ipl-logo

Women In The Victorian Society In Tess Of The D Urbervilles

1162 Words5 Pages

III. SOCIAL INFLUENCE AND PREJUDICE The society in the Victorian Era was amidst a great change. Having in mind the fact that they were moving from a pastoral life to industrialization, their lifestyle changed. As with every transition, there is the issue of adapting to changes because people tend to hold onto their principles. The society of that time had ideas and expectations on how women should behave. They were expected to be humble, pure, innocent, good wives and mothers. Furthermore, they were seen as inferior to men in almost every aspect. Feeling himself as a 'misfit ', Hardy was always in a disagreement with editors and critics, thus he had to edit his texts to conform the Victorian Society. In this way, he identified himself with the suppressed classes. Rosemarie 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

Show More
Related

  • Comparing 'Depending On The Light' By Henrik Ibsen, And Thomas Hardy

    1668 Words  | 7 Pages

    Thomas Hardy also has strong opinions about the roles of women in the nineteenth century. His novel Tess of the D’Urbervilles challenges the thought that women are incapable of making their own decisions and being independent. Hardy utilizes indirect characterization and symbolism to convince the reader that society’s restrictions on women are oppressive and

    Read More

  • Critical Lens Essay

    692 Words  | 3 Pages

    In doing so, examine the feminist lens’s interpretation of the text. How are gender roles defined? Where to women fit into the text’s plot line. What do you notice about the women in this text? Is this congruent (similar) to society’s view of women, by today’s standards?

    Read More

  • Examples Of Misogyny In The Scarlet Letter

    1183 Words  | 5 Pages

    This show of misogynistic ideas and practices is in correlation with Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Elizabeth bennet’s her sisters are undervalued and ticketed of as victims of misogyny and male dominance. The novel was published in 1850 around the same time of the suffrage movement. The first wave of feminism took place in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, emerging out of an environment of urban industrialism and liberal, socialist politics.

    Read More

  • The Madonna/Whore Complex In The Scarlet Letter

    1266 Words  | 6 Pages

    Within the past year, the treatment and perceptions of women have been challenged due to the various marches and movements. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s romance, The Scarlet Letter, presents how women were viewed in a Puritan society, falling into a rigid dichotomy of either being the “saint” or “sinner.” This is otherwise known as the “Madonna/Whore complex,” which is explored through the life of the novel’s protagonist, Hyster Prynne. Her struggles and experiences through this dichotomy ultimately affect her both physically and emotionally as it represses her femininity.

    Read More

  • Sexism In Nathaniel Hawthorne's Sexist Young Goodman Brown

    566 Words  | 3 Pages

    Sexist Young Goodman Brown In reading this classic tale from 1853 which was written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, I became intrigued first by the theme of the 1800’s with shadowy undertones of biblical evilness. Although, in reviewing the story further I noticed a certain distinctive trends of old world flare that was unmistakable. These tones are of sexism which sadly marked the time period historically to such extent in which the structured confinements of gender responsibilities. Hawthorne orchestrates the underpinning of chauvinism within the very first paragraph “put his head back, after crossing the threshold, to exchange a parting kiss with his young wife.

    Read More

  • How Were Women Treated In The 1600's

    387 Words  | 2 Pages

    Women in the 1600s to the 1800s were very harshly treated. They were seen as objects rather than people. They were stay-at-home women because people didn’t trust them to hold jobs. They were seen as little or weak. Women living in this time period had to have their fathers choose their husbands.

    Read More

  • Yamin Wang In Scarlet Letter

    1142 Words  | 5 Pages

    In a traditional culture at the time, the female image was inferior to men in many different aspects. Women have an inferior intelligence compared to men, inferior role in society, and inferior status. Later on, women were respected more as wives and mothers. Women remained in homes, raising children, and “rescuing men’s souls and leading them to the holy paradise” (). In his writing, Nathaniel Hawthorne creates a new female-image, one that focuses on remaining a pure reputation.

    Read More

  • Morality In Ann Radcliffe's The Romance Of The Forest

    1755 Words  | 8 Pages

    Of 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

    Read More

  • Mary Shelly's Frankenstein: Towards A Feminist Figure Of Humanity?

    1075 Words  | 5 Pages

    It 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.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Ruined Maid By Thomas Hardy

    534 Words  | 3 Pages

    However, 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

    Read More

  • Essay On The Treatment Of Men And Women In The Scarlet Letter

    999 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Scarlet Letter, a novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1850, functions as an evaluation of Puritan ideas, customs, and culture during the 17th century. Through this evaluation, we can get a good idea of what core values and beliefs the Puritans possessed, as well as the actions they take in cases of adversity brought about by “sinners”. Some Puritan virtues created stark divisions between groups of people, some of which led to discrimination under certain circumstances. One of the most prominent of these is the treatment and standards of men and women, a concept that surfaced during some of the major points in The Scarlet Letter. The divisions that were created by Puritan standards of men and women played a great role in shaping the plot of The Scarlet Letter, determining the fate of many of the characters.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Augustus Egg's 'The Travelling Companion'

    1429 Words  | 6 Pages

    Another important idea in the Victorian era is the slow recognition of sexual repression and the start of liberation that opened up better opportunity for women to express themselves. Back then, women were seen as the weaker, more innocent sex who had little or no sexual desires. It was difficult for women to gain social status as equal to men. This character is portrayed by the

    Read More

  • Social Class In Joseph Conrad's Heart Of Darkness

    1772 Words  | 8 Pages

    An era where many people were defined by which social class they fell in was the Victorian Era. Appearance was very important during this time period since appearance was used to identify if one would best fit within the Upper Class,

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Reading In Jane Austen's Persuasion

    3827 Words  | 16 Pages

    Therefore, even though women wrote literature as well as men, unfavourable and unrealistic female stereotypes were still omnipresent in books. However, Anne’s and Harville’s conversation is not just “an indictment of masculine literary tradition” (Pinch 220), but a reference to the contemporary discussions about women and literature as well (Pinch 221; Richardson 183-4). Moreover, based on the context of their exchange, Anne is clearly addressing her words to Wentworth when she is passionately defending women’s constancy, because she has suspected since their encounter that he still loves her (Austen 154) and has noticed Wentworth has been listening to her debate with Harville (Waldron

    Read More

  • Portrayal Of Women In Guy De Maupassant

    1312 Words  | 6 Pages

    Hitoe Nakamura To what extent can Maupassant be seen to be misogynistic in his portrayal of women in the necklace? The French author of short stories and novels, Guy de Maupassant, wrote about many aspects of French life in the 19th century, where society was rigidly divided by people’s class and status in the social hierarchy. “The Necklace”, is heavily influenced by the two literary movements of the century, realism and naturalism. The French author was often criticized for being misogynistic through his negative portrayal of women.

    Read More

More about Women In The Victorian Society In Tess Of The D Urbervilles

Open Document