Wuthering Heights Women Analysis
Social Struggles Of Women in Mid-19th Century England
There are many aspects of setting displayed throughout the novel Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. One of these many aspects, is that of the struggles women faced in Mid-19th Century England. During this time period, women were pushed into very gender-specific roles. Their jobs were to service their husbands, while doing the typical housewife chores of cooking, cleaning, and taking care of the children. There was no equality for women, and they suffered through many hardships simply for being born a woman instead of a man.
The mid-19th century was still a time ruled by men. Women were supposed to be submissive to their husbands and other men in their lives. In 1890, a woman named Florence Fenwick Miller gave a speech to the National Liberal Club. Here, she said, “Under exclusively man-made laws women have been reduced to the most abject condition of legal slavery in which it is possible for human beings to be held...under the arbitrary domination of another’s will, and dependent for decent treatment exclusively on the goodness of heart of the individual master.” …show more content…
Many of the women within the story are at the mercy of the men in their lives. One of many examples would have to be the way Catherine is perceived by others when she is young. She is considered to be a “wild” girl, simply because she is allotted a bit more freedom than other women. She does not immediately conform to the social rules set to her gender, and therefore is seen as being wild and unruly. However, even after she changes into a more socially acceptable woman after spending time with the Linton family at Thrushcross Grange, she still must endure many hardships. She is not the only woman in the novel to do so, as Isabelle and Cathy must also have to face the many struggles that accompany their roles as women during their
There are many aspects of setting displayed throughout the novel Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. One of these many aspects, is that of the struggles women faced in Mid-19th Century England. During this time period, women were pushed into very gender-specific roles. Their jobs were to service their husbands, while doing the typical housewife chores of cooking, cleaning, and taking care of the children. There was no equality for women, and they suffered through many hardships simply for being born a woman instead of a man.
The mid-19th century was still a time ruled by men. Women were supposed to be submissive to their husbands and other men in their lives. In 1890, a woman named Florence Fenwick Miller gave a speech to the National Liberal Club. Here, she said, “Under exclusively man-made laws women have been reduced to the most abject condition of legal slavery in which it is possible for human beings to be held...under the arbitrary domination of another’s will, and dependent for decent treatment exclusively on the goodness of heart of the individual master.” …show more content…
Many of the women within the story are at the mercy of the men in their lives. One of many examples would have to be the way Catherine is perceived by others when she is young. She is considered to be a “wild” girl, simply because she is allotted a bit more freedom than other women. She does not immediately conform to the social rules set to her gender, and therefore is seen as being wild and unruly. However, even after she changes into a more socially acceptable woman after spending time with the Linton family at Thrushcross Grange, she still must endure many hardships. She is not the only woman in the novel to do so, as Isabelle and Cathy must also have to face the many struggles that accompany their roles as women during their