Cranford

A major theme in Cranford is leading a rich and fulfilling life without the presence of men. The first sentence of the novel refers to the small rural village of Cranford as “of the Amazons” (4), an allusion to the Greek mythological race of female warriors. The comparison is in one sense humorous because the Cranford women certainly do not possess the physical prowess and strength of the Amazon warriors. However, the Cranford women live in a feminist utopia in their little village—a place where widowed and single women are free to live life as they choose without the interference of a husband.

In mid-to-late 19th-century England, men and women played very different societal roles. In their patriarchal society, the man assumed the role of the provider, protector, and head of the family. Middle- and upper-class women were not given any responsibilities besides mothering children and maintaining a clean and respectable household. In Cranford, the women do pay careful attention to domestic details, but they do it for themselves, not to appease a husband. As an unnamed Cranford woman remarks to Mary in Chapter 1, “A man […] is so in the way in the house!” (5). Being an unmarried woman was highly suspect in the 19th century; Victorian ideology regarded motherhood as every woman’s natural purpose and desire. For most of the women of Cranford, however, marriage is out of the question. Miss Pole, the most vocal opponent of marriage, “argue[s] great natural credulity in a woman if she could not keep herself from being married” (204).

Not all women in Cranford are so vehemently opposed to marriage. For example, Lady Glenmire gets engaged to Mr. Hoggins, and Miss Matty confides in Mary that “there was a time when [she] did not think [she] should have been only Miss Matty Jenkyns all [her] life” (205). After learning that her bank is cutting payments, Miss Matty admits that “a man has a sort of knowledge of what should be done in difficulties […] it is very pleasant to have one at hand ready to lean upon” (244-45). During the Victorian era, men assumed all financial responsibility, but in Cranford, women take care of their own finances. Unfortunately, this doesn’t work in Miss Matty’s favor. Her older sister Deborah invested what little they had in the bank despite Mary’s father’s warnings. Miss Matty, who looks to Deborah even after her death, naturally assumes that Deborah’s decision was practical and wise but ends up financially destitute. Gaskell is not implying that women are incapable of managing money, but she is likely suggesting that the Cranford women can be loyal to a fault to their matriarchs. The episode also highlights the financial precariousness of remaining single for Victorian women, as Miss Matty does not have a husband’s income to rely on.

Victorian England also expected women to be quiet and docile, but the Cranford women do not shy away from professing their own opinions and beliefs. Miss Pole is an obvious example, as she is the most outspoken woman in Cranford. Miss Pole in fact caricatures the figure of the independent woman; since she refuses to acknowledge any viewpoints except her own, her independence veers toward close-mindedness. However, despite the novel’s humorous tone, at the heart of Cranford is a genuine celebration of sisterhood. In the Cranford community, the most important and fulfilling relationship a woman can have is not with a man but with her female friends and neighbors.