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Nature As Seen Through Victorian Writers Darwin And Hawthorne

In the 19th century, huge advancements were made in the field of science, and influenced the views of the world, nature and society. Science was viewed as a way of improving the understanding of nature, making it more civilized, as nature was something people felt needed to be ‘tamed’. Often women were seen in the same light as nature- being less distinguished and more wild and unkempt than the more civilized and educated of the human race- men. This differentiation between nature and science- and between men and women- can be seen in many writers of that era.
Charles Darwin was one of the most influential people in this era, and put forth many new ideas on how society could be viewed and changed based on his theories. Darwin was able to make a lot of discoveries in his time- from new species to theories of evolution. Darwin describes many of the places he visited around the world as untamed and wild, seeing tribes of ‘primitive natives’ live in places that are so different than the ‘civilized’ world of Britain. He speculates on the possibility that ‘civilized’ man could have come from these simplistic barbarians, and compares the difference between these men and civilized men to a wild and tamed animal. Darwin, unlike many of his contemporaries, put forth the theory of evolution, and that all species, including humans, derived from a few, much simpler species. This was much different than the former ideas that God was the creator of every living thing, and caused a huge change in the way people in the Victorian era viewed the world. Darwin suggested the use of artificial selection as a way to improve on the human race. If men chose their wives the way cattle were selected for breeding, by desired traits- such as body conformation, wealth, and intelligence- offspring would be superior to those who were married for other reasons. Darwin put forth the idea that those considered inferior in society should not be married, so as to end their inferior gene pool. This...