The macho society of Victorian England has inevitably high expectation on the male gender. To fulfill the idealistic image of a “manly man” one has high standards to live up to. For instance, men at the time are anticipated to be morally upright, as well as to be the bread-winner in a household adored by his wife.
From Ruskin a man is expected to be the “doer” and the “creator”, the one actively and progressively taking charge and creating the future, in contrast with the expectation of women on being submissive and maintaining the household. The masculine ideal of men is further depicted in Kipling’s renowned poem “If—“. In the world famous composition, a man is bestows with the anticipation to be confident that they “trust themselves” when the world is against them, yet humble enough not to “look too good nor talk too wise”. They are expected to be resilient that they remain themselves when “twisted by knaves”, and at the same time adventurous to pursue their dreams even if it means “risking all his winnings in one turn of pitch-and-toss”. Men are to be ambitious yet down-to-earth; visionary yet attentive to details; innovative yet skillful. In short, men at the time are given extremely contrasting and struct,
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if not unattainable standards to keep up with, and the masculine ideal at the time is pretty much a flawless human being mastering the key of balance. The masculine ideal of the nineteenth century is not fully examine without a comparison with that of women, and minutely observed in the household setting.
The roles played by men and women during the era are so clearly defined that an ideal quality of men seen on a woman can be considered a vice, and vice versa. For instance, a Victorian man is expected to play the role of the bed-winner in the household, and being taken care of and idolized by his wife after he returned home from work. If a man is meek, or innocent, or submissive, he is considered to have failed to be a respectable man of the time. Much like women whose degree of self-expression and individuality, so does me, for both of bodies have a fixated and absolute role to perform in the
society.
In the Victorian era, in New York City, men and women roles within the society were as different as night and day. A man regardless of his extra curricular activities could still maintain a very prevalent place in society. A woman’s worth was not only based family name which distinguished her class and worth, but also her profession if that was applicable.
In Gail Bederman’s Manliness and Civilization, she aims to describe the concepts of manliness and masculinity at the turn of the century. Bederman explains that the concept of what it means to be a man is ever changing as a result of the ideology of the time as well as the material actions of the men. During the Progressive Era, many forces were at work that put pressure on the supremacy of white, middle class men. Some of these forces included the growing move toward empowered women, the unionization of the working class, and the move from self-employment to big, corporate business. She delves into the way that both racism and sexism were used to build up the concept of masculinity and the turn of the century discourse on civilization.
During the Victorian Era, society had idealized expectations that all members of their culture were supposedly striving to accomplish. These conditions were partially a result of the development of middle class practices during the “industrial revolution… [which moved] men outside the home… [into] the harsh business and industrial world, [while] women were left in the relatively unvarying and sheltered environments of their homes” (Brannon 161). This division of genders created the ‘Doctrine of Two Spheres’ where men were active in the public Sphere of Influence, and women were limited to the domestic private Sphere of Influence. Both genders endured considerable pressure to conform to the idealized status of becoming either a masculine ‘English Gentleman’ or a feminine ‘True Woman’. The characteristics required women to be “passive, dependent, pure, refined, and delicate; [while] men were active, independent, coarse …strong [and intelligent]” (Brannon 162). Many children's novels utilized these gendere...
Manhood had not always existed; it was created through culture. Depending on the era, masculinity claimed a different meaning. But in all of its wandering definitions, it consistently contains opposition to a set of “others,” meaning racial and sexual minorities. (pp.45) One of the first definitions was the Marketplace Man, where capitalism revolved around his success in power, wealth, and status. A man devoted himself to his work and family came second. Although this is one of the first standing definitions, it still finds its spot in today’s definition, where masculinity consists of having a high paying job, an attractive young wife, and
To “be a lady” in Victorian times, women had to repress their “instincts,” meaning that they must not have sex. Lead by the “cult of true womanhood,” which dictated piety, purity and submissiveness in women, females were directed to become almost asexual. Women went into sexuality thinking that it was something not to be talked about, that women were not supposed to have a libido, and that the act of sexual intercourse was not something that they should enjoy.
While America was just in its infancy during the late eighteenth century and into the nineteenth century, expanding and competing for its own national identity, there were ideals of manhood competing for dominance amidst the chaos. A couple of notions of masculinity were brought to the New World straight from Europe; the idea that men were to work hard for success and value family, while others maintained wealth and landownership as the characteristics of a man. However, the eminence of industrialization soon made these notions obsolete. Without these longstanding notions, American men were left in a crisis without an identity. It is within this framework that specific paintings serve as material expressions and vehicles for gendering beliefs and constructs.
Reagin, Nancy. “Historical Analysis: Women as ‘the Sex’ During the Victorian Era.” Victorian Women: The Gender of Oppression. Pace University, n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2014.
In society, there has always been a gap between men and women. Women are generally expected to be homebodies, and seen as inferior to their husbands. The man is always correct, as he is more educated, and a woman must respect the man as they provide for the woman’s life. During the Victorian Era, women were very accommodating to fit the “house wife” stereotype. Women were to be a representation of love, purity and family; abandoning this stereotype would be seen as churlish living and a depredation of family status. Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story "The Yellow Wallpaper" and Henry Isben’s play A Doll's House depict women in the Victorian Era who were very much menial to their husbands. Nora Helmer, the protagonist in A Doll’s House and the narrator in “The Yellow Wallpaper” both prove that living in complete inferiority to others is unhealthy as one must live for them self. However, attempts to obtain such desired freedom during the Victorian Era only end in complications.
When looking at Dickens writings such as Great Expectations (1860) and Our Mutual Friend (1865), you see why many have made the claim that the male is supreme and the woman is simply a worker. Dickens had a certain idea about domestic ideology. I...
But in reality, a male narrator gives a certain sense of understanding to the male audience and society’s understand of the male and females roles and responsibilities in a marriage. Just as men were expected to cut the grass, take out the trash, pay the bills and maintain the household as a whole, women were expected to cook, clean, nurture the children, and be a loving and submissive wife to their husband. The only stipulation required for this exchange of power was to establish a mutual love. In the Victorian age love was all it took for a man to take or alter a woman’s livelihood and
Prior to the 1970s, when the theme of gender issues was still quite foreign, the societal norm forced female conformity to male determined standards because “this is a man’s world” (Kerr 406). The patriarchal society painted the image of both men and women accordingly to man’s approach to societal standards that include the defining features of manhood that consist of “gentility-taste, manners, culture, as much as inherited wealth” which appear in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby (Kerr 420).... ... middle of paper ...
Men of the time were held to the standard of being active in society. They were expected to be active in politics and social activities outside of the home. Expectations for men were also for them to be respectful and proper, especially when women were present. The character, Jack Worthing, in The Importance of Being Earnest, is the representation of the perfect Victorian gentleman. For example, Jack says to Algernon in Act I, “...My dear fellow, the truth isn’t quite the sort of thing one tells to a nice, sweet, refined girl. What extraordinary ideas you have about the way to behave to a woman!” (Wilde 1.2.236). In this simple quote, Jack describes the high standards and expectations that Victorian gentlemen were held to. But not only men were held to high standards, women were expected to hold themselves in the most proper way as well. The point of a Victorian woman’s life was to marry and domestically support her family. Women had little rights and in fact, prior to the Married Women’s Property Acts of 1870, women were forced to give up all property that they held to their husbands upon marriage. (Appell 1). Within the play, Lady Bracknell, Gwendolen 's mother, is provided as a tool to explain the oppression put upon women of the time.
During the Victorian Era, the concept of how a “proper” man and woman were to behave came under fire and there were men and women on both sides willing to argue for their beliefs. Though the traditional Victorian Era attitude is long since gone and devalued, it can be very enlightening to see the ways in which these attitudes surfaced themselves in the literature of the time. Sarah Stickney Ellis wrote The Women of England: Their Social Duties and Domestic Habits from the viewpoint that women should self-abnegate their own beliefs and become fully interested in the man. And to illustrate this point, Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s “Sonnet 43” will be closely looked at along with the essay to make some critical points.
Being an only child, raised by a single mum, has allowed me to understand the person I wanted to be. From a young age my mother has instilled in me certain characteristics, qualities and the importance of being a true gentleman. As a young male living in the 21st century trying to behave in a gentlemanly manner I was dared by my mates to ask a girl out. Instant rejection followed; her response “Sorry, you are just, how should I put this not ideal.” Later that night as I buried my face into my pillow, it hit me. How am I not ideal? Heck what does she mean by ideal? Is it possible her view of me was influenced? I needed to find out if the feminine view of males has been clouded by media and classical literature. It would make an interesting story, so I started with Oscar Wilde 's famous play ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ (1895).
Ruskin lays down the ground work of his essay by explaining the role of men first. Men are seen to be the driving force of the house. They are to battle and conquer when needed. They need to stay strong and never show weakness. They are also supposed to protect the ones they love from danger no matter what the cost is. They are supposed to protect the ones they love from danger no matter what the person they are protecting say or even when they try to run into the