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“I am past hope”: Victorian Fallen Woman
Oliver Twist’s Nancy is an interesting character in that there is not much emphasis in the novel on how she finds herself in her deplorable surroundings, but she is nonetheless a very complex and central character in the plot. Mary Barton’s Esther, on the other hand, has a more detailed past in which Gaskell emphasizes how she became who she is. ... Despite the different roles these two women have in their respective novels, the authors portray Nancy and Esther as “fallen women”. By comparing the roles of these fallen women, the implications of their interaction with other characters, and the symbolism used in the authors’ portrayals of them, Dickens and Gaskell create two different examples of Victorian fallen women.
Fallen women in Victorian literature have often shared similar roles in the course of their development and demise. The distinguishing characteristics of these women include, but are not limited to, a woman who finds herself in undesirable circumstances, has to strive to survive in her settings, commonly has some kind of a protagonistic side, and, despite efforts to change her life, meets an untimely demise. Nancy and Esther are fallen women as, over the course of their respective novels, have lead deplorable lives, made an attempt to save someone else from following in their footsteps, and, unable to be saved (by choice), die tragic deaths. Despite the fact that the authors present the roles of the two women differently, they are in essence very similar characters because follow pattern of the Victorian fallen woman. ... She appears in the novel three times, once to Jem in desperation to help save Mary from a life like her own, next, in disguise to see Mary and help her make sense of what has happened, and lastly when she is near death. ... She seeks him out and tells him, “I hope and trust you will save Mary…she is innocent, except for the great error of loving one above her in station” (Gaskell, 218-219). Esther tells him of her worries for Mary’s well being and chance of ruining her life by pursuing Carson. ...
While Esther’s intention to help Mary actually causes Mary much distress and hardship, the outcome of her presence in the novel proves to be positive. When she comes to Mary in her second appearance in the novel, she gives Mary a piece of wadded up paper that was used in the gun barrel the shot Carson. This crucial piece of evidence which seemingly proves Jem to be guilty is given to Mary in order to be destroyed and thus not to point to Jem as a suspect. Esther tells Mary she “must promise [her] to destroy it before [she] sleeps” (Gaskell, 310). Though the evidence against Jem actually proves his innocence to Mary, she goes on a mission to relieve his guilt, thus producing a positive outcome. ... While her background is not made a focus of her development in the novel, she is a complex character that is very involved in the conflict and resolution surrounding Oliver. ... Her role in Mary Barton, however, is much different than that of Nancy’s in Oliver Twist. ... With more information on her background, the reader can understand how Esther is a fallen woman even though she is a minor character in the text. ... Neither woman has anything tangible to gain from helping someone else. Even more so, Nancy risks losing the man she loves, the trust of her “group”, and even her life for Oliver.
Approximate Word count = 2953
Approximate Pages = 11.8
(250 words per page double spaced)
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