Gender Stereotypes In The Ruined Maid By Thomas Hardy

In addressing the issues faced by women in the poem ‘The Ruined Maid’, I must consider the conditions of women in Victorian society and more specifically, how the writer has represented them. The presentation of Hardy’s female characters, especially the fallen women, is rather sympathetic. Critic Geoffrey Harvey argues that Hardy’s ‘intelligent and sympathetic portrayal of women is informed by his perception of the inextricable entanglement of gender and class issues’, which means that he observes how women’s rights were restricted and sometimes denied at that time.
Published in 1901, Hardy lived in a society known by its rigid laws and harsh treatment of women. It is well known that Victorian society was patriarchal and women would have to be ‘pure’ in order to be accepted in society. However, Hardy creates female characters who challenge stereotypes, characters who reject an existence in the private and domestic sphere of life. In most of his works, Hardy deals with themes such as the subjection of women and issues related to them, exploring sexuality and prostitution. At this time these
One is that through her flippant answers to her friend’s questions, she reveals a bitterness about the way she is now regarded. This is shown in the repetitive ‘O didn’t you know I’d been ruined?’ and ‘that’s how we dress when we’re ruined’. Perhaps these lines can reveal that the girl is bitter about the society that will never accept her again, now she earns enough money to live on. Another interpretation is that Amelia’s responses regarding her new status is one of arrogance and elevation. Her speech uses few words and reflects a mediocre tone. Amelia appears to value her way of life even though she acknowledges that she has not only sacrificed her virginity to gain worldly pleasures and status but also is engaging in a disreputable