Role Of Women In Relation To Mill On The Floss

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The role of women in society is very different today compared to the role of women in Victorian society, in the 19th Century. Discuss this statement with reference to Maggie Tulliver in ‘Mill On The Floss’


Since the book ‘Mill on The Floss’ was written nearly two hundred years ago, it is no surprise that society has changed, especially for women. The fact that Mary Anne Evans had to use a pen name of ‘George Eliot’ as she was a woman and her works would not have been published otherwise, shows alone what the attitudes towards women were, that of sheer insignificance in the country and in the social circle. In Britain today women stand side by side with men, in the struggle for Independence, and are playing a key role in the search for a lasting peace and consolidated democracy for the country.
Dramatic changes came mainly with women appearing in parliament, receiving the right to vote that is equal to that of a man. Women had scored some social victories as well, particularly the Law on Maternity, which provides for family planning, the recognition of consensual union as equivalent to marriage, equality of children whether born to a wedded or unwedded couple, and a cabinet office to promote women's development.
Little by little the myth according to which women had to stay at home to carry out their "natural mission" of raising children, bearing children, and serving as an instrument of pleasure is dying out. Even though in small numbers, women began to be seen in some professions, up till then deemed "male," as they dared to enter careers such as law or transport, breaking down barriers, taboos, and prejudices.
However these changes in attitudes towards women have not been shared across the world, countries such as Afghanistan still treat women with little or any respect and authority.
Women were extremely restricted in the 19th Century. Maggie Tulliver shows this in the Novel of Mill on the floss. Maggie is ...