Matthew Arnolds Dover Beach and his Criticism for Victorian Society
The message behind Arnold’s “Dover Beach” is very subtly presented. ... His thoughts about Victorian society are not plainly stated, however they are written so concisely that they are not easily missed. ... In the first stanza of this poem his melancholy view of the sea can be interpreted into his views of the society around him. ... One of the most famous characteristics of the Victorian society was that of its beauty and lavishness. However Arnold uses the sound of the sea to unearth this and expose society’s “roar” that lies underneath the grandeur. This “roar” is most likely referring to the poverty and abuse of the working class that most of society chose to ignore.