Women in Victorian Age as reflected in three of George Eliot's novels : Adam Bede, The mill on the Floss and Middlemarch

Abstract

This dissertation introduces three of George Eliot's novels which are Adam Bede (1859), The Mill On The Floss (1860) and Middlemarch (1871-2). My aim is to concentrate mainly on the woman aspect in all three books. All three novels differ from each other in the way in which they represent the subjugated woman in the Victorian period. Betty in Adam Bede appears to lack all the elements of the moral life which in fact leads her to her fallen state. It is important to notice society's reaction after her sinful act and the way in which she is treated (as an outcast) as compared to her lover Arthur Donnithorne who is free from any accusation. In The Mill On The Floss, George Eliot shows the suffering of an intellectual woman (Maggie) as a result of the lack of opportunities given to women in her society. When writing about Maggie's frustrations, George Eliot noticeably varies the tone. There is always sympathy and sometimes even indulgence at Maggie's expense. What is :important to notice also is the way in which society disapproves of her intellect and regards it as a form of witchery and abnormality. Middlemarch is very similar to The Mill On The Floss in that it follows its same lines as regard to the treatment of intelligent women in Victorian society. However, the character of Dorothea seems to be more submissive to social conventions than does the character of Maggie. In Middlemarch one sees clearly how oppressed women were in the nineteenth century. Dorothea is pleased by Mr. Casaubon's marriage proposal mainly because it would give her the possibility of realizing her dreams through him, the latter recognized as the intellectual and studious character in the novel. Dorothea in many instances throughout the novel, shows herself as being wholly dependent on the male figure in her attempts to success. The reason why I chose to write about women in Victorian age is that I intend to reveal the oppressive state in which women found themselves in, at that particular period. Apart from that I would like to emphasize the difference in the ways in which men as opposed to women were treated. The reader is to appreciate the woman who lived in Victorian age not for her resignation to social conventions, but for the hardship she had to face in a society which was so harsh and stem towards her sex.