gender Roles In Oscar Wilde's The Importance Of Being Earnest
928 Words | 4 PagesWilde’s representation of the British upper class, its values and opinions, is presented most notably through Lady Augusta Bracknell. She is a dignified aristocratic residing fashionable London society circles. On the surface, she is very typical Victorian woman. As a mother to Gwendolen Fairfax, she has a great authority over her controlling her life. She has even a list of ”eligible young man” whom she is ready to interview in order to select a suitable partner for her daughter.
Analysis Of The Ruined Maid By Thomas Hardy
534 Words | 3 PagesHowever, due to the satirical nature of this poem, one can see that Hardy does not fully agree with the restrictions that have been placed on women by society during the Victorian era. The belief of society was that women who had sex out of wedlock were ruined; although, the poem demonstrates how deviating from the values of a society can present options that would not have been available otherwise. This is evident within the tone and title of the poem. “The Ruined Maid” has a conversational tone which suggests
Theme Of Gender Inequality In Persuasion
1007 Words | 5 PagesThe gender roles of Jane Austen’s time, and the mirroring of them in Persuasion, are good examples of how hard it can be to resist inequality amongst sexes. Gender inequality is a social issue that recurs throughout the novel. Most of the characters that face gender inequality comply with their oppression. Moreover, the characters that are oppressed by gender inequality have come to expect such injustice. Jane Austen’s Persuasion demonstrates true-to-life examples of how both women and men accept their “role” in society, accept and expect it.
Social Norms In Pride And Prejudice Analysis
1455 Words | 6 PagesIn society of the Regency period, every aspect of one’s life was greatly analyzed and examined. Any deviation from the set norm was considered uncivilized. In a time period where reputation was the most memorable part of a family's life, being considered uncivilized would entirely ruin their standing. Some may say that all of the characters were simply fighting to be a normal part of society; Mr. and Mrs. Bennet’s desires ended up with disagreeable results, each of the daughters deviated from society’s expectations, and Elizabeth did not allow any social norms to stand in her way of marriage for love. These examples exhibit the characters’ struggle to not be average and compliant members of society.
Women In The Victorian Society In Tess Of The D Urbervilles
1162 Words | 5 PagesRosemarie Morgan thinks that continuous censure, criticism and frustration is precisely what increased his sympathy towards women who were coerced to conform to the men 's world (Morgan, 2006, p.15). This chapter of the paper makes an attempt to discuss the importance and the influence that the society with its prejudices had on the portrayal of women in the novel, with special focus on the protagonist Tess of the d 'Urbervilles. Social influences and prejudices include the oppression that Tess receives from her family, the church 's denial of a proper burial for her baby, and the society 's judgments on being a mother of an illegitimate child. The second one is gender restraints, illustrated through male
More about Double Standards In Victorian Society
What Are The Similarities Between The Scarlet Letter And Their Eyes Were Watching God
678 Words | 3 PagesSocial Conventions In Jane Austen's 'Pride And Prejudice'
1091 Words | 5 PagesMorality In Ann Radcliffe's The Romance Of The Forest
1755 Words | 8 PagesMariam As A Christ Figure In A Thousand Splendid Suns
690 Words | 3 PagesIdealised Love In The Great Gatsby
1263 Words | 6 PagesAdeline Mowbray: An Analysis
1101 Words | 5 PagesMary Shelly's Frankenstein: Towards A Feminist Figure Of Humanity?
1075 Words | 5 PagesSocietal Norms In The Victorian Era
1472 Words | 6 PagesMen And Women In Oscar Wilde's An Ideal Husband
1285 Words | 6 PagesFeminism In A Thousand Splendid Suns
1539 Words | 7 PagesGender Roles In Oscar Wilde's The Importance Of Being Earnest
928 Words | 4 PagesAnalysis Of The Ruined Maid By Thomas Hardy
534 Words | 3 PagesTheme Of Gender Inequality In Persuasion
1007 Words | 5 PagesSocial Norms In Pride And Prejudice Analysis
1455 Words | 6 PagesWomen In The Victorian Society In Tess Of The D Urbervilles
1162 Words | 5 Pages