The roles of women in the Victorian Era weren’t as prominent as they are in today’s society. Back then, women had a certain reputation to uphold and if it wasn’t met, most of the time, they were looked at wrongly. This period didn’t exactly promote gender equality. When looking at Wuthering Heights and Pride & Prejudice, the authors, Emily Bronte & Jane Austen, illustrate different characteristics and behaviors of women to demonstrate the gender roles of the Victorian Era. Between both books, there are differences and similarities regarding women. This can be seen through marriage, the personalities of specific characters, and the social class.
Marriage was one of the most familiar concepts in the Victorian Era. No matter which social class a woman came from, her main objective was to find a husband. Although women’s roles varied according to social status, they always had one common role when it came to marriage. This common role was doing anything to keep their husband happy, essentially being submissive, and also taking care of the children. Moreover, love wasn’t considered to be as important as social and economic advancement when getting married. A depiction of this can be seen in Wuthering Heights. It is demonstrated specifically by Catherine I and her love triangle with Heathcliff and Edgar Linton. Catherine states, “It would degrade me to marry Heathcliff now; so he shall never know how I love him: and that, not because he's handsome, Nelly, but because he's more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same; and Linton's is as different as a moonbeam from lightning, or frost from fire,” (Bronte 71). Catherine and Heathcliff both have an undying love for each other, a kind of love that makes two souls inseparable but due to his social status, she refuses to marry him. This is precisely because of the influence of this era. Cathy is changing herself in terms of marriage and she proceeds to choose a high-class, wealthy man named Edgar Linton to marry. This is a perfect example of how in the Victorian Era, women married for social class. Bronte is essentially demonstrating that money and status are more important in marriages for women than compatibility and love. She adds an emphasis on this by making all the marriages in her book failed marriages. However, in Pride and Prejudice, one can get a different approach. The idea of marrying for financial security is still present in the novel but the main couple, Darcy and Elizabeth, contradict this concept. At first, Darcy and Elizabeth aren’t too fond of each other because of their different views, but over time they grow to like each other and fall in love. Elizabeth does not believe in giving up her independence for financial security and this goes against what the Victorian Era promotes. Darcy and Elizabeth’s marriage doesn’t necessarily end up as a failure because they accepted each other’s strengths and weaknesses, so it made it a real marriage as opposed to Cathy and Linton’s marriage. Additionally, in the novel, Austen portrays four different types of marriages. She is demonstrating that marriage isn’t solely focused on one single thing and demonstrates that she disagrees with the common role of women in marriage. The example of Elizabeth and Darcy’s marriage illustrates an ideal marriage in the Victorian era for Jane Austen.
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When looking at the different behaviors of women in the Victorian era, it is apparent their rights were extremely limited and restricted. Most women have similar characteristics and behave the same way because they are acting the way they are expected to. Some of these expectations included being class-conscious and submissive. In Wuthering Heights, Catherine Earnshaw is quite the opposite in that she does not conform to the stereotypes of women in the Victorian Era. Catherine is not a very likable character, but she is a strong one and she is assertive. She is assertive in the way that she is not afraid to vocalize her feelings. Additionally, even though she does marry for social class, she isn’t at all submissive. She states at one point, “But I begin to fancy you don't like me. How strange! I thought, though everybody hated and despised each other, they could not avoid loving me,” (Bronte 107). In this quote, Catherine is indeed acting in vain, but it shows she doesn’t care what other people think of her and what she has to say. Bronte is demonstrating that the way the Victorian Era views women is an improper way to categorize them and by creating a character such as Catherine, she is emphasizing the fact that not all women behave in the same manner. In Pride and Prejudice, one can remark on a similarity when it comes to a strong female character. Elizabeth Bennett is the strong-willed character in the novel. She is confident and not afraid to speak her mind. Her sisters Lydia, Mary, and Kitty are not quite the same in comparison to her, but they are silly and loud, so it still contradicts what the Victorian era promotes. Focusing on Elizabeth, the fact that she has strong views and won’t let anyone push her around shows that she is the opposite of submissive. Austen agrees with Bronte in the sense that they both created characters that defy the social norms for women in the Victorian Era. She demonstrates that women can be equally as strong as men can be and that women are varied.
Social class plays a huge role in the Victorian Era. It is mainly seen through marriage, but it is also linked with the personalities of the characters in the novels. The way women were viewed in this era depended a lot on their social class. The social classes ranged from aristocracy, middle class, and working class. Most women were part of the middle class and then moved up to aristocracy once they married. For example, in Wuthering Heights, when Cathy runs off to Thrushcross Grange to the Lintons, they change her manners. Cathy came back from Thrushcross Grange to Wuthering Heights a much more well-mannered young lady. Being surrounded by the upper class influenced her in such a way. It is stated in the novel “Cathy stayed at Thrushcross Grange five weeks, till Christmas. Her manners much improved,” (Bronte 46). In Pride and Prejudice, the Bennetts aren’t looked at in such a great way, especially Elizabeth since she isn’t exactly the perfect example of a Victorian woman. She is part of the middle class and struggles with receiving respect from others. This clearly shows why social class plays a huge role in this period. Moreover, the authors demonstrate the fact that social rank changed the way people perceived each other in the Victorian Era.
In conclusion, many factors such as marriage, personality, and social class led to the different behaviors and gender roles of women in the Victorian Era. Women were expected to act in specific ways for marriage, but Wuthering Heights and Pride and Prejudice demonstrate a different ideology as opposed to what is taught. Additionally, women had to behave in certain ways in their general society, but the authors also contradict these behaviors. Lastly, social class plays a factor in the way the women in the novels are perceived. Both authors disagree and go against the way women are envisioned in the Victorian Era. Jane Austen and Emily Bronte played an important role in the development of the gender roles and equality of women in this period.
Works Cited
- Bronte, Emily. Wuthering Heights. Thomas Cautley Newby, December 1847.
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