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Holding Mirror up to the Victorian Society: the Predicament of Women in Thomas Hardy's the Return of the Native

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Holding Mirror up to the Victorian Society: the Predicament of Women in Thomas Hardy's the Return of the Native International Journal of English and Literature (IJEL) ISSN 2249-6912 Vol. 3, Issue 4, Oct 2013, 1-10 © TJPRC Pvt. Ltd. HOLDING MIRROR UP TO THE VICTORIAN SOCIETY: THE PREDICAMENT OF WOMEN IN THOMAS HARDY’S THE RETURN OF THE NATIVE AZADEH DAVOUDI FAR English Department, Kakatiya University, Warangal, Andhra Pradesh, India ABSTRACT In the Victorian cultural institutions were an important part of life. Socio-cultural institutions such as church and marriage were deeply rooted in patriarchy. The Victorian society, dominated as it was by patriarchal ideology, restricted women physically and mentally, and severely limited their economic opportunities. Throughout the nineteenth century women raised their voice against socio-cultural configuration that viewed women’s true destiny as fulfilling the role of wife and mother. They condemned society with its cultural ideology that rendered women passive and socially vulnerable. In his attempt to expose the reality of his society, Thomas Hardy wrote novels which are heavily influenced by social factors. His novels frankly deal with various social institutions and honestly address social problems. As a regional novelist, he focused primarily on the social institutions and problems of his region. The customs and conventions of this region find prominent treatment in his novels. As a novelist Hardy had the ability to perspectivize on the issues of his age such as marriage, sex, and women’s rights. While doing so, he attaches much importance to the position of women in society and the trials and tribulations they underwent. In The Return of the Native he emphasises how marriage was considered an emotional and intellectual prison for women in the nineteenth century. He portrays two opposite women, Eustacia Vye and Thomasin Yeobright, in order to explore the reality of his society regarding marriage scripts. KEYWORDS: Social Institutions, Victorian Woman, Patriarchal, Independent, Submissive Woman INTRODUCTION In almost all of his novels Hardy, as a realist novelist, emphasizes that individuals as well as society are in the process of change. His novels deal with the problems of the Victorians as they adjust themselves to the changes in society and their failure to change the social conventions in response to their needs. He explores the reality of his society and reflects them in his works taking into account new insights. The Return of the Native is one of the most popular of Hardy’s novels. It was published in 1878 and it explores the realities of the time. The setting of the novel is created in accordance with the details of the heath which Hardy himself lived in. Hardy attempts to draw the picture of the heath and the influence of the place, together with its rigid laws, on the lives of the characters. Many critics believe that the setting, Egdon Heath, has a significant role to play in the novel. Egdon Heath is no less than a living character in the novel. Bonamy Dobree points out: “The plot ... of the Return of the Native would not be what it is but for the character called Egdon Heath, which streaks the whole tale” (28). It has a great background, vital and vivid, which is a symbol of the real circumstances in which man lives. The characters are treated in the context with its rigid milieu. Like in the other Hardy novels, at the centre of The Return of the Native lies a love story, courtship and marriage. The characters face marital choice. The novel presents various themes such as sexuality, politics, vital decisions on marriage, and nature versus society. Again like in the other Hardy novels, in this novel nature and society are portrayed in opposition. John Peck says, 2 Azadeh Davoudi Far In a Hardy novel you should always be able to find evidence of a society versus nature tension at the heart of the material.... The first thing that might strike you is that Egdon Heath must in some way represent nature: even at the outset it seems reasonable to speculate that the order of society will be set against the untamed wildness of the heath. The characters who live here are likely to be caught between the pull of society and the pull of nature, including their own natures. (22) Hardy who was aware of the rigid strictures on marriage uses the subject of marriage in almost all of his novels. He emphasises how marriage was considered an emotional and intellectual prison for women. He closely witnessed the complex and rigid traditions governing marriage and he attempts to explore the implication of his heroines’ physical and emotional susceptibility to social conventions and their consequences in the face of apparently overwhelming social pressure. MAIN TEXT In The Return of the Native Hardy unveils his criticism of the marriage codes and challenges the social and moral codes that shaped Victorian culture. He portrays two opposite women in order to explore the reality of his society regarding marriage scripts. Both Eustacia Vye and Thomasin Yeobright are limited by their surroundings and patriarchal ideology of their society, but their attitudes and responses to these limitations reveal their differences. Thomasin and Eustacia have entirely different views on marriage and they reflect their different expectations of life. Eustacia considers marriage a mean to fulfil her unconventional desires. She attempts to attain her satisfaction outside the traditional role of Victorian women, but Thomasin is represented as an ideal woman from the Victorians’ perspective. She is a realistic and level-headed girl who declines to take on any social roles other than that of the ‘angel of the house’. She gets married so that she can follow the traditional way laid down of society. By contrasting his heroines with one another, Hardy shows the differences in women’s personality. Thomasin, like many Victorian women sees marriage as a means to solve her economic problems. Her need for a supporter runs counter to Eustacia who desires to be independent by perusing her dreams. Here Hardy shows the victimization of both Thomasin and Eustacia within the Victorian social spectrum. He emphasises that society, on the basis of social scripts, did not allow women to develop their personality apart from the angelic housewife role prescribed for them. He feels sympathy for Thomasin and her colourless traditional way of life and also for Eustacia the aspiring woman whose desires are shattered by social interference. He believes that it is the Victorian society which determines women’s destiny. The story begins with the failure of the marriage ceremony of Damon Wildeve and Thomasin Yeobright. When she returns to her aunt unmarried, Thomasin feels ashamed in the presence of Mrs. Yeobright. She apologizes to her because of the unexpected outcome of her affairs which humiliates her aunt. Thomasin is aware of the power of the social laws and how she is perceived by the heath people. She does not like to be blamed and seen as a “lost woman” (123). She wants to be understood as she has been and considered a person with good intentions. She is deceived by Wildeve who tricks her and causes the failure of marriage ceremony with an irregularity in the marriage licence that he knows in advance. In this condition she pursues her idea of marriage with Wildeve just because she is apprehensive about the possible interpretations of the heath people about her failed marriage. As a submissive woman Thomasin follows her society’s expectations of an ideal woman. She fears the gossip of people about her failure to bring about her marriage and the possibility of a humiliating skimming-ride to mock her relationship with Wildeve. She knows that the marriage script reflects not only upon her own life, but also upon the members of her family. Mrs. Yeobright also shows her concern when she sees Wildeve and blames him for not Holding Mirror up to the Victorian Society: The Predicament 3 of Women in Thomas Hardy’s The Return of the Native acknowledging his mistake regarding his first proposal and for his hesitation to marry her. She says, “It is a great slight to me and my family; and when it gets known there will be very unpleasant time for us (46). So, Thomasin’s main purpose in wanting to marry Wildeve is not for love but for her family’s reputation. Although she believes that love should be the reason for getting married, she abandons her ideas to put an end to the rumours surrounding her. She says to her aunt, “I am a practical woman now. I don’t believe in heart at all. I would marry him under any circumstances” (175). Knowing well the traditional marriage script, Mrs. Yeobright understands that her insisting on getting married to Wildeve is the only course she should pursue at that time. By portraying Thomasin this way Hardy wants to show women’s oppression and how lack of opportunities render women vulnerable and force them into marriage. The situation is not special only to Thomasin, but also for many Victorian women who accept their traditional ‘angel in the house’ role in life. A Victorian feminist, Josephine Butler, who is known as a firm supporter of widened opportunities for women, was angry about this cruelty inflicted on women. She objects to societal forces which would like – Solemnly to inform the women who are striving for some work or calling which will save them from starvation, and who have no human being but themselves to depend on, that their proper sphere is home, – that their proper function is to be wives and mothers, and their happiness is to be dependent on men!” (xxviii-xxix). Instead of developing her personality, Thomasin thinks that her submissive role will bring her peace and happiness.
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