Injustice Toward Women

6 Pages 1459 Words

Injustice Towards Women During the 1900’s

In the film Les Miserables, women are treated horribly. The forms of mistreatment are made evident throughout the film and show the harsh realities of life during the 19th century. This was a time in which Les Miserables takes place. During this period, there was discrimination, of women. They were constantly being viewed as shallow and inferior to men. They carried no power within society and were expected to present themselves in a decent manner. Women who did not live up to society’s expectations faced the consequences of being looked down upon and degraded by all who lived amoung them. Fantine, the mother of Cosette in les Miserables, is a perfect example displaying the many acts of injustice, which took place towards women in the 19th century.
In Les Miserables, Fantine is displayed as a character that is weakened by the oppression of society. She is a young woman who earns a living working in a factory comprised entirely of women. In those days, men and women were often separated at work in order to preserve their innocence. Innocence was a very valuable obsession and the loss of a woman’s innocence was not tolerated during these times. Unfortunately, Fantine becomes a victim of lost innocence and she bears a child out of wedlock. The head lady at the factory disapproves of Fantine’s sinful ways. Fantine is forced to return to the streets of France. Knowing that no one will hire such a tainted woman, Fantine has no other choice but to sell her self to men in order to feed herself and her child.
During the 19th century, women who bore children out of wedlock were shown neither compassion nor respect. It was a very shameful thing to have a child and to not be married. Society was very judgmental about this issue and many women hid themselves from the cruelty of the public. Today, the act of having a child out of wedlock is not aslooked down upon, and it has b...