The Ruined Maid

During Victorian times sex was considered taboo, and having sexual desire was identified mostly with men and women of lower classes, like prostitutes. To be a wife and mother required absolute purity and innocence on the woman's part. It was the woman's role to control the amount of sex that her and her husband would have, to maintain her wifely purity and be the "moral guide" to the family. In 1894, Ruth Smythers published a book called Sex Tips for Husbands and Wives in which she gave specific tips on how newlywed women should “endure” sex. One cardinal rule of marriage according to Smythers should never be forgotten. She states that when it comes to sex one should “give little, give seldom and above all give grudgingly. Otherwise what could
During Victorian times, a woman’s role was to be pure, innocent, and clean, and anyone who didn’t fit that mold was considered damaged goods. A woman who lost her virginity outside of marriage (no matter the circumstances) was damaged and Hardy’s “The Ruined Maid," mocks society’s idea that a woman who lost her virginity before marriage is "ruined". This story is comprised of a discussion between a farm girl turned prostitute named Melia, and an unnamed friend from the farmyard. The two girls run into each other in town, and the farm girl is stunned by Melia’s newfound financial and physical prosperity. Melia appears to be wealthy, beautiful and refined however, she earned all of her worthiness by selling herself and is now considered “ruined”. The term ‘ruined” refers to women who were paid for sexual favors (prostitutes), unmarried women who engaged in premarital sexual relations, and any woman who broke society’s rules and deviated from the path of righteousness. The farm girl is oblivious to the fact that Melia is now a prostitute and envies her new life even though society considers her
Hardy seemed to believe that unlike virginity, virtue is located not in the hymen but in the persons soul. Whether it’s “The Ruined Maid” or “Tess of the d'Urbervilles” Hardy seems to “defend and pity his characters, who are victims of society’s laws and principles” (Fariza).
Hardy’s “Tess of the d'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented” tells the story of an innocent girl whose life is destroyed after she is raped, and who faces life in a state deemed by society as "ruined". In a sense when Hardy chose the word "pure" to describe Tess he was calling into question not just the definition of the word "pure" but also the value system underpinning the Victorian age. This story reflects on the double standard women faced back then, and still face even in today’s society. Angel was not a virgin at the time of his marriage to Tess, and no one seemed to care, however since Tess was no longer pure, (because of rape) it was considered shameful. Hardy implies that Tess is a good person regardless of her past, but regrettably, she is judged for situations beyond her control. Hardy's views were unlike the Victorians, and he considered virtue to be found in the soul, in one's spirits and desires. The virtue of the soul is expressed through the deliberate acts of the body. It involves one's whole being, and thus is not surrendered by means of physical force or