Daniel Deronda: Victorian Ideals, Conflicted Identities and Alienation in George Eliot’s Last Novel

This paper examines George Eliot’s Daniel Deronda through the framework of identity, gender dynamics within Victorian society and isolation. It explores how the novel’s protagonists seek selfhood as they negotiate the social and cultural constraints that shape, limit, and destabilize their complex inner lives. By discussing the experiences of Deronda, Lydia Glasher, and Gwendolen Harleth, the author reveals how various forms of alienation are enacted through the characters, highlighting the tensions between their quest for individualism and societal expectations. Through her heroines, Eliot also questions the limited roles imposed on women in nineteenth-century English society and the pressure to embody the ideals of moral perfection. Deronda’s uncertain parentage contrasts with the moral and emotional tensions of Lydia Glasher, while Gwendolen’s preoccupation with keeping up with appearance and social status highlights the pressure of female subjugation. By analysing these contrasting experiences, the essay illuminates Eliot’s nuanced critique of moral, social, and gender norms, emphasizing the complex interplay between the character’s individual emancipation and the limitations imposed by their society.