Abusive Women in Great Expectations Essay example - 990 Words

Abusive Women in Great Expectations One may infer that Dickens may have been attempting to acknowledge the birth of female freedom, due to the industrial revolution, by way of the female characters actions within Great Expectations. Considering that he creates such verbal execution performed by many of the female characters within the novel suggests that women were usually treated as equals, this not being the case. By allowing these women to be verbally and physically abusive, Dickens may have been presenting the distorted idea toward female criminals and violent women. Violence appeared to be a gendered act usually resulting in male over female dominance during the nineteenth century (DCruse 21). Within†¦show more content†¦Joe is challenged rather than submitted to. Understanding this reasoning may give one a better understanding into Mrs. Joe. One may infer that Mrs. Joe did not blame herself for the mistreatment of her brother and husband but felt that they brought it on themselves (Tomes 334). Mrs. Joe expressed no regret or guilt after being abusive to Joe and Pip, as most abusers did not. Although it was typically unusual, due to social acceptability, women like Mrs. Joe who beat and dominated their husbands were subjected to public humiliation as an informal form of popular justice (Clark 188). Although spousal abuse was acceptable as a means of obtaining control, murder was completely unacceptable. Going back to the idea that female crimes were a betrayal of nature, there was an extra twist to murder when the murderer was a woman (Hughes 86). Female murder criminals were stereotyped as Mr. Jaggers housekeeper: oversexed, insane, hormonally unbalanced or suffering from some biological defect (Hughes 68). As Pip is told to look at Jaggers housekeeper--youll see a wild beast tamed--one notices the suggestion of a biological defect, or hormonal unbalance (195; ch. 24). Pip is also instructed to keep your eye on it, as if this woman belongs to neither sex nor is she portrayed as human (195; ch. 24). Murder marked the boundaries of femininity in nineteenth-century culture (Hart 2). Women who were considered incapable of redemption were notShow MoreRelatedDesdemona - Virtuous Woman or Modern Woman Challenging Oppressive Societal Values?989 Words   |  4 Pagesfalls victim to an abusive husband and viewing Desdemona as a progressive woman who contributed to her downfall by being outspoken and challenging the position of women in her time. Both readings are relevant to contemporary society especially when you take into consideration the role feminism has played in shaping modern thinking and the number of abusive relationships portrayed in our media. However as will be shown, contemporary society feels more comfortable viewing women as innocent, pure andRead MoreSpeech Title : Love Should Not Hurt : Domestic Violence Awareness Essay1127 Words   |  5 Pagestitled â€Å"Don’t Believe in the War On Women? Would a Body Count Change Your Mind?†, since September 11, 2001 more American women were killed by an intimate partner than all of the victims of 9/11 and all of the American military fatalities in Iraq and Afghanistan combined (Gidfar, 2012). One woman is fatally shot by a spouse, ex-spouse or dating partner every 14 hours, states Wright (2016) from the U.S. Department of Defense, and these are just the statistics for women, but domestic violence happens toRead MoreWoman’S Strive Towards Self Dignity And It Can Be Done1533 Words   |  7 Pagestakes revenge on Pachayamma by trapping her with a group of companions while plucking cotton pods from her farm. 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In this case, Dickens alienated theRead MoreCritical Analysis Of Great Expectations1449 Words   |  6 Pagesperforms a number of functions, and among these are helping us to understand the world, and helping us to understand the human condition. What is taken from a work of fiction is, however, dependant on who is reading it at the time. In the case of Great Expectations there are a number of themes running through the text including betterment through education, what it is to be a gentleman, respectability and crime, parental /family ties, and industry and i dleness. Many of the original readers of the workRead MoreWhat is Domestic Violence? Essays1749 Words   |  7 Pagesmental, and emotional pain. While abuse can happen to anyone, women are by far the most frequent victims and men are the most frequent abusers. The U.S. department of justice estimates that 95 percent of the assaults on partners or spouses is committed by men against women (Toby). 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