Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell

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The nineteenth century had the most radical and revolutionary ideas in history. The status of women during this time being one of those ideas. This time period has been named the Victorian Era, and was influential on British society. Elizabeth Gaskell’s novel, “Mary Barton,” was designed to portray the cultural customs and ideas of Britain. One of Gaskell’s motives was to bring awareness to the life and trials of a Victorian woman. A scholar writes that “for women the situation is complicated by the fact that not only their work, but their bodies have a cash value” (Stoneman 548). A woman from the Victorian Era has to focus on the marriage market, finding work, and not becoming a prostitute. This essay will reveal what women in nineteen century Britain go through, and their personal struggles of trying to find a job and a husband while keeping the values society upholds them to by using the characters of Elizabeth Gaskell’s, “Mary Barton” and how they endure these ideas. Describing a Victorian woman is based on society’s religious values. An article about models of Christian activity stated, “The word is taken to represent the full flowering of ideology, of genderized virtue, of the consolidation of the middle class with its revised gender expectations, of women being regarded as more moral and more religious than men” (Johnson 248). Being Victorian was a system of ideas that was formed based on social norms. Women were held to a higher standard than men. The women were forced to portray a false sense of “domestic” and “feminine” characteristics. Women are viewed to be in the home away from public view so that they are the support system for their husband. Men were allowed to get away with actions that would be considered religio... ... middle of paper ... ...ft instead of labor. If everything else failed and society thought you were no good, then you were forced into a life of prostitution. This novel reveals that to be a woman of the nineteenth century could be a very difficult and demeaning style of living. Women were thought of as commodities or like children. On many occasions they were told what to do, how to think, and what to say. Vanity was instilled in women at a very early age. Some women learned to use the power of their beauty and body to try to advance their status in society. In some cases this worked well, but in many instances these women sold their souls to the devil for what appeared to be heaven on earth. Many things have changed in society today as far as women in their quest for marriage and a career. However, women today still face some of these same obstacles as women of the Victorian era.

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