Thomas Hardy's tragic novel, Tess of the D'Urbervilles, set in impecunable rural England, and the novel Emily Bronte's Gothic Wuthering Heights, set in two adjacent houses on the Yorkshire moors, asks whether flawed masculine constructs arise from the dominant gender separatism in contemporary society or from an inflexible class structure. novels raise controversy around the representation of their female protagonists in the 1800s, and describe a generation where women had few choices and many obligations - a major concern of both Hardy and Bronte, keen to express their rights. reflections on the social conventions and proprieties of the time The novels involve their relationships with men. In Wuthering Heights, Brontë draws clear contrasts between the two genders and appears to favor masculinity over femininity while depicting women. like indecisive and unstable characters. Likewise, Hardy emphasizes the dominance of men in all aspects of society through their power and strength (both physical and mental). However, it is the morality of Tess, exploited woman, victim that is defended. Rather than condemning her for not conforming to social norms, Hardy celebrates her individuality and moral purity. This morality is all the more admirable given the social disadvantages imposed on him by being born into a poor rural working-class family. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayAfter the Romantic Movement, Bronte re-examined the position of women in society; it presents a world in which men control the personal and social outcomes of women within a social framework. Her exploration of gender roles in Wuthering Heights identifies the archetypal "unclaimed creature" in unequal Victorian society: the man. Edgar does not allow Cathy to leave Thrushcross Grange, which restricts her intuitive nature. This pushes her to defy expected obedience, leading her to flee to Wuthering Heights when she is repressed there by Heathcliff, "fierce, merciless and wolfish", who subjects her to a superior patriarchal dynamism while he cleverly uses Linton's illness to put her in danger. Cathy in the box which is her gender stereotype. Although his animal energy and passion are admired, he is certainly morally condemned because he "possessed something diabolical", represented when Nelly describes him as a "bird of ill omen" and a "rogue" and by Joseph as a " evil beast.” In a way, Cathy's fate is determined both by the constraining oppression of her class, visible in Linton's demands, and by the domination of the powerfully masculine Heathcliff. Just like Brontë, Hardy uses society which plays a vital role in the actions of men, as we see. embodied in Angel the inequalities of British society, so his perception of women changes during his trip to Brazil, a country that rejects ideals and encourages diversity. "He has mentally aged a dozen years" as he learns to modify his previous judgments about Tess's faults. Angel is a loving man constrained by the attitudes and assumptions of his family and his social environment. It is only when he leaves this environment that he is able to perceive the pettiness and damaging hypocrisy of his (and his community's) attitudes, allowing him to realize that "beauty or the ugliness of a character does not reside only inits achievements, but in its objectives and its impulses; its true history lies, not among the things done, but among the things willed. Hardy both uses Angel to emphasize that in a fanatical and corrupt society, innocent women suffer both at the hands of selfish and ruthless men (Alec), but also tragically at the hands of men who are fundamentally good but also trapped by their social prejudices (Angel becomes a “slave to custom and convention”). but returning from Brazil, he opens his eyes and begs for forgiveness: “Can you forgive me for leaving Brazil? the late 1800s, was far more advanced in its treatment of women - "[...]there is no doubt that there was less discrimination against women in education than in most countries of the world at the time." Wuthering Heights is structured through flashbacks in the form of a dual narration by Lockwood and Nelly Dean. This creates contradictory narrative perspectives, which intrigue the reader and facilitate understanding of the story. he plot. Allowing Lockwood and Nelly Dean to interact and lodge with the characters of Wuthering Heights and The Grange automatically creates a sense of darkness about their bias in the novel. “Who knows, but your father was an emperor of China and your mother an Indian queen […]” Nelly's narration is convincing but very erratic because she speaks as if she were chatting with a friend. The narrator's unreliability shapes our view of Cathy's "imprisonment" by men, as Nelly's hyperbolic opinion at certain points in the novel suggests that men are exaggerating their position and authority in society. Unfortunately, thanks to the law in the 19th century, men could dictate everything; even if their decisions were improper, no objection would be raised against them: “In the legal field, women were decidedly dependent, servile and unequal. » Bronte seems to be more concerned with the dynamics of gender relations than with class conflict, but in a way, Heathcliff's background influences his relationship with Cathy, so the two issues are closely related. On the other hand, “the intended effect – of which the writer need not be aware – is a perpetuation of unequal power relations between men and women. » Bronte is not deliberately trying to degrade women, but rather hopes to explore discrimination in society and how immorality and deception ultimately lead to the devaluation of everyone. An important point in the novel is when Linton and Cathy argue – Linton says: "He wanted all to be in an ecstasy of peace" and Cathy "wanted everything too to shine and dance in glorious jubilee". She said "his heaven would only be half alive" while he said his "would be drunk." The juxtaposition of underlying images, metaphors, and antitheses within the conflict illustrates how Linton controls Cathy's character by being seemingly considerate. This tactic is primarily depicted when Linton uses his illness as a powerful tactic to influence Cathy's actions, demonstrating the corruption and sometimes insidious control of patriarchal society. Bronte wishes to demonstrate how the actions of men can be completely counterproductive in such efforts simply to dominate and control women. This conception is demonstrated through the naivety of Linton, who seems to misunderstand that Heathcliff is using his illness to persuade Cathy of his inheritance. Unfortunately, it may not be Linton's callousness but Heathcliff's terror that causes him to act this way towards women: "With a dripping face andan expression of agony, Linton had thrown his nerveless body on the ground: he seemed convulsed with terror. » Heathcliff's need for revenge is almost monstrous; his own son fears what he will do to him if he does not do as he says: “Instead of filling the canvas so completely that there is hardly a scene that escapes his presence. It certainly seems here that it is Heathcliff's domineering masculinity rather than his social position that motivates his behavior towards Cathy. The author's and readers' sympathy for the mistreatment of women in the 19th century is essential to the novel's setting. At the time, Wuthering Heights was considered a highly corrupt narrative, as it confronted and threatened the civilized and disciplined behavior of human beings. This theme is found in Shakespeare's plays, which inspired Emily Brontë: in Romeo and Juliet and in Hamlet, the treatment of young women is somewhat merciless. Shakespeare's most famous female characters were usually victims of men, a status that suggested the loss of their purity and innocence. Their inferiority was also significant at the plot level, because it helps us to better perceive the relationships between men and women: "Women were defined physically and intellectually as the 'weaker' sex, in every way subordinate to the male authority. » Hardy was also concerned by the difficulties encountered by women both in their relationships with men and in the development of their social role, writing forty years after Brontë, he also focuses on the rural environment, but here the changes brought by Industrialization also impacts women, creating tensions. between "the pain of modernity" and nature, Hardy's use of the seasons reflects this conflict, as when he uses summer to parallel the blossoming relationship between Angel and Tess (Angel even refers to Tess as to a "fresh and virginal daughter of Nature". Their relationship is therefore implicitly considered "natural", only to be thwarted by male arrogance and social prejudice. Tess is hypothetically "a pure woman", but she is socially enslaved because "Victorian society exacerbates a secular, harsh and hypocritical definition". virtue and exhortations for young girls to conform. » Social prejudices leave him no room to “repair his wrongs” by saying: “Once a victim, always a victim: such is the law. » His tragedy is predestined because of the way society functions; therefore, she embodies the fact that "bad things happen to good people" and vice versa, as the attacker is left without facing repercussions for his actions while Tess is condemned for her "terrible sins". In this way, Hardy attacks the destructive nature of Victorian morality and hypocrisy. Certainly, like Tess, Catherine is presented primarily as a victim, and although men's control over women is preeminent, in Wuthering Heights the vital role of society is reflected in the strategic role of society. dominant and characterized narrative voice of Nelly Dean because she personifies societal norms. She never had a husband and was told to "make her own way", demonstrating the social oppression of women. Society was dismissive of the status and relative position of women. Women were forced to submit to men to gain any form of social position. Catherine marries Edgar instead of Heathcliff for love, as she remarks, "if Heathcliff and I married we would be beggars" and regarding Edgar "he will be rich and I would like to be the biggest woman in the neighborhood". This.