Oppression of Women in Victorian Society

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How would you like it ladies if you were told that your only place in this world was in the home, or that as you were born a woman you were already given the career of marriage? There would be no way out of it, no hope of changing and becoming something new and exciting, you were stuck in this position and either you made the best of it or died trying to revolt. Women held no rights. They were forced to be robots, performing only for the men they had to seek marriage to. The only jobs that women were allowed to hold was that of motherhood, they were not allowed to speak unless spoken to and certainly were not expected to have personal opinion. It was not until the start of the Women's Liberation Movement in the late 1960's and early 1970's that the whole outlook on women changed. If it wasn't for women such as: Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Harriet Tubman women would be living in a world revolving only around men. In this paper I am not going to be glorifying the heroes that I hold true to my womanhood, though I would like to, but I will be explaining and making known the mental torture a woman was put through during the Victorian Ages. A woman, during these times, was basically on earth for the following reasons: cleaning, cooking and bringing pleasure to their husbands. The guidelines of how to treat a woman were probably the same as the ones used on how to treat a servant or animal. In the writing of this paper it is important that I stress and teach the treatment of women during these times, and let you the reader understand the role they played. I have read two different novels that took place within the times I am describing and have learned about two diverse characters, they will give a background and p... ... middle of paper ... ... is always some desire urging her forward, always some convention holding her back (76-77). This passage basically describes everything about this character. She understands the society she is in, but is unwilling to do anything about it. In that passage she is talking of herself, she was forced into marriage and now lives a life she wishes she never took in the first place. In the end she takes her life to exit out of the pain she has caused herself. Emma and Jane are diverse in many ways. Jane was the strong and passionate character, while Emma was the poster girl of a Victorian woman. Each reacted in a different way to their environments. I have given you background information and specific example of women depicted during these times. Which one would you be more like? Would you have followed the pack or set forth a new path? That is the ultimate question.

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