Female Characters in British Literature of 19th Century

1063 Words3 Pages

Characterization of a human being has always two sides: the first one concerns one´s appearance, the other deals with one´s inner qualities. However, there is a slight difference in describing of a female and a male personality: outer characteristic is much more detailed when describing a female. But it is necessary to cover with both these issues when discussing the personality of a female.

Both of the two main protagonists of these two books are beautiful women but the difference is how the narrator conveys the fact to the reader. While prettiness is a natural part of a female for Anne Brontë and her heroine is beautiful, George Eliot surveys this issue much deeply: she shows how the appearance of a young woman may not only form her character but also influence her future life.

The conventional view of a woman was reflected in traditional literature written by men: if the main character of a book was a woman, she had been pictured as a weak character and an useless member of society according to Mary Wollstonecraft. The most valuable quality of a single woman was her appearance: she was thought highly of when she was pretty. But if there was some defect in her countanance, she usually was characterised by this imperfection. It is best seen in George Eliot´s The Mill on the Floss where the main female character, Maggie, has a brown skin and this fact is emphasized throughout her whole childhood: "She's more like a Gypsy [...] It's very bad luck, sister, as the gell should be so brown - the boy's fair enough. I doubt it'll stand in her way i' life to be so brown"(65) and "I think the gell has too much hair," comments Maggie´s aunt (59). Afterwards Maggie cuts off her hair and this brings her the "sense of clearness and freedom." This suggests the role of long hair as a bias. It was required for all women to wear long hair in order to show and fix their inferior position in society.

While Maggie is brown-skinned and dark-haired, Lucy, her cousin, is her contrary: "It was like the contrast between a rough, dark, overgrown puppy and a white kitten" (58). And the appearance influences the character: everybody is satisfied with Lucy and that is why Lucy is satisfied with herself. Maggie on the contrary is viewed as almost an idiot in her effort to be admired and loved.

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