Social Issues In The Victorian Period

The Victorian era was regarded as a period of peace and prosperity. Riots did take place, however, they were minimal and often over economic issues such as taxes. The prominent issues of the time were often met with resistance from Victorian writers. They not only documented the issues that stagnated societal progress, but chose to spark change with their unique approach to literature: gothic themes, curses, and intense emotions. Issues ranged from women’s rights to child labor and had received nominal attention until writers brought them to light. The Victorian period was the first, in a long series of steps to social diversity. It was during a time where literary criticism was becoming more prominent, and social class was an ever growing

The industrial revolution was taking place, and jobs were spawning up uncontrollably. This when paired with politics, makes for a climate that sparks disagreement. It all started with the introduction of the steam engine, which requires an immense amount of coal. This shift in demand prompted an influx of jobs, to which came in an equal amount of those willing to work. Since laws were not yet implemented to protect these works, they often set up camps in buildings and streets. The infrastructure of towns at the time could not meet the demand of immigration, leaving them in ruins. In order to support their families, children and women were forced to work in these factories for a fairly low pay (Mullan). However, with all the technological advances that the new machinery gave, came with its downfalls. As evidenced by, “The Cry of the Children”, a poem that emphasizes the horrific conditions that women and children faced. The title speaks for itself, children were often forced to work in these factories to support their family. The poem was written by Elizabeth Browning, a stunning Victorian writer, that made it her mission to spark change. She knew that going against the upper class and those that owned these factories would be dangerous. This just gives us a small sense of how sensitive the topic was at the time. Another well-known author of the Victorian era is Charles Dickens, someone who had the chance to

This was shown by Emily Bronte in her poem, “No Coward Soul Is Mine”. Bronte targets the vibrant religious community that was self-evident at the time. Bronte wanted to express her desire for God while keeping the peace between religion and science. Indeed this poem is considered one of Bronte 's most famous works, surviving as an example of the discussion of religion through innovative literature. In this novel, Bronte recognizes the need for materialistic items but refutes it by claiming God is the most important thing in a person’s life. Bronte attempted to add further validation by mentioning how even if all materialistic items were to disappear, the universe would still exist under God. Bronte aims to signify that we are all infinitely lucky and through God, we are granted life without bounds. This type of reasoning caused the majority of the discussion to go from constant bickering to recognizing that two beliefs can work in one society. Another prevalent issue at the time was social class. When Bronte wasn’t busy fighting the war against science, she was bringing awareness regarding the marriage of heterogeneous social classes. Since social class plays an immense part in the Victorian era, Bronte shines a light on the issues throughout his writings. Bronte often worked under the pseudonym,