Summary Of The Women Of England By Sarah Stickney Ellis

As depicted in this passage from Sarah Stickney Ellis’ The Women of England, although the inherent obligations of men and women in Victorian England were drastically different within their daily interactions, they both sought obey social expectations as well as overcome societal immorality. Ellis employs personification to portray the execrable, yet alluring, challenges of society that men must navigate through in order to attain financial stability for his family. By contrast, Ellis illustrates the image of a convivial and protective atmosphere within the household that women are expected to facilitate, where men can return to and alleviate their anxieties from the turbulence of society. These gender functions are conveyed with contrasting descriptions to accentuate the reasons of their separate existence that allows a married couple sustain a successful relationship and
These tribulations are personified for the reader to recognize the severe challenges that men face daily. Ellis states, “How often has men returned to his home with a mind confused by the many voices...have addressed themselves to his inborn selfishness, or his worldly pride…” (Ellis). By personifying the many voices in giving them the ability to penetrate and influence men’s thoughts, Ellis exposes the threat that society has on their morality. Furthermore, Ellis asserts that these external agitations threaten the integrity of men because they possess an innate lack of restraint that could be conquered easily. In describing men’s innate lack of restraint Ellis states, “Nay, so potent may have become this secret influence, that he may have borne it about him with him like a second conscience…” (Ellis). In order to mitigate these societal hazards that dominate men daily, the women offer their husbands safety and seclusion from society at the end of their work