An awareness of mental illness or madness has been around for thousands of years and it can be traced back as far as 500 BCE. At that time it was believed that mental disorders had demonic or magical roots and were blamed on supernatural forces. This view was still thought to be true until the 1800. Asylums set up to treat sufferers became more prominent and the treatment of mental illnesses was on the rise. The motive behind the creation of asylums was questionable and treatment varied depending on class and gender. The way mental disorders were viewed made all the difference to the treatment people received and in classifying the mad.
If an individual that refused to conform to societal expectations or participated in activities that were …show more content…
The limits set by society on appropriate behaviour for women restricted their freedom and put their independence into the hands of the men in their lives. The attitudes adopted by Victorians led to women being define as “passive, dependent, sexually disinterested and born to be mothers” Any women found to be displaying any form of promiscuous behaviour or found to be behaving in a way that was not considered womanly was identified as mad and sent to the asylum. The feminisation of madness could also be seen in literature and art at the time, an example would be the representation of Bertha Mason in Jane Eyre. Bertha Mason, was presented as a wild, feral animal, she is likened to a beast and her condition is not understood by the other characters: “One never knows what she has, sir: she is so cunning: it is not in mortal discretion to fathom her craft.” This was a reflection of the ideas and views held by Victorians, and further goes to show how a lack of understanding and information about madness led to the mistreatment of the mentally ill. It also demonstrations that people didn’t try to understand the illness but just cast it aside and thought it was out of their hands. Jane Eyre on the other hand is described as the perfect woman: “this young girl, who stands so grave and quiet.” Women were expected to behave and be seen and not
If an individual that refused to conform to societal expectations or participated in activities that were …show more content…
The limits set by society on appropriate behaviour for women restricted their freedom and put their independence into the hands of the men in their lives. The attitudes adopted by Victorians led to women being define as “passive, dependent, sexually disinterested and born to be mothers” Any women found to be displaying any form of promiscuous behaviour or found to be behaving in a way that was not considered womanly was identified as mad and sent to the asylum. The feminisation of madness could also be seen in literature and art at the time, an example would be the representation of Bertha Mason in Jane Eyre. Bertha Mason, was presented as a wild, feral animal, she is likened to a beast and her condition is not understood by the other characters: “One never knows what she has, sir: she is so cunning: it is not in mortal discretion to fathom her craft.” This was a reflection of the ideas and views held by Victorians, and further goes to show how a lack of understanding and information about madness led to the mistreatment of the mentally ill. It also demonstrations that people didn’t try to understand the illness but just cast it aside and thought it was out of their hands. Jane Eyre on the other hand is described as the perfect woman: “this young girl, who stands so grave and quiet.” Women were expected to behave and be seen and not