COVE

Gertrude’s Commentary: 

I began picking out fabrics today for my upcoming wedding, and I think this is the prefect color and material. It feels smooth and reflects nicely but is not shiny or lacy. Also, the color looks nice on my pale skin in comparison to the bright white the salesman suggested. If Phyllis were here to help me pick out fabrics, she would propose something a little flashier and more expensive, but I do not really want anything too fancy since it will just be a small wedding. Aunt Carline wants me to have a traditional white dress which is so boring. Also, she wants to throw a larger wedding since she thinks this is the most important event in my life, but I am only doing it for Lord Watergate. I love him, but I do not care enough about weddings to make a big deal out of it. I have spent many years trying to be successful as a woman while taking care of my sisters, but I learned quickly after Phyllis got sick that I cannot do it alone anymore. I am a strong woman, and I can still achieve many things once I am married because sometimes even the most independent women need someone to depend on. So, while this wedding may not be the most important event in my life, as Aunt Caroline sees it, I am still excited to live life with someone I can depend on, because being a woman in the business world was not as easy as it seems.  

Editorials Commentary: 

Gertrude’s marriage says a lot about Victorian New Woman, because most people think women like Getrude were against marriage and settling down. However, Gertrude is an example of a New Woman who actually wants to get married. She explains that she learned when her sister got sick, that she can still be independent and strong even if she had someone to depend on. This shows growth in Getrude because as she matured, she learned that even if she does not want to live a traditional lifestyle, she does not have to do everything alone. Gertrude said, “I am a strong woman, and I can still achieve many things once I am married because sometimes even the most independent women need someone to depend on.” This message would be beneficial to lot of people today who think they can do everything on their own, but this is too hard. Also, the purple fabric shows how she doesn’t care to follow traditions, and that she isn’t making a big deal out of the wedding. While Gertrude expresses how she is happy about the marriage, she also expresses that she just wants to get the wedding out of the way. She also shows how these ideas about her dress and small wedding contrast to many women in her life. This suggests how important a wedding is to most traditional Victorian women, and how New Women of the Victorian Era contrast them. These differences in wedding preferences show how New Woman of the Victorian Era do not see marriage as something they must do, and therefore it is not as important to show off that they achieved this milestone. Victorian women with more traditional wants, think getting married is one of the most important things in life, therefore, these women make a larger event out of the wedding.