Hard Times Depiction of the Position of Young Women in Victorian England Society

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The advancements made in Victorian England socially, politically and technologically resulted in the questioning of how to grow and keep up with the times while still maintaining the core traditions that the Victorians idealised. One of the main debates in Victorian England was the discussion around the proper place and characteristics of women. Writers during the time period incorporated their personal opinions and outlooks on where women should be placed in society. Two writers and their pieces which will be further examined in this piece are Sarah Stickney Ellis’s The Daughters of England: Their Position in Society, Character and Responsibilities, and Charles Dickens Hard Times.

Ellis ran a school for girls but didn’t support intellectual advancement for women. She educated her students to become “capable managers of their homes, from which they could best facilitate the advancement of their husbands and sons” (Black 94). With the application of Ellis’s opinions in The Daughters of England it seems that Dickens may have had a similar opinion on the ultimate role of women within Victorian Society. In Hard Times the characters of Louisa and Sissy, who are two daughters of England, experience very different endings within the novel as a result of their choices post-education. Dickens novel depicts a very sad and lonely life for Louisa who only knows a life of education and facts. On the other hand, Sissy Jupe, the daughter of the circus is described as being happy at the closing of the novel. Dickens, much like Ellis idealizes the role of motherhood gifting the young women in the story who experience it with a happy ending.

Ellis states in her piece that there are three categories of education, “cleverness, learnin...

... middle of paper ...

...nal roles of woman are epitomized by both Ellis and Dickens. Ellis provides a strongly constructed view of the ultimate place of women in Victorian society. Dickens Hard Times solidifies this argument by portraying the happiness and capabilities a woman has through her role as a mother, wife, and sister. With women in the role of a mother and wife they are provided with a superior ability to encourage and develop young males and husbands, which in turn will influence Victorian Society for the better.

Works Cited

Black, Joseph, et al. The Broadview Anthology of British Literature. Toronto: Broadview Press,

2006. Print.

Dickens, Charles. Hard Times. Ed. Graham Law. Toronto: Broadview Literary Texts,

1996. Print.

Ellis, Sarah Stickney. The Daughters of England: Their Position in Society, Character and

Responsibilities. London: Fisher, 1842. Print.

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