Category: North and South

The social-political novel and romance ‘North and South’ by Elizabeth Gaskell examines the contradictions and real disparities that existed in Milton in the early Victorian era between the south of England, traditionally at the seat of power, and the north of England, which was historically more prosperous but where aristocratic wealth was still primarily derived from landowning. And the north of England, which was strongly embracing manufacturing, as a result of which the population was migrating from rural areas to work in mill factories, which then became a key group in society. Ann Radcliffe’s was named ‘the Shakespeare of Romance writers.’ (Nathan) ‘The Italian’ explores into the complex literary and social issues that confront late-eighteenth-century writers. ‘The Italian’ has a major romantic aspect that is described as sublime imagery, which was a big influence on many of the romantic writers at the time, for instance, Coleridge and Byron.

‘The Italian’ seemed like a response to ‘The Monk’ written by Matthew Davis. The fantastical, supernatural, and satanic elements, on the other hand, are either underplayed or absent entirely. There’s a feeling that this is more like a realistic nightmare, but it’s still tied to the fact that the church is a hideaway for these aristocratic monsters seeking vengeance on the past. The lack of supernatural elements, or at least a lesser amount of it, allows for a more realistic novel, though Radcliffe preferred to write the novel in the gothic terror genre rather than horror, claiming it to be superior.

Hogle agreed with Radcliffe’s view by stating that ‘the words ‘terror’ and ‘horror’ cannot be used as synonyms since they represent different concepts.’ Horror writing is much more explicit, graphic and visually disturbing and Radcliffe tells her narrative as a story of terror, a psychological horror, a narrative that plays with the mind with fear as the determining factor that makes illusion seem real and ‘reality [as not safe].’ Horror shocks one into submission whilst terror, however, is far more subtle and similarly, if not more effective than horror as it does not need the explicitness that horror does.

Without resorting to overt descriptions of brutality, Radcliffe expertly keeps things tense and the fear going. This fear, as well as the tense feeling that holds one on edge, waiting for something to happen, is revealed in a powerful scene in the book. The tension is increased when Ellena has been captured by the monk and locked in the room, her mind is wandering and someone keeps approaching the door and leaving to do again and again, ‘He quitted it, and traversed the beach in short turns, and with hasty steps; came back again, and bent over it.’ (223) This part of the narrative suggests that the scene is not particularly graphic or gory, but the tension of being held captive and the paranoia and fear that sets in is powerful, particularly when the novel is teetering between what is real and what is an illusion.

Gaskell in her novel, ‘North and South’ strikes a balance between the two, seeing strengths in the pace of life, even more compassionate pace of life in a country village. Even though the poor are just as poor, she does not shy away from that but that it is a more human existence than being at the mercy of machines in a factory. She is aware of traditional values. Margaret Hale, the main character, seems to push back against the notion of manufacturing and trade, as well as the injustices of a worker who is not paid and starves. Gaskell recognises the reality that at the expense of embracing new technology came the experience of living in very unhealthy cities and working in quite unhealthy conditions in the factories, particularly the cotton mills. She conveyed this through her central character, Margaret when she angrily says, ‘Now, in the South we have our poor, but there is not that terrible expression in their countenances of a sullen sense of injustice which I see here.’ (63) The time and effort Gaskell put into weaving the narrative and the contrasting viewpoints and personal struggles of each of the characters really brings out the humanity of the situation at hand to the forefront of the reader which causes to question the reality of the cut-and-dry industrial world.

Gaskell was really unusual for women of her day in that she did not seem to hold the same social distinctions as most women would have done and been trained to do from an early age for instance, she rubbed shoulders with her own servants and thought them as her own friends. She had conversed with working-class people and was practically hands-on in her community and the real poverty surrounding her at that time. It is crucial to understand, when looking at feminist interpretations that Gaskell does things that seem contradictory of feminist critics and reinforces the patriarchy. Gaskell was clearly a strong minded woman and she writes Margaret as a strong woman and a character determined to rid the belief and ‘reject [the] illusion’ that women were inferior in society, which Gaskell fights against to break this gender status quo.

The novel initially starts off with a description of Margaret’s life in the idyllic south of England before moving to the north. The relationship of the parents is a bit shocking as the father does not tell his wife this life-changing decision to move to the north of England until two weeks prior to the move. It shows the reality of how powerless Victorian wives were, which suggests that perhaps ‘reality [is not owns] only safety’ and that illusions could be the only escapism for some who do not have the same strong attitude that Margaret has to speak aloud of the injustices taken place. She writes Margaret as a strong woman, a character who is determined to carve out her own life who does not fall into marriage as a way of surviving yet she is lucky that she does end up with a legacy that ultimately will give her that independence which means she can make a more considered choice when she decides she is going to join her life with someone.

Historians study the past to help us better understand the past and avoid old mistakes. They reassemble the facts to create a picture of a time, a place or an event that may be completely foreign to the way we think and behave today or may explain why we do. Historians use all sorts of data to help create the picture of society; census data, economic reports, laws, newspaper articles, poetry, and even literature. In every part of the world, literature has been more or less, mirror of society. The most realistic forms of literature are the stories and the novels, which deal particularly with the problem of social, economic and political life of a country and are bound to reflect contemporary history.

Elizabeth Gaskell’s North and South is often considered one of, if not the best, of her works, as well as a significant piece of Victorian literature. It features a strong female protagonist and relevant social and political commentary regarding industrialization and class antagonisms present in mid-19th century England. The fictional industrial town of Milton was based on Manchester, where Gaskell lived with her family.

Major Themes of the work include: The contrast between the North and South of England, The danger of pride, female self-determination and autonomy, and class struggle

Political

• The labor workers strived to form a union between each other because of the terrible working conditions.
• The strike was bad and people wanted to free the Irish and they went as far as to throw a pebble at Margaret.
• The masters in Milton treated the workers very badly.
• Higgins is paid at a very low late and lacks the money to supply food for his family.
• Higgins brings up the idea of starting a strike against their masters, to which Boucher is hesitant.
• Margaret feels that Thornton should be nicer to the workers, but he disagrees saying that he has to do what’s best for his factory.

Economic

• The mill you choose the best one is the one that pays the most money.
• The mill owners formed a union to give the same wages as each other.
• Milton was an excellent place for manufacturing and Margaret’s family decided to move there once her father broke off from the Church.
• Nicholas Higgins worked in mill.
• The strike began and Thornton replaced them with irish workers.
• Margaret was trapped in Thornton’s house.
• Thornton and Margaret get married.

Religious

• Margaret had left her mother and father in her childhood.
• Her parents were actively part of the Church in England.
• Margaret’s dad eventually stopped being a representative of the Church.

Social

• They used a lot of practical speech.
• Edith is very spoiled by her mother and was marrying captain Lennox(I didn’t hear I think that’s his name).
• Margaret was upset in her childhood due to the fact that her parents weren’t able to introduce to a ‘rich’ setting which upset Margaret, however she always made that hidden in front of her parents.
• Mrs.Haile grew very ill.
• This was because of all the bad air and cotton in Milton, that Mrs.Haile was exposed to.
• Margaret is knocked out when the tiniest of pebbles hit her in the head.
• Margaret’s best friend, Bessy, passed away.
• Boucher took his own life.
• Nicholas Higgins adopted all of Boucher’s kids.
• Margaret’s mom died from being sick.
• Margaret’s dad also died.
• Margaret finds herself falling for Milton.

Intellectual

• Thornton is very conservative and avoids taking risks at all costs.
• Mill Owners used special wheels.
• Margaret is not at all like her cousin Edith and her aunt because she can’t afford to live a rich life and spending lots of money like her Edith and her aunt.
• Margaret always talked about her hometown to her new friend Henry.
• Thornton feels that Margaret is prideful lady, while Maragret feels that he is a cold man.
• Thornton was about to express his feelings to Margaret but she replied that she had no feelings for him.
• Margaret gained a lot of money after the death of Mr.Bell.

Artistic

• They loved to play the piano.

Why do you think Gaskell represents the older characters so negatively?

Gaskell represents the old characters as bad because they are selfish people due to the fact that they paid the workers terribly to the point where they wanted a strike. They were also greedy for money and were overall selfish in that regard.

How do the differences between north and south culture affect relationships in Milton?

Milton was affected by the differences of the north and south culture culture ue to their drastically different views towards slavery. Northern culture believed in the abolishment of slavery, while slavery was very common in the South. This difference made the two cultures often clash heads.

An important theme in the book is the poor relations between the masters and men. This is also reflected as a theme in the movie. What does Gaskell present as the solution for the problem and how does she communicate this through the relationships between the main characters?

The solution is that the workers tried to strike against the mill owners which was shut down by the soldiers. The relationship was shown between Thornton and Margaret as he said the mill owners needed to make money, while Margaret said the workers should be treated with compassion and be paid better.

Describe the overall working conditions (hours, pay, safety, etc.) of general millwork from the point of view of the laborers. What is their motivation for organizing together and striking? How do they plan to survive during a strike?

The laborers were disgusted by the overall working conditions of general millwork. They worked hard and non-stop only to be paid very sparingly, which meant they were starved. This motivated the laborers to start the strike.

The masters discuss the working conditions in the mills. Describe the conditions viewed in Mr. Thornton’s mill specifically. How is Thornton considered more “progressive” and why is he in conflict with the other mill owners?

He is in conflict because he never thought that they should reduce their wages otherwise the mill-owners themselves would lose money.

Several deaths occur in the story. How do the circumstances of the deaths of Mr. Thornton, Senior, Mrs. Hale, Boucher, Leonards, Bessy Higgins, Mr. Hale, Mr. Belle, effect Margaret Higgins and the characters of the story? Why do you think death such a prevalent theme of Gaskell’s novel?

Those deaths played a major impact because she was close to most of them, and the death of her parents, and Bessy Higgins scarred her. Additionally, death was such a main theme as it showed how the hard conditions of the mill made people suicidal and very ill.

Examine the importance of the Victorian setting. Does Margaret’s want for independence go against Victorian values? Is the older generation holding back this new era? Why is it important the north and south of England come together as a society?

They came together to because of slavery and the bad wages which formed some similarities between the two.

How is the novel North and South an accurate representation of the Industrial age in England?

It is an accurate representation of the Industrial Revolution due to showing what affect new ways to thread cotton affected society. It took place in a Victorian location to add a different vibe and perspective.

Tess encounters Angel Clare who forms a relationship with Tess after agreeing to tutor her and who becomes a significant impact on her life. Hardy presents Tess as a powerful force as he creates a border between happiness and depression in her life. Mark Asquith critiques “Angel abandons her, masking his prurient disgust at her sexual history with spurious Christian principles”. This is evidenced when Tess grows fond of Angel Clare and Angel returns his love for her. But the readers can sense the tension in their relationship as Angel calls Tess and The symbolism of mythical Greek goddesses emphasises the idealised image that Angel wants to see rather than the living reality of who Tess really is. Hardy continues to dominate the life of Tess with injustice when Tess drowns in her feelings of romance and carelessly reveals the history of her past which leads to Angel abandoning her. Angel’s response – shows that Tess did not meet the expectation of a ‘Goddess’ that Angel had for her. The irony is presented as they both have a past, but Angel’s past is only forgiven, merely due to his status and his sexuality however, Tess is left out in the dark. Unlike Tess experiencing a myriad of injustice in her life, Margaret is also in a cyclical trap with one person’s death after another. The most dreadful death that encounters Margaret’s life is the death of her mother, Mrs. Hale who is her biggest female guidance. Her mother’s terminal illness, which may be cancer, worsens when they move to the Northern city of Milton. The city is described as having a and the The negative use of adjectives – and connote the drastic environment of Milton as being dirty and polluted which contributes negatively to Mrs. Hale’s illness. This adds a heavier burden on Margaret as she must adopt the domestic and active role to take on her mother’s duties in the household as well as helping her father find a new house. As Margaret involuntarily adapts to the horrific life in Milton, she also matures rapidly and proves herself to be of an intellectual substance. In her own way, Margaret epitomizes the true spirit of a heroine when she fulfils her mother’s final wish to see her son, Frederick.

Throughout the novel of TOTD, Tess’s patience and emotions are tested when she is faced with disastrous situations that lead her to her downfall. The biggest and final injustice that destroys Tess’s character development is ending her torment of Alec by killing him during the denouement. The triadic listing of connotes the end to Tess’s suffering and her freedom from Alec’s torture. Interestingly, Hardy creates the climactic action towards the end of the novel to allow the reader to question whether Tess is of a ‘pure woman’ after her journey of hardships. Whilst the readers believe Tess is to be blamed for her sin and she was destined to be punished perhaps for her ancestors’ crimes, Hardy defends his female heroine and claims her demise was caused by manipulation and alienation so she is not held responsible for being a victim of her own misfortune. Tess accepts her fate and concludes at the end of the story symbolises the execution of Tess that Hardy could be representing the unjustness of conventional society that even the guiltless people are punished for their wrongdoing despite their good intentions. Similarly, Margaret experiences her final bereavement when she loses another beloved family member, her father on the way to their trip to Oxford. Margaret’s heroism is expressed vividly as she now has lost her two of her main supporters and source of guidance and must take on a lot more responsibility to care for herself. At the start of the novel, the readers can visualise immediately that Margaret and Mr. Hale have a rocky relationship as he is unable to do anything on his own and expects Margaret to do everything. However, the readers can see Mr. Hale’s inability to take responsibility is what shaped Margaret to grow and become a young adult. Margaret that her father had died and with the use of repetition expresses her disbelief and melancholy as her whole world has crumbled to bits. Margaret must adhere to the new course of life that she has entered and continue to live for herself. However, her gets the best of her and concludes that she needs to leave Milton where she had as perhaps there is nothing left in Milton for Margaret anymore.

Class antagonism is a pivotal thematic role during the Victorian period where social status directed everyone’s life. Class differentiation in TOTD also reflects Hardy’s own personal life as he struggled with social mobility and was originated from a working-class household. Whilst Hardy himself was bought into an independent mason in the rural area, he felt restricted from opportunities the same as an upper class . In the same way, Tess bears a difficult life being ascribed in an underclass family who goes through obstacles to provide for her family. Ironically, at the start of the novel, the readers are immediately told that the Durbeyfield family are decedents from an aristocratic family, the D’Urbervilles – As soon the celebratory news got around, the Durbeyfield family felt a sense of obligation to get in contact with the knightly family as they . Mrs. Durbeyfield’s quest is and to raise the Durbeyfield’s social status. This leaves Tess saturated with oppression by her family as they are more concerned about Tess bringing wealth than her right of freedom to do what she likes. However, it can also be seen that Tess had a right to complete this duty due to the incident of their horse, Prince. Since lack of freedom and choice was not permitted during the Victorian period, Tess presses on and fulfils her parent’s wish which later she encounters many downfalls. Similarly, Jane Eyre which was also set during the Victorian era explores the strict social class during its time. Charlotte Bronte presents her female protagonist as a typical, young woman who has Immediately, Charlotte Bronte brings in the concept of social class as the readers identify that Jane was born into a working-class family but was taken in by her upper-class relatives. The irony is displayed as Jane belongs to neither the two disparate classes as she is tyrannised by her wealthy cousins for being underprivileged and living in the same prosperous household as them. Charlotte Bronte brings out the femininity as throughout the novel Jane pursuits for independence and to be valued rather than allow her brutish cousins to torment her and make her feel worthless.

In parallel, though Margaret is lived with luxury and affluence in the south, Helstone, at the start of the novel, she also learns a lot about the impoverished and deprived side of the world in North Milton. This concept is directly visible in the dichotomous title, North and South as the entirety of the novel, Gaskell portrays the harsh lives led by the working-class. Margaret reflects about the British class system and learns about the relationship contrast between the north and south. Margaret criticises Thornton’s view about the south – The sibilance and alliteration of and display the euphemism of inequality of the lower class. However, Margaret does hold pride from her upper-class upbringing that also stems from her relationship with Aunt Shaw and Edith that the readers are introduced to at the beginning of the novel. Margaret holds strong views on the division of social class and prejudice after her transfer to Milton and Gaskell focuses profoundly on class hostility on the conversation between Margaret and Thornton. Gaskell creates an initial appearance of Margaret as she identifies the classism between the north and south. Similarly, Agnes Grey takes on the Marxist approach of social class as Anne Bronte uses her female protagonist to depict the struggles of trying to create a meaning for herself, such as being a governess as she lacks the educated knowledge and materialistic necessities to do so. As Agnes identifies the struggles that her family is going through to pay back debt and bring in money, she makes a wise decision to become a governess however, her family’s dismissal on the idea empowers Agnes to defend her worthy – The monosyllabic language of and show that Anne is a girl who is knowledgeable as she uses sophisticated language to gasps her mother’s attention despite her lack of privileges to be educated. The belittling from her family creates a sense of frustration in Agnes however, Bronte exemplifies confidence and certainty in her character to counteract the notion of being powerless.

In Chartism from Carlyle, it deals with the conditions of the working class in England at that time. He also questions the “laissez-faire” policy that Adam Smith advocates in England.

According to him, there is a social, political division between the upper class and the working class. These two classes have different interests and the struggle is the expression of these discrepancies: “For, as is well said, all battle is a misunderstanding; did the parties know one another, the battle would cease”[1].

In his first chapter entitled Condition-of-England question, Carlyle argues that the harsh conditions of living of the working class are the causes of Chartism:

‘Chartism means the bitter discontent grown fierce and mad, the wrong condition therefore or the wrong disposition, of the Working Classes of England’ [1]. As Dr Andrzej Diniejko states in his article “Thomas Carlyle and the Origin of the “Condition of England Question “, England “needs some reforms to help people in need”[2]: “Is the condition of the English working people wrong; so wrong that rational working men cannot, will not, and even should not rest quiet under it?”[1]

He questions the fact that the Parliament has done nothing for improving their living conditions. He claims that their social position in the hierarchy does not justify unfairness “No man at bottom means injustice”[1].

Carlyle rejects the “laissez-faire” policy and states that “it is no longer possible in England for the working class”. The working class needs to be represented that is to say to be “guided and to have a government”.

He takes the example of the French revolution as a positive, necessary event which can be beneficial for all the classes:

“The French Revolution is seen, or begins everywhere to be seen, ‘ as the crowning phenomenon of our Modern Time;’ ‘ the inevitable stern end of much; the fearful, but also wonderful, indispensable and sternly beneficent beginning of much”[1].

In Gaskell’s North and South, the working class also suffers from poverty with poor hygiene conditions and they often lived in small, filthy dwellings. These economic, social disparities brought about a lot of tensions and misunderstandings between social classes and it prompted them to ask for more rights and more justice.

Mr Boucher’s wife, who is unhealthy, shows how the labour class suffers from malnutrition, bad quality of air.

Mr Higgins’s daughter, Bessy who dies of Tuberculosis, exemplifies the fact that her death is certainly caused by atmospheric impurities. She explains to Margaret that she has worked in a cotton mill and the” fluff got into her lungs, and poisoned her” [2].

Through the novel, we understand that the labour struggle is an ideological conflict between factory owners and workers but it is also within the working class.

As A.B Hopkins mentions in her article ‘Liberalism in the Social Teachings of Mrs. Gaskell’ [3], in Britain, the owners of factory wanted to reduce the cost of production by lowering wages.

According to her, the announcement of the cut in wages is not justified and perceived by workers as totally unfair. She also analyses that Nicolas Higgins ignores that they would face harsh competition with American products if they got into the market when he says:

Why, yo’ see, there’s five or six masters who have set themselves again’ paying the wages they’ve been paying two years past, and flourishing upon, and getting richer upon. And now they come to us and say we’re to take less. And we won’t. We’ll just clem them to death first; and see who’ll work for ’em then. They’ll have killed the goose that laid the golden eggs, I reckon [4].

To conclude, both texts deal with the social, and economic conditions that suffered the working class at that time.

1. Carlyle, T. Chartism, second edition, (London: James Fraser, Regent Street 1840). (pp.2, 3, 7, 43).
2. Gaskell, E. North and South, Oxford University Press, Inc, 1973 (pp.102).
3. Hopkins, Annette Brown. ‘Liberalism in the Social Teachings of Mrs. Gaskell’, Social Service Review, 5, 1, 1931, pp. 57-73.
4. Gaskell, Elizabeth. North and South, Penguin Classics, 2012 (pp.161).

Literature in the Victorian era is a response to the economic, political and social changes that have accrued in that period. Each of literature is only a difference in how faithful the record is, and in what point of view is the reaction and what values are advocated. The diversity of Victorian literature–exception of play area—indicates that Victorians enthusiastically reacted to the realities of that time in all possible ways. Furthermore, It shows Victorians were expressed various kind of thoughts of different classes.

The Victorian Era was a time of material affluence. In this period, Britain has built many colonies abroad. Britain was crowned with “the empire on which the sun never sets”. It is true that the enormous wealth which earned from overseas colonies and achievement of the industrial revolution have made the Victorian era as an era of unprecedented richness. However, this material abundances did not necessarily guarantee spiritual abundance. The discrepancy between spiritual abundance and material abundances inevitably led to conflicts between religion and science. It gave rise to a strong sense of scepticism about traditional religions in the Victorian era. Scientists from the Victorian era, such as Charles Darwin, Charles Lyell, and Robert Chambers, shaken the earlier religious system through the certification of natural science. With the development of natural science and the advent of the theory of evolution by this scientists, humans were no longer the lord of creation in the shape of God. These values and perspective of Victorian times made the British people fell a great sense of spiritual empathy and anguish over religious doubts.

Besides, there has been a conservative view of women throughout history. The idea of rejecting the gender role has been socially unacceptable until the mid-18th century. Especially in the Victorian era, women were traditionally required to remain as a stereotyped character of women. The women were supposed to be vulnerable, and they always had to lean on the arms of “gentleman” walking along the countryside trail or leading to a dinner table. Women had to stay in restricted and confined areas by relying on men.

Also, there was a clear distinction of role between men and women in Victorian. In the value system of the middle class in the Victorian era, the family has to be central. The role of men has carried out economic activity in society, and the role of women is limited to keeping their homes properly. Women were accused of losing their elegance and damaging their femininity when women left her home and worked in society. Therefore, It is no exaggeration to say that middle and upper-class women spend the day doing knitting and embroidering in the house, educating the servants and organising parties were the most critical thing in women’s lives.

The effort to find the identity against these conservative views began to emerge gradually from the end of the 18th century. This influence can be found in several works of the 19th century. In this paper, we mainly discuss literature as a response to 19th century by analysing ‘In memoriam’ by Alfred Tennyson and ‘North and South’ by Elizabeth Gaskell.

There are several attempts to overcome the differences of class and gender in ‘North and south’ by Elizabeth Gaskell. The various behaviours of the characters of the ‘North and South’ reveal the vagueness of differences of class and gender in the Victorian era. Gaskell attempts to blur boundaries of those in ‘North and South’ by using the elements which were commonly believed that only male writers could handle.

Britain, a dominated Christian society, has gradually undergone the secularisation process. The Victorian era, along with the 12th and 17th centuries, was considered the most religious era in England. Since the 1870s, the religious situation has changed dramatically, while forming a strong scepticism against the orthodox Christian conviction that could be seen in the mid-Victorian period. The Victorian era of the 19th century was the society which is full of materialism, hypocrisy and snobbery. It was also a time of religion and political turmoil. This change caused conflict among the Victorians’ faith. The rapid development of natural science, especially Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, shocked at philosophy and religious fundamentalism. How many people suffered from religious conflict in the Victorian era can be seen from the reaction of people when ‘In Memoriam’ was published in 1850.

‘In memoriam’ by Alfred Tennyson is a collection of poems that he has written over 17 years, missing his friend Arthur Henry Hallam. The poem evoked sympathy and empathy for readers by faithfully expressing the scepticism which is beyond control. He expressed the deep anxiety that had placed the belief of his contemporaries. The popular success of ‘In memoriam’ is evidence that Victorians’ unconscious scepticism of religion. The readers in the Victorian era accepted his poem because In memoriam seemed to reaffirm the belief that facts from Darwin’s theory of evolution eventually did not undermine the essence of the Christian faith. It also does not show the anxiety from science, giving comfort to people who were in the spiritual chaos and darkness of the Victorian era. The process of mourning in this poem express as a process of reaffirming Victorians faith and confirming their belief in God’s existence, while shows willingness to escape from the world of scepticism and darkness. In memoriam is the response to the anxiety of Victorians. It is the confession of scepticism and faith, in which the poet accurately record his religious changes in the face of death. Christians have believed for 200 years that scientific research in the natural world supports their faith. However, In the Victorian era, even if God’s plan existed, It seemed to be nothing more than a brutal, cruel and wasteful plan. Nature, like Tennyson’s intense expression, was “red in tooth and claw'(Tennyson, 80) to the Victorians. The scientific evidence that people have relied on is fundamentally questioned, the Victorians have to “And faintly trust the larger hope’ (Tennyson, 55). Comparing with convinced scientific knowledge, religious beliefs seemed vague and empty. The untenable religious truth seemed fruitless and frail. When he lost faith in God, he feels that “I falter where I firm trod’ (Tennyson, 79). He cannot receive consolation from this nature. Nature only give the Victorians hopeless. However, he breaks away from the world of darkness and scepticism and experiences peace in the world of faith. He is honest with him with the eyes of truth. When he pursues truth with all his heart and soul, the light of truth appears in the poet’s heart. At this moment, he reaches the point of absolute peace in a firm belief in God. After his friend’s death, he meditates on human condition for 17 years. In other words, he continues to meditate on human life and death, the soul and body, the moment and eternity, and theism and atheism. It leads to the belief in the existence of God that human knowledge and reason cannot be explained. He starts with scepticism and finally gets the answer by convincing God of his infinite love and the eternal youth of humans.

‘In memoriam’ is a psychological path to overcoming despair by a personal reflection on the meaning of death. Besides, as the phycological pathway overcomes its scepticism and despair, he embraces this process as a belief in God. This process of overcoming does not mean attempt to solve problems in the Victorian era. It is a response of the Victorian era’s anxiety. He finds hope for the Victorians in his struggle. The hope that he finds is about faith in God. After all, he accepts that human life coexists with joy and sorrow, good and evil, life and death, and religion and science. In this aspect, In memoriam is not merely a loss of friendship from the death, but rather an immortal lover who was able to empathise with anyone by believing in the care of God and the immortality of his soul. ‘In memoriam’ does not stay at the level of the poet’s emotion, but instead looks at how despair and scepticism about religion are overcome in the Victorian era.