February 05, 2006
Behind the Queen's Back
Despite the presumptuous ideals of virtue and innocence created and inspired by Queen Victoria, Mayhew felt that London was “a national disgrace to us [the English]” (Thomas 11). Although the Great Exhibition in 1851 ironically distracted the world from the corruptions brewing within the country’s borders, the people could not be fooled. Greed and wrath enslaved the oldest to youngest, and the richest to poorest members of society. Yet, the deadliest of sins to ensnare London’s victims was lust found within the arms of the “women of the night.”
Strutting from alley to alley, young women (and girls, as young as thirteen or twelve) took to the streets in search of a life devoid of pain-staking labor and destitution. Granted, many remained successful in their decadent endeavors; yet, every encounter marked an irreversible price for the supplier and her customer. By 1864, contagious diseases infected a disturbing number of military men. As a result, such bodily “trades” forced law and medical officials to “authorize the detention and medical examination of suspected [carriers] in the neighborhoods of barracks or dockyards” (Thomas 97).
Naturally, the reader may become inclined to believe that karma rose against these promiscuous city-dwellers to strike them. However, the economic and social circumstances during the times cloud this particular perception—no longer are these lustful actions right or wrong, but instead a means seeking a comfortable end.
Posted by BethanyHutira at February 5, 2006 11:24 AM