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Recommended: Introduction of my last duchess by robert browning

Throughout Victorian literature we see many prominent themes; however, one theme that really stands out, is the prevalence of sin, violence and crime. While at times we have to look deep into the written work to see the sin and or crime that is taking place it also can be presented quite clearly. Some works that have a clear presence of this theme include Robert Browning’s poems My Last Duchess and Porphyria’s Lover. Other works comprised of sinful deeds are Goblin Market and The Runaway Slave at Pilgrim’s Point. Lewis Carroll’s, Through the Looking-Glass and Alice in Wonderland, provide us with extreme cases of violence, which is pushed upon a child. Charles Kingsley’s The Water Babies, also puts children danger, but also, plays off of the real dangers that children did face during the Victorian era. These poems and stories have sins that range from murder to greed, to hard labor and the “real” possibility of being beheaded. Together though they represent Victorian literature and raise awareness, that is the truth to our senses, that sin, violence and crime are real and abundant in daily life.
In Browning’s poems murder is brought to our attention. According to Melissa Valiska Gregory, both
“poems focus on domestic conflict [and] are both the most visceral and the most famous of Browning's oeuvre, with "My Last Duchess" (1842) leading the race and "Porphyria's Lover" (1842) coming in a close second… Browning's fascination with sexual violence resonates in the Victorian social scene (Gregory).
Moreover, we have a hard time understanding how and why this could happen to innocent girls, however to the person who is doing the murdering feels as if they had the right to commit the crime. This notion really affects our senses as we...

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...eath reminds us that many children from all social classes, not just the misfortunate ones died young. There were no safe guards anywhere in these children’s lives and often children died from simple accidents because there were no set standards for safety.
All in all, in a lot of Victorian literature we are presented with crimes, violence, danger and sin. These authors didn’t just write about heinous crimes against humanity for no reason. They knew that these crimes were occurring, and many felt an obligation to show their readers the truth of what was happening around them. Even if some of the crimes and sins were slightly hidden in what seemed to be children’s literature, these authors still stood up for what they believed in. Thus, allowing their readers to experience, be warned and learn about the crimes and sins of daily life, without being an actual victim.

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