Victorian Ideals in Middlemarch Free Essay Example, 1750 words

Victorian ideals of the proper woman were founded on four core principles those of piety, purity, submissiveness, and domesticity. The hierarchy of these four core values was delineated by Barbara Welter in the 1960s in their order of social importance. Young men looking for a mate were cautioned to search first for piety". Because religion didn t take women away from her proper place within the home as so many other societies or movements did, piety was considered a safe avenue for a woman to pursue. She would be another, better Eve, working in cooperation with the Redeemer, bringing the world back from its revolt and sin. The world would be reclaimed for God through her suffering (Welter, 1966: 152). Next, to piety, purity was necessary in order to access the power inherent in the cult. Without [purity] she was, in fact, no woman at all, but a member of some lower order To contemplate the loss of purity brought tears; to be guilty of such a crime brought madness or death (W elter, 1966: 154). However, this power was expected to be relinquished upon the wedding night as the woman traded in her purity, setting up a paradox that proved difficult to explain away. We will write a custom essay sample on Victorian Ideals in Middlemarch or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page If she chose to listen to other voices than those of her proper mentors, sought other rooms than those of her home, she lost both her happiness and her power (Welter, 1966: 173). All of these concepts come into play as Eliot illustrates the problem in reconciling the ideals of womanhood with the realities of their nature.