Novels Often Present Women as Constrained by Society

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Novels often present women as constrained by society Explore the presentation of women in the light of this statement Women are presented as being restricted by society in the 18th and 19th century mostly by men ruling the world and women being oppressed, this means that women were meant to manage the household. This is shown in Wuthering heights by Catherine being restrained by Edgar in the Linton’s household. Catherine is the main example of a woman who has different expectations of marriage and social life when having a husband. A woman in that time was meant to be obedient, disciplined and faithful to their husband, Catherine is the complete opposite of this and is not obedient, not disciplined and certainly not faithful ‘It is impossible for you to be my friend, and his at the same time’ This shows that Catherine is having trouble deciding who to care for and between her husband Edgar and Heathcliff. Catherine Forces herself into a fever and hysteria when having to make a choice between the two, this shows her being constrained by her mind because she is mentally unstable. This makes her unable to leave the Linton’s house and have free roam. So in turn she is restricted by the house too. Catherine is also restrained by her social class, Without a mother Catherine grew up without a woman as a role model, so she grew up without proper supervision, which in turn made her never learn the society’s code of conduct for a young lady. She was care-fee and mischievous. She also remained friends with Heathcliff despite her brother’s disapproval, which shows her disregard for social standards. They even made a pact to grow up as savages together, which further removed them from society's customs. But when Catherine went to go live with the Linton’s for a while she changed into a proper young lady because she had the proper education for a young lady in her
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