irst entered the village: These women are, exceedingly handsome. They are tall and graceful, and their figures are wonderfully fine. Their hair, though short, is rather curly than woolly. Their features are frequently aquiline. What struck me the most was their exceedingly quiet dignified air They allowed no rude expressions of wonder or savage criticism to pass their lips. (129)Haggard thinks that women should be tall, fine figured, graceful and, their manner should be subtle and refined.Haggard chose the evil Gagool and the fairest Foulata to represent the female gender. Many speculate that the role of the witch doctress really symbolizes women of high status in society. Gagool is depicted as the old but terrible woman: "Monkey like figure, shrunken in size due to age. Her face was made up of a collection of deep yellow wrinkles"(Haggard 147). The subtext of this quote is evident that no woman should be in the high place of society for her appearance would be unsightly, as well as her heart. One can see that, Gagool's character resembles that a few British queens. They were women with merciless reigns and undoubtedly made people miserable. Which leaves a deep imprint in the minds of the people in the Victorian era.As for Foulata, she gives a picture of what a woman should resemble. Allen Quartermain describes Foulata as exceedingly beautiful, person of good service, tremendously thoughtful, but most of all, her obedient and loyal to the characters. One can see that by the narrative of Allen Quartermain while she watched over Captain Good "performing all the merciful errands of the sick-room as swiftly, gently, and with as fine instinct as a trained hospital nurse. Day and night she watched and tended him."(Haggard 246) Also, Pykett's essay stated that during that time of the century, women's movement was fighting for the political and social position of women. "The developing scientific culture of the nineteenth centur...
