Within a society of any nature, all individuals must make some concession or compromise concerning their personal beliefs, values and actions, and those held by society. There is no such thing as a wholly autonomous individual, for if one endeavors to do so, they will invariably find themselves ostracized and unable to function within society.

In the regency period, mid 19th century, operating within high society was of paramount importance in order to procure a financially secure future. This was especially applicable to women of this patriarchal Victorian era, as women were considered to perform an ornamental role as opposed to a functioning component of ‘A mans world’ form of society.

In this day and age, through decades of growth and acceptance of the way in which society operates, it is hard to comprehend the suppressive nature of 19th century society, the way in which women were regarded and the subservient roles that they played.

Many of the authors and poets of that time used literature as a means of addressing, analyzing and satirizing the social conventions of the 19th century and recognize the struggle that women endured, in order make equitable compromises

If any characters discussed were close to autonomy, it would be Tess D’Urbeyfield. Through her struggles in life Tess lives her life segregated from high society and choses that it be that way, which is a completely indivualistic ideal for her situation and time period. She denies the advances of Alec D’urberville, and even when he offers to wed her, to relieve her of her sin, she bluntly refuses him, even though she is in desperate need of his help. Tess rejects all social convention and is an independent character. However, eventually Tess makes concessions for society and for herself and weds Alec, for In her time of need, he remained there. Against all her better judgment Tess marries him to help her family and to help herself. Tess forfeits her love of her husband Angel Clare, who has abandoned her, and lives by the social standard of Alec’s society. However the story ends tragically when she murders Alec for his sins against her and finds the deepest love on Angel’s return to her… only to be hung for her crime. Tess’s attempt at autonomy and individuality and her conviction that love is what is worth living for as opposed to wealth and stature, left her with nothing.

On encountering Lady Catherine De Bourgh, Elizabeth continues to be fiery and forthright, remaining blunt and honest, which takes Lady Catherine by surprise as such behavior is deemed unacceptable for someone of her situation in life, yet Elizabeth persists and chooses not to answer her questions and demands made upon her. Lady Catherine De Bourge responds to Elizabeth’s disrespect by stating frankly “ Do you know who I am? I am not accustomed to such treatment… Obstinate headstrong girl, I am ashamed of you” illustrating once again how Elizabeth Bennet adheres to her own moral beliefs and at times, concessions that she is expected to make for the higher class, are ignored.

In the beginning, Nora is completely a member of mainstream society, In her Upper-middle class home, with a respectable family environment, esteemed husband and no public opinion of her own. Nora seems to have forfeited her individualism and intellect on marrying Torvald and conforms to his expectation of her. She assumes her position of subservience, and has ornamental and material worth to him, as opposed to a loving partnership. The responder automatically identifies the flaws of their marriage and the song and dance Nora is performing for Torvald. By providing dialogue between Nora and Dr. Rank, the audience observes a different side to her personality, an intellectuality that she hides from Torvald and in return, intellectuality that she denies to herself. Finally in the climatic confrontation between Nora and Trovald, she ultimately realizes the sacrfises she has made for her marriage, and Torvald has not. She states “ I have been performing tricks for you, Torvald” . And at this point, Nora assumes her individuality once again and finally leads by her own convictions. By deserting her husband and family, Nora removes herself from society in an attempt to restore the person that she used to be… or to discover whom she wants to be, and at this point the audience is introduced to a Nora that has never been evident. She chooses now to focus on herself on a deeper level, as opposed to her superficial self -concern that was apparent through the course of the play.

Helmer: You’re acting like a child. You don’t understand the society you live in.

Finally, the final text that I am discussing is “Tess of the D’urbervilles” composed by Thomas Hardy, deemed one of the greatest works of the 19th century. In his novel Hardy explores the concept of feminine purity and innocence as he introduces his responders to one of the most identifiable fictional characters in 19th century litteratue, Tess D’Urbe

Some topics in this essay:
Lover Browning, Women’s Concessions, Jane Elizabeth, Helmer Ibsen, D’Urbeyfeild Hardy, Pride Prejudice, Lover’ Browning, Elizabeth Bennet, Thomas Hardy, Whilst Elizabeth, 19th century, regency period, lady catherine, lady catherine de, individual society, alec d’urberville, fictional characters, ornamental material, jane “, attempt autonomy, 19th century society, ‘a doll’s house’, pride prejudice,