What Clothing Reveals in Childrens Literature - Essay Example

What clothing reveals in children’s literature The Victorian age is at once identified generally as a time of nostalgic perfection and rigid oppression. It is the age of change and social advances as well as the age of strict social structure and a severe regard for the customs of the past. Under the reign of Queen Victoria, the Industrial Revolution came of age, blossomed and brought sweeping change across the country and the world. Life switched from being primarily dictated by the land one owned to a social structure based on commerce and manufacturing (Greenblatt, 2005). In this switch, there was a great deal of social upheaval as people living in these changing times began to question the status quo. Social class structures were beginning to break down as common men were able to make fortunes in industry and landowners found it more and more difficult to keep the idyllic life they’d constructed alive. Women, too, were beginning to question their allotted place in society as more and more opportunities opened for them in the urban centers of the country, providing them with a means of supporting themselves and freeing themselves from the yoke of male domination. However, at the same time, these positions were not the equal rights positions of modern times, so it was often difficult to determine whether one wanted to sacrifice freedom for comfort or comfort for freedom. Rarely was it possible to attain both. All of these social and economical concerns can be found in the novels written during this time period even in children’s literature as it is revealed in something as simple as the subject of clothing, dressing and ideas about fashion, such as the examples seen in Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery, The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett and Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. How status is assigned based on clothes The type of clothes one wore during the Victorian period, during which these three children’s books are based, frequently said a great deal about the wealth of the home, the character of the individual and the degree of social status enjoyed by the family. Those at the lower rungs of society are given the cast off materials and clothing available only because no one else is interested in them. For example, when Anne Shirley first appears in Anne of Green Gables, she is seen as a homely child in a “very short, very tight, very ugly dress of yellowish-gray wincey” with a “faded brown sailor hat” (21). This clothing is the result of a generous donation of a merchant who reportedly couldn’t sell it otherwise and thus at least ensured it was used by donating the material to the orphanage (24). In similar fashion, Anne’s first clothes made by Marilla, while of a slightly more generous cut, were still made from the left-over or unwanted fabric that Marilla had on hand. Those living in the middle class do their best to put on their most advantageous front as the girls of Little Women find themselves working hard so as not to betray the fact that their once fine clothing is now threadbare and damaged. This can be seen in the lengths they go to in order to hide the burned place and tears in Jo’s poplin dress and her lemonade stained gloves even as they lament not having the proper silk dress for the New Year’s Eve party at Mrs. Gardiner’s home (Ch. 3). From these depictions, and many more spread throughout all of these novels, the idea that those individuals dressed in poor materials, ill-fitting clothing or clothing that has been damaged in any way are poor and generally come from the lower rungs of the social class. In contrast to the near squalor found in the descriptions of clothing as portrayed at the beginning of Anne of Green Gables and Little Women, the impression that Mary Lennox of The Secret Garden comes from a fine family is hinted at simply enough through her mother’s clothing, described as “thin and floating, and Mary said they were ‘full of lace’” (Ch. 1). Having never given much thought to clothing before her sudden orphaning, Mary also depicts the difference in clothing between the classes as she experiences the difficulties of trying to dress herself for the first time. Here, it is made plain that while the clothing of the lower classes is designed for an individual to get dressed on their own, even the new clothing purchased for Mary from London contains buttons and fastenings that require a second set of hands to fasten (Ch. 4). However, even Mary is able to discern that the clothing she has been provided at Misselthwaite Manor is of a much finer quality than what she was used to in India, which gives the impression that she has fallen in with very fine and important people. Likewise, Anne from Green Gables is seen to gradually increase in stature as her clothing improves, first through the improvements from the wincey dresses of the orphanage, and then to the finer fashionable outfits Matthew comes to insist upon. While these books continue to reinforce the traditional social assumptions made about people based upon whether they are wearing the latest fashions and materials, they also continue to illustrate how these social conventions are in error. Only rich people are able to dress in appropriate clothing at all times, however, the authors of these novels continue to illustrate how less grand clothing can often house the better character. This is seen in Anne Shirley as she performs at the White Sands concert in her white organdy dress among people who wore silks and diamonds. Regardless of whether her clothes are able to compete with the others, she is still described as having “something so stylish about you, Anne … You hold you head with such an air. I suppose it’s your figure” (275). The March sisters eventually find happiness in character rather than money. Although they are now able to dress as well as they’d like, this ability is not won through a concentration on fashion and outer appearances, but is instead the reward for remaining true to their hearts and generous in their spirits. Even Mary Lennox, who is introduced as a very disagreeable child at the beginning of the novel, is seen as beautiful by the end of it not through any significant changes in her apparel, but instead because of significant changes in her spirit. Again the issue of dressing emerges to provide clues as to how the individual’s status should be determined. In this particular scene, Anne is shown to have risen above her lowly orphan status to have the stylish Diana Barry acting as lady’s maid in her preparations for the concert. However, this act of dressing can be seen to disadvantage as well. Having been dressed by Belle in something suitable for a party, Meg March finds out that the ability to be fashionably dressed can sometimes be a detriment as first Laurie, then Major Lincoln comment unfavorably upon her ‘upgraded’ appearance. Little Mary Lennox, although annoyed at first regarding the expectation that she should learn how to dress herself, comes to view her ability to do so as a strongly desired act of independence. Thus, while having been provided with all the appropriate clothing she could want, she, too, begins to see a break down between the upper and lower classes as it is represented through clothing and to recognize a difference between true and perceived value. In each case, these girls and their perceptions regarding clothing represent the prevailing understanding of the Victorian age, in which old customs and ideas were being challenged and, frequently, found incorrectly assigned based upon false or superficial merits rather than true value. How individuals think of themselves based on their clothes Self-concept Within these three books, it can be seen how clothing had an effect upon the way in which the characters viewed themselves. Dressed in ugly wincey or plain cut dresses of dark colors, Anne continuously refers to herself as a poor orphan girl, but after she begins receiving fashionable dresses, she is able to think of herself more definitely as Anne of Green Gables and as belonging to Marilla and Matthew. When she tells Marilla “I’d rather look ridiculous when everybody else does than plain and sensible all by myself” (88), she illustrates her deep-seated desire to belong to this social class, a transition she can’t see herself making without the appropriate changes in clothing. Later, despite having clothing that meets the social class to which she’d been adopted, Anne loses much of her confidence prior to the White Sands concert by observing that many of the ladies from the cities are dressed in “silks and laces that glistened and rustled around her. What were her pearl beads compared to the diamonds of the big, handsome lady near her? And how poor her one wee white rose must look beside all the hothouse flowers the others wore!” (283). Meg and Amy March in particular have a great deal of their own sense of self-worth wrapped up within their outer appearances, especially at the beginning of Little Women. Their somewhat shabby clothes give them a great deal of concern as they move about their social circles and they find it more difficult to overcome these ideas of proper appearance in order to discern their inner worth. Self-confidence Similar to self-concept, the style of clothing a person wore in these novels was often seen to have an affect upon their general level of confidence. Anne tells Matthew “felt as if everybody must be looking at me and pitying me. But I just went to work and imagined that I had on the most beautiful pale-blue silk dress … and a big hat all flowers and nodding plumes, and a gold watch and kid gloves and boots” (24). In this statement, she captures this concept of self-confidence directly tied to outer appearance. Even after Marilla is finally convinced to give her more fashionable clothes, Anne continuously expresses an increased self-confidence as a result of knowing she looks nice, “I shall have such a comfortable feeling deep down in my mind about that flounce” (262). In a similar personality-altering experience, Mary is able to put away her grief at her parents’ loss, however small it might have been, through her uncle’s insistence that she not be seen around the house wearing black and begins to find a personality of her own in her new abilities to select her own outfit for the day and to bring about changes of apparel without assistance from others. The confidence she gains from such a small seeming act is healthier than the knowledge she had previously in which servants would suffer dearly for displeasing her. Her observation that her dresses are becoming a bit too tight thanks to her healthier lifestyle working in the garden is made with a self-satisfaction that cannot be denied. Self-discipline Finally, clothing can be seen to begin teaching young girls self-discipline in a variety of ways through these novels. When Anne thinks about the free and fancy fairies of “The Fairy Queen,” she cannot imagine them in the disciplined and sensible copper-toed boots that she has been wearing and that emphasize the concept of discipline through dress that has thus far been exemplified in Marilla’s handling of Anne. In addition, she directly relates the concept of nicer clothes and a better behavior when she tells Diana “It is ever so much easier to be good if your clothes are fashionable” (241). Meg also learns self-discipline through her experience at Annie’s party and being dressed up by Belle. Although she is able to admit that the results are stunning when measured according to that particular set of girls, she is not able to experience the effect she was hoping for. Laurie tells her she doesn’t even look like herself and she overhears Major Lincoln telling his mother that she has been spoiled. She is finally forced to consider where her true worth lies and to conclude that it is not her outer appearance that she should be most concerned with. Clothing ideas reinforced within the story Anne of Green Gables Within the context of Avonlea and the farming community that Anne Shirley finds as her home, the idea that well-dressed people are good and poorly dressed people are bad can be found, but it is tempered with a gentle support of the middle class. As an orphan, Anne can gain almost no respect and remains dressed in dark, plain clothes or ugly, skimpy leftovers. As a fashionable country girl, she is adored by many and is sweetly helpful to all. However, even in her orphan rags, she is recognized as having a particular quality that is difficult to define and exceptionally rare. Within her dark and plain dresses, she stands out to Matthew as being the sparkling personality of the group. Even Mrs. Lynde recognizes a strong attraction about Anne that makes her contrast sharply with the other girls of Avonlea. However, too much concentration on fashion is shown to be equally undesirable as the fashion of the poor. Josie Pye, with her reliance on constantly remaining in fashion, is nevertheless painted as one of the more unpleasant characters in the novel and the women of the White Sands hotel, for all their diamonds and silks, are seen as being relatively poor in comparison to the love and lifestyle the girls have experienced thus far. As Marilla tells Anne toward the conclusion of the story, “you never can tell about people from their outsides” (310). Secret Garden In The Secret Garden, Mary Lennox doesn’t spend a great deal of time concentrating on her clothing, but her status in life is ascertained based upon the quality and style of clothing she is provided as well as in her mastery of herself. Introduced as a completely unattractive young girl, Mary’s thoughts regarding people were centered upon the fine nature of their clothing as this was about the only she knew regarding her mother. Affecting the attitudes of the very rich as a natural result of her upbringing, Mary is incapable of thinking of others or of taking care of herself to any great degree. Her uncle begins her process as he makes it completely obvious to her that he does not expect her to put on a specific behavior to please some sense of social obligation in his presentation of colored clothing. Martha continues it with her gentle teaching of the girl regarding such common practices as learning how to dress oneself. As she becomes more and more capable of dressing herself in the fine clothes her uncle has provided her, Mary then becomes increasingly more attractive and more capable of thinking of others. Here again is a sense of middle class superiority in its condescension of the upper class in Mary’s initial attitude and its condescension of the lower classes in the coarse sounding dialect of Martha and Dixon. Little Women The March girls are not able to finance the fancy clothing and quality fabrics of their wealthier friends, nor are they content to accept the appearance of the poor family they truly represent. In this respect, the novel is much more like Anne of Green Gables in that the characters are seen to move from a representation of the poor, bedraggled and somewhat lowly class to an estimation of comfortable middle class. Because of their efforts and their generosity of spirit, they are given the opportunity to move among the next higher class, but, like Anne and as was demonstrated through Mary, the upper class was found to be similarly lacking in quality as the lower class. The only truly comfortable position to be in is the middle class, slightly above their status in part one, yet not necessarily as high as that of Annie and her set if it means accomplishing this without greater inner substance. While Jo is given perhaps the greatest rewards in achieving not only a comfortable inheritance of her own, but a career and her husband of choice, she is also the sister who was least concerned about outward appearances and instead focused upon inner pathways. In this way, the novel serves to bolster traditional beliefs on the surface, yet questions many of these concepts in support of a rising middle class in its depths. Conclusion Even in children’s literature such as Anne of Green Gables, Little Women and The Secret Garden, messages regarding clothing, fashion and its connection to social status and inner worth can be easily traced. Like much literature produced in this general time period, these messages reflected a great deal of social upheaval as traditional ideals were questioned and support was given to a moderate middle class. Through these novels, a general distaste for excess was being fostered just as the distastefulness of poverty was obviously outlined. While these stories sometimes illustrated these messages obviously, such as in the characters of Anne Shirley and Meg and Amy March, they could also be more subtle, such as in the character of Josie Pye and Mary Lennox. It was always desirable to move from a lower class to a higher class, which was typically accomplished by right action, hard work, generosity and taste. However, attempts to move too high were met with disapproval as shown in Meg as she began to forget herself who she was. Likewise, attempts to retain high class attitudes of superiority were met with disfavor, while attempts to work with others, moving toward the middle, were rewarded, as is seen in Mary Lennox. All of this is reflected in the types and styles of clothing, richness of materials and rituals of dress as the characters viewed each other and in the way that they thought about themselves, adding one more element of support to the general moral the authors are working to convey in the overall storylines. Works Cited Alcott, Louisa May. Little Women. Ann Arbor, MI: Ann Arbor Group, 2006. Burnett, Frances Hodgson. The Secret Garden. New York: Gramercy, 2002. Greenblatt, Stephen (Ed.). “Introduction: The Victorian Age.” The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Vol. 8. New York: W.W. Norton, (2005). Montgomery, L.M. Anne of Green Gables. L.C. Page & Company, 1935. Read More