Orphans in 19th Century Victorian England :: Victorian Era

Orphans in nineteenth Century tight-laced EnglandThe Victorian Era was a time of affectionate evolution as well as technological and economic advance. A distinct, unique middle class was formed alongside the traditional works class and wealthy aristocracy. However, there were certain individuals that fell awayside this lesson of Victorian society. The abandoned child was societys scapegoat- a soul with erupt a past, without connections, without status. They could appear in any class, at any time. The focal ratio and middle classes practically had a somewhat romantic perception of them, receivable to their prevalence in Victorian literature. Novels like Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights made heroines/heroes out of orphans, portraying them as respectable yet troubled (Cunningham,Orphan Texts). However, orphans were besides often treated with disdain and distrust, due to their reputation as criminally prone individuals. They were a victim of classic Victorian contradictions that characterized most aspects of Victorian society.Victorian Definition of OrphanWhen we hear the word orphan we imagine a child whose parents have both died tragic deaths. Indeed, there were bus of these pitiable creatures in Victorian society the living and working conditions of the unequal were so unsanitary and crowded that diseases such as typhus and tuberculosis often spread unchecked, sending many of their victims to the grave (Czarnik, Living Conditions). However, children were often considered orphans if they had one surviving parent, had been abandoned by their family, or were forced out into the world because of overcrowding at home (Cunningham, Orphan Texts). In 1861, it is estimated that 11% of children had woolly-headed a father by the age of 10, 11% a mother, and 1% had lost both parents (Czarnik).AdoptionA very common mint of orphans was adoption. They were often taken in by relatives or neighbors, and even off, on occasion, strangers deprivation to raise th em as their own children. In England, there were no laws concerning adoption until the 1920s, so most adoption was informal. Children who were adopted by their own neighborly class were usually treated fairly and equally however, if they were adopted by a family whose status was above and beyond their original class, they were frequently mistreat and neglected. Children of different social classes were not encouraged to fraternize, so if an orphan was taken into a household where higher class children lived, they could be forbidden to even speak to them (Czarnik).EducationOrphans sometimes met another fate being rigid in an educational institution. Many philanthropists donated money to these schools for the express purpose of embarkment and educating orphans.