Compare how Hardy and Shaw present women. To what extent do they use this presentation to promote a feminist point of view?

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Compare how Hardy and Shaw present women. To what extent do they use this presentation to promote a feminist point of view?

Thomas Hardy‘s tragic novel Tess of the D’Urbervilles and George Bernard Shaw’s comedy play Pygmalion both highlight the treatment of women during the Victorian Era – however, they both use different genre and style to explore this. The injustice towards women is clearly highlighted by Tess’s famous quote “Whip me, crush me; … I shall not cry out. Once victim, always victim--that's the law!” This clearly demonstrates Hardy’s view of women being victimized by men and this is a view also taken by Shaw; he highlights this in his play through the ill treatment of Eliza by Higgins “A woman who utters such depressing and disgusting sounds has no right to be anywhere - no right to live”. Many Victorian readers were horrified at the author’s feminist views as they thought it was natural that men treated women as inferiors and were shocked at the authors for sympathizing with their female protagonist. The Victorian attitude that women were subservient to the man comes from the biblical view that Eve was made from a part of Adam. Hardy and Shaw’s views refer form the Darwinian view of species which does not place men above woman which caused controversy within the Victorians.

Hardy and Shaw give a sympathetic presentation of their female protagonist in order to make their hardships seem worse. Tess is descried as a simple country girl who is eager to learn about life “she has full zest of life willing to learn” she is continuously described by Hardy as beautiful "Holmberry lips”, "Flower like mouth", "beautiful white hart “and "virginally white". Hence we feel sympathetic towards her when she has to work at Flintcomb - Ash, where the "stubborn soil" and "stony lachets" make working condition very horrific.  Shaw describes Eliza as “not all a romantic figure” to highlight that this is the consequences of her living conditions; she lives in “a small room with very old wall paper hanging loose in the damp places” the only “visible luxuries: a wretched bed heaped with all sorts of coverings” which makes us feel sympathetic towards her. Shaw demonstrates the change of appearance in Eliza after she has been living with Higgins. After she has been washed, Shaw highlights her beauty “impression…remarkable distinction and beauty” commenting on the fact now she has better living conditions her beauty can be seen; this is also visible in act three though the stage direction in Mrs. Higgins house “such remarkable distinction and beauty as she enters that they all rise , quite fluttered”.

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As I said above in the Victorian era women were usually seen as subordinate to men, they were regarded as men’s property. Shaw portrays this by using Eliza's father as a good example; Mr. Doolittle says “this girl belongs to me” and decides to “sell” her to Higgins for “five pounds not a penny more or less”. The dialogue used by Eliza’s father might be presented in a humorous manner; however, its impact on the reader is more effective as they see the harsh living conditions and treatment Eliza has to face. Eliza is effectively sold by her father ...

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