Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
The Victorian era gender roles
The Victorian era gender roles
The Victorian era gender roles
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: The Victorian era gender roles
The narrator and John were both victims of the Patriarchal expectations of the Victorian era which dictated that expectations of gender roles of men, and women because male power was curtailed greatly, ultimately resulting in men ruling over women in power and control, women were defined physically and intellectually as the 'weaker' sex, in all ways subordinate to male authority. Male power was inevitably curtailed; significantly, however, men did not lose the legal obligation to provide financially, nor their right to domestic services within the family. The Narrator as a result of this is left to stay home all by herself from morning to even through the night with no one to talk to. However men were always away from home working hard to support
Women, like black slaves, were treated unequally from the male before the nineteenth century. The role of the women played the part of their description, physically and emotionally weak, which during this time period all women did was took care of their household and husband, and followed their orders. Women were classified as the “weaker sex” or below the standards of men in the early part of the century. Soon after the decades unfolded, women gradually surfaced to breathe the air of freedom and self determination, when they were given specific freedoms such as the opportunity for an education, their voting rights, ownership of property, and being employed.
As the story begins, the narrator's compliance with her role as a submissive woman is easily seen. She states, "John laughs at me, but one expects that in marriage" (Gilman 577). These words clearly illustrate the male's position of power in a marriage t...
Thesis Statement: Men and women were in different social classes, women were expected to be in charge of running the household, the hardships of motherhood. The roles that men and women were expected to live up to would be called oppressive and offensive by today’s standards, but it was a very different world than the one we have become accustomed to in our time. Men and women were seen to live in separate social class from the men where women were considered not only physically weaker, but morally superior to men. This meant that women were the best suited for the domestic role of keeping the house. Women were not allowed in the public circle and forbidden to be involved with politics and economic affairs as the men made all the
John, the narrator's husband, represents society at large. Like society, John controls and determines much of what his wife should or should not do, leaving his wife incapable of making her own decisions. John's domineering nature can be accredited to the fact that John is male and also a "physician of high standing" (1). John is "practical in the extreme. He has no patience with faith, an intense horror of superstition, and he scoffs openly at any talk of thi...
Domesticity, as defined by The Merriam Webster, is “the state of being domestic; domestic or home life.” When someone mentions domesticity, an immediate association may be drawn to domesticated cats, dogs, or even simply animals people bring into our homes and domesticize. The household trains to be accustomed to home life, rather than life on the streets. We as people, generally, spend half our time in the home and half outside. Thanks to this we are often seen as domesticated creatures. However, as demonstrated clearly by through Dicken’s writing, as well as Cullwick’s, people can also become domesticized. During the Victorian Era, women left home rarely and were not seen as working people. Despite the limited exceptions most working women constrained to work inside homes other than their own. Hannah Cullwick’s relationship to domesticity is a complex one. Despite the fact that she was a working-class woman, who was employed by various different homes, she did not work in each of them for more than a limited amount of time.
The novel Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë, depicts the coming of age of a woman who encounters great hardships, obstacles, and heartbreak. During the Victorian era women were subordinate to men and often times lacked the same opportunities and privileges that society and the family structure gave to men. Although society and the family structure of the Victorian era treated men and women differently, men were also oppressed, experienced suffering, and had to overcome poverty, but due to the masculinity that men were forced to portray during the era often times the hardships of men have been overlooked when analyzing the men in Jane Eyre. The characters John Reed, St. John Rivers, and Edward Rochester suffer various forms of lack and poverty that contributes to their oppressive and suffering nature precipitated by societal and family structure as well as being impoverished by their circumstances throughout the story even though they come across as having wealth and power.
From the beginning of the story, the theme of male dominance is seen. Although equally distressing to realize that this still is going on in the 21st century, giving this works a timeless quality, which is both unfortunate and insightful. The transparent level of disrespect John shows the narrator about her metal level is horrendous and frustrating to the point where John seems absolutely underserving of marriage, much less any kind of relationship with a woman. The following line opens the eyes to the reality of the narrator’s environment and also her own belief that she is not on an equal level as her husband. The narrator narrates “John laughs at me, of course, but one expects that in marriage”(9). “Even the name John itself is male dominating”(Ford 5). The name owes it popularity form two New Testament character, both highly reserved saints. The name John also has been born to 21 popes and eight Byzantine emperors, giving it a very superior meaning. The fact that he is a physician and a primary source of her illness because ...
The nineteenth century was a time of male domination and female suppression. Women faced economic social and freedom of rights barricades. Men's interests and efforts were towards the important people; themselves. We see this when the narrator is genuinely concerned about something strange in the house. John shows no empathy or support towards his own wife. Alternatively john responds by telling her it "was a draught, and shut the window" (Gilman 904). Perhaps this carelessness for women contributed to the mistreatment of the female illness by just giving them drugs to cope with sickness. The narrator continuously reminds us of the social expectations of the male in relation to females. The narrator uses phrases like "one expects that" and "John says..." to reinforce male's normal actions and treatment ...
In the Victorian Era motherhood was something that was idealized. A social responsibility that was once such a private matter was now something to be learned. Society had their expectations on how your children should be raised and how they should behave. During this era it was the mother’s duty to raise their children and it was the father’s duty to provide for the family. Mothers who had to work for living were labelled as irresponsible and neglectful. Meanwhile the fathers who worked all the time and really had nothing to do with their children were applauded because they were “providing” for their family. Infant death was also believed that it could be avoided if poor mother’s breast fed their babies and were taught better baby care. During that time fatherhood held an ambiguous position. Being a father showed your commitment to your home and family. A man with no children had no reason to have good work ethic because he had no one to pass on the family name
In Jane Eyre, women are oppressed and treated unequal to men in society as the novel is set during the Victorian era. When Jane is young, she struggles to fight for her independence away from Mrs. Reed and her cruelties. She is forced to live under Mr. Brocklehurst’s harsh conditions at Lowood and longs to escape and become free of the rules forced upon her. She struggles against St. John’s controlling behavior and yearns for freedom from his persistent religious principles. Throughout Jane’s life, she continually fights and perseveres for her freedom. In the end, she gains money and status, becoming a strong, independent woman. In the novel, the main character and heroine, Jane Eyre, becomes a successful, free woman in times of religious and social oppressions.
...he stopped being the protector and the only rational thinker in the family. In this short story, the men had power over women and they undermined them. The narrator insisted to her husband that she was sick, but he never took her serious instead, he confined her in an isolated place away from home and her child. Eventually both husband and wife loose because, they are trapped in fixed gender roles and could not go against them.
Women are presented in the novel as one that should be seen and not heard. They are expected to complete their household duties, raise the children, and be ready to meet the demands given by their husband without questions or complaints. They are beaten by their husband’s without recourse. They are the core of the rural workforce. Yet, women are considered inconsequential.
It’s highly necessary to know the context to fully understand it. The women couldn't do much of anything but cook and clean for their husbands. They were also spoken to and commanded like they were common dogs. Also the women did not get to choose who they married. They were supposed to act like dolls. Their loyalty belonged first to their fathers and then to their husbands. This patriarchal structure has forced them to become repressed and helpless, not only in the eyes of men and society. Overall women were treated horrible compared to today's time. There’s evident inspiration and writer’s reaction.
Have you ever wondered the difference in Men and Women’s roles in the Victorian Era time was? Although women may have had it harder than men, but nothing was fun and games for the men either. They had to go out and work for the money to supply for the wives and children. But the difference in their roles were horribly different, but followed by every Victorian man and women.
Then there was the woman’s movement and women felt they deserved equal rights and should be considered man’s equal and not inferior. The man going out to work, and the wife staying home to care for the home and the children would soon become less the norm. This movement would go on to shape the changes within the nuclear family. Women deci...