In this piece of writing, I aimed to explore the Victorian values of virtue and respectability and their strict code of behaviour which repressed female sexuality. In this piece, the young lady has given up her child for adoption which can be alluded from many hints in the texts, such as symbols of fertility and sexuality as well as signs of removal and absence to suggest that she had been absent for a long time. The term ‘European trip’ was a commonly used term at the time to discreetly explain a woman being absent as she was pregnant and went to give the child up for adoption. The strong odour of the flowers is a symbol of sexuality as the older women and repulsed from it and ask for it’s removal-another allusion to the strict traditions and conservatism of the Victorian society who seeked to repress female sexuality. Prominent symbols of fertility;pomegranates and lilies-have been used. The images of nature,weather and seasons I used were to imply fertility. The lush and beautiful gardens that were mentioned before the young lady’s absence was to hint at her pregnancy and fertility whilst the images of a barren and dreadful garden was to insinuate the loss of fertility (her adoption). Furthermore, the peach was also another symbol of fertility and sexuality I utilised.
I was inspired by the writing of Ernest Hemingway and his short story “Hills Like White Elephants”, a short story he wrote that employed the use of the writing technique ‘Iceberg Theory’. This writing
Secondly, promiscuity has obliviously changed the outlook of relationships. Every relationship in the book has been some form of interactions that would be considered immoral in our world. When talking about Henry, Linda surprisingly said to Lenina, “’Only 4 months!’... Fanny went on, pointing an accusing finger” (Huxley 29) explaining to the reader how absurd it is to have any kind of intimate relationship. We now know that any type of long-lasting relationship is not only absurd but unheard of. Continuing the lifestyle of the new world, elementary sex was being taught to children of London as an aspect to strive for. The activity gives kids in school time to play around with other girls and boys naked in a courtyard to become more familiar with bodies of the opposite sex. Tying together all these changes their world had made, family had been changed as well. “… families, no conditioning, monstrous…” (Huxley 69). Given the last aspect that not only love, but family, as well, faded away from this society as well.
Ultimately, the evidence shown above reveals the many apprehensions and difficulties women endured during the 19th century, and the implications of their actions. Through the above examples, it demonstrates that women must show certain etiquette among European society despite personal heritage. As well as one being innocent and denying social norms, there are limitations and one should be cautious to personal decisions. Similarly, young women should be more vigilant towards warnings of others and adult figures that offer helpful advice even if their nature is to be ignorant to rules. Given these points, James emphasizes in the novella ‘Daisy Miller’ the taboo of young sexuality during the Victorian era, and the strict social conventions and
“Nothing is so frightening as what’s behind the closed door,” said William F. Nolan… and society proved him right. The human race is terrified of what they do not understand. Whether centuries in the past, or right here in the present, women have rarely ever been, and still are not, afforded the opportunity of individuality and freedom. Victorian society in its time period took on an extremely conservative behavior. Sex and womanly freedoms were strongly controversial topics and thus, society encouraged an overall chaste and modest lifestyle.
The public spheres of British Victorian society was a markedly masculine jurisdiction, obviously lacking in a feminine presence. Traditionally the public spheres of the society were considered a man’s domain and women were sequestered into the home, women of the public were thus considered of ill repute. The modern stay at home woman was considered an extension of her husband’s wealth, and her being in the home that of how well off the man had become. The rise of the department stores lead to an increase of women into what was considered a masculine space and as transportation means became more readily available to them the roles of women within the public sphere also changed. These marked changes and shifts in gender role can be seen with the admit protest against their presence London’s West End, and the portrayal od exulted “angels” gracing the shops with their presence creating a “chaste” space. These and many other examples in Erika Diane Rappaport’s Shopping for Pleasure: Women in the Making of London’s West End illustrate how women entering the public sphere altered their gender roles with Victorian English Society.
The Victorian Era was from 1837 - 1901. During this time Queen Victoria ruled England. Etiquette in the Victorian Era was very big and also very strict. It consisted on a lot of rules that the people needed to follow. If you disobey these rules, you would be seen as rude and impolite. Etiquette now is much different and less strict than it was during the Victorian Era. Some rules from the victorian era could still be used today, but in a way that makes you seem polite, for example, not chewing with your mouth open, not talking with food in your mouth, but they aren’t compulsory. Etiquette played a very important role during the Victorian Era. They showed what you were like as a person and how people viewed you. If you didn’t follow the rules, people would view you as rude and depending on what the rule was, vulgar. There were many rules for men, women, children and also for dining.
Ernest Miller Hemingway is known for his unique style and theories of writing, especially the iceberg theory. In the Death of the Afternoon, Hemingway says that “The dignity of movement of an ice-berg is due to only one-eighth of it being above water. A writer who omits things because he does not know them only makes hollow places in his writing.” (92) Simple words, vivid images, rich emotions and deep thoughts are the four basic elements of the iceberg theory. Talk about how these stories illustrate four elements of theory. In both short stories, Hemingway describes scenery and characters with simple words directly to give readers a vivid image. Under this sketch, readers can know characters’ emotion and get the theme through their imagination and analysis.
Victorian England was a period where women faced enormous financial uncertainty and social vulnerability. Due to a prevailing social construct of gender and gender roles, women of the time were perceived as the weaker sex thus belonged to the domestic sphere. As a result of this, there were very few prospects for a single woman with regards to improving her socioeconomic status other than through marriage. Jane Austen’s Emma and Anne Bronte’s The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, novels written in 19th century England, both provide a lens through which the challenges of young women of the time can be observed and analyzed. Emma portrays a tenacious heroine, who is strong, intelligent and confident
This develops the idea that her future with this man as a married woman provided a stable lifestyle where she would not have to live by the rigid patterns of society, reinforcing a modern day feminist reader’s view of the expectations and restrictions placed on unmarried women during the Victorian era.
Governesses represented an unusual social class in Victorian culture. They were often women belonging to the middle class, however, they had a central role in the upbringing of upper class children and the construction of Victorian education and ideals. Despite their significance within the homes of wealthy families, many governesses were treated with suspicion and fear. This paper, however, seeks to analyze several notable governess representations as well as to understand how these various depictions (from homewrecker governess to asexual, unsexed governess) were employed to construct, conceal, and obscure the classed sexuality of the governesses. The governess in the painting “Looking for the Mail Packet”, Miss Prism in The Importance of Being Earnest, Mrs. Vesey in The Woman in White,—portray governesses as superfluous to the home and neglectful of their charges, lacking in sexual desirability, and utterly unsophisticated. Some governesses, including Miss Prism, are described as women who seek to destabilize the Victorian home à la prostitutes and other undesirable women. No matter the case, the governess as a Victorian figure was often not painted in a positive light in these texts. It is important to consider the implications such portrayals because they can illuminate for modern readers the ways in which the Victorian era policed and proscribed sexuality. The governess and her role matters because she represents the social policing of womanhood as well as the
You can identify Hemingway’s “Iceberg Theory” in “The Doctor and the Doctor’s Wife.” The book starts off with conflict. There is tension between him and Dick Boulton, his son Eddy, and a Billy Tabeshaw. They see logs at a lake, logs like these typically never are claimed and left there to rot. The doctor saw these logs and took upon himself to to collect the logs for use, since they might not ever be claimed by anyone.The doctor hired the Indians to come and gather up the logs. The Indian men that the Doctor has hired sees the wood and assumes that the doctor had stolen the wood. Dick confronts the doctor about the wood. “Dick even looks to see where the logs came from.” He accuses him of stealing the wood by the lake. When Dick does this, the doctor is instantly offended and mad. The doctor is infurious and demands the men to leave at one instance. The
The Victorian Age's morality also condemned any kind of sexual reference in literature. Victorian critics demanded from "serious" literature a didactic content and respect to the Victorian conventions which established that sex
Families were considered the most important to Victorians. Families were large relative to the modern family; it is typical to have five or six children. Upper and middle class families usually lived in big and comfortable houses. Each member in a separate area and the parents made sure the children were taught to “know their place”. For parents, the education of their children was the most important responsibility. They believed that a child must know ethics to become a proper adult. A common saying in that time was “Spare the rod and spoil the child”. The family system is very much patriarchal: male dominated. However, challenges to attitudes towards sexual relations and the role of women are posed by “New Woman”.
Consequently, this female bildungsroman is foreshadowed at the opening chapter where Jane unbinds the social norms by educating her mind. This is a sense of freedom for her to improve her position in the society and rebel in this artistic manner. ‘The child who remains silent, isolated behind the curtain with escape literature in her lap’. (Freeman, 1984, p.683). This clearly shows how Jane has focused on self-education which she uses as a form of escapism due to her alienation at Gates head. Jane reads carefully and forms her own thoughts on the stories which emphasizes her knowledge. It is considered a disgrace for females to read as this was a form of stepping outside the conventional norms. ’The Victorian moral code for women was that
Ernest Hemingway’s usage of the “iceberg theory” of omission was perfectly demonstrated in the “Snows of Kilimanjaro”. The story begins in media res in which Harry, the protagonist, and Helen suffered through a plethora of events that happened during their safari journey. From the beginning to the end of this story, Hemingway used omission from Harry’s past to make a story with different interpretations depending on the reader. In the “Snows of Kilimanjaro”, Hemingway demonstrates the “iceberg theory” to exemplify his omissions and interpretations that the reader may have.
During the Victorian Era (1837-1901), Victorian morality was a prominent feature of people’s lives. There were strict moral codes, but it was especially tough on women. For example, one of a woman’s vital trait was being pure. If she was tainted in any way, she would be considered a ruined woman. In Thomas Hardy’s novel Tess of the d’Urbervilles, he portrays the hypocrisy of Victorian morality by describing the life of an innocent woman, Tess, who becomes victimized by lust, poverty, and irony. In Christina Rossetti’s poem “Goblin Market,” she defies Victorian ideals of women by illustrating two girls’ encounter with goblins. In Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the d’Urbervilles and Christina Rossetti’s “Goblin Market,” both use nature imagery and biblical symbolism to display society's corrupting influence and describe women’s expected ideals and strengths in contrast to men’s expectations.