They say every piece of literature is written from at least one of three analytical approaches, Marxist, Freudian (psychoanalytical), or, lastly the one used in the stories I will be discussing today, feminist. Feminist writing begins with the assumption that society is and always has been patriarchal. Through out the years writers have portrayed major problems in society through their writing. The four pieces of literature discussed today were all originally composed in a time ranging from 1604 to 1966. Meaning this has been a continuous problem throughout many centuries.
Women were known to not be able to be in control of their lives as well as being married and taking care of their children Gerald and Eric’s exploitation of Eva Smith is used to show the corruption of men in that time and how they treated women. They objectified them and treated them disrespectfully. Eva Smith was exploited by Gerald because he saw her as ‘vulnerable’ and kept pointing out her “pretty brown hair” and “dark eyes”. This shows how he was focusing on the physical aspects, showing that men in that time mostly focused on appearances rather than personality (showing how men objectified women).She was described as ‘pretty’ and a ‘good sport’ by
Women’s role in society has not been a dominant matter across of history due to the fact that woman’s role has just become a major thing in the past few decades. Society, especially in the past, has always seemed to put people in an undocumented order.. Although women were supposed to be under men some women challenged this role and took their life into their own hands. The Love Letters of Abelard and Heloise display how one woman can go against the norm and stand her ground. This paper will argue that although the social norms set women under men, Heloise will not be subservient like the rest of the female population when it comes to her life, marriage, and her presence at the nunnery.
The gender roles both played on these works lead to the unfair mistreatment women have to go through, and how gender roles in societies are to set norms on to the types
“The lady, or the tiger?” by Frank R. Stockton is a head scratching story. The story takes place in the medieval times. There is a king who ruled a kingdom, he had some “different” laws. Anyone that has committed a crime shall go to an arena on an appointed day to be trialed. Whenever the accused has entered the arena they will choose between 2 doors that will decide their fate, guilty or innocent. One will have a tiger which would mean guilty, and the other would lead to a lady where you would be married on the spot which meant you were innocent. The problem then shows itself because then the king’s daughter, the princess, had fallen in love with a man. As soon as the king found out he had cast the man into prison to await his trial. Then the day he is in the arena ready for his trial he locks eyes with the princess, he automatically knows that she possesses the knowledge to what was behind which doors. It is upon her that she must decide whether he chooses the door with the tiger or the lady. What I think comes out is the lady, and I shall prove it one way or another.
She is a strong, independent, intelligent woman who breaks gender and societal barriers. Stoker’s writing begs the question, how does Mina break societal barriers, but at the same time possess many traditional abilities and behaviors? Based in the late 1800’s in Victorian England, women were not likely to be educated and independent, but rather submissive to their husbands. Stoker creates Mina’s “New Woman” persona to develop the novel into more than the audience of the time would expect. Mina occupies inspirational qualities such as loyalty and strength, as well as finding a balance between her independence and not overstepping societal boundaries.
Many males did not take into consideration their own faults and actions when it came down to it. Readers could take away from this novel how the world has evolved since the time period this book was written in, but how girls will till face some of the challenges like men degrading women in our world today. The feminist theory shows that many women feel that these circumstances and perspectives should be changed, and all humans should be equal. Everyone is at fault for their own actions and that is a message readers could take from this
Women suffer because of the strict society expectation; they do not have the option to be themselves. In conclusion “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and “The Second Sex” By Simone De Beauvoir both speak about inequality between men and women and how women from all across the world suffered throughout the 19th century. These texts went in depth and explained why women were considered to be second-class
Jess undergoes severe violence and marginalization that break her and cause her to lose hope. Jess character is in large developed and affected by people of power, especially men, who abuse her and take advantage of her. The police actions gave other men the power to hurt butch women and to mistreat them without facing consequences. The police provide gender/male privilege by arresting anyone who does not fit their gender roles. This system of oppression gave power and control those in the dominant group and allowed the inequality to persist.
Margaret Atwood’s novel “The Robber Bride” is an iconic piece of modern day literature that centralizes around the concept of female empowerment and acutely focuses on representation through the defined actions, dialogue and perspective of these women. For one, there is a fight against oppressive gender inequality. Women have always been looked down upon while unapologetically regarding them as accessories which they are often seen through the male gaze. However the fight for terminating these outdated stereotypes is shown when Roz’s fifteen year old twins opt for substituting every character role in stories as women for “the twins remain true to their principles, they do not flinch. They opt for women, in every single role” (Atwood 376).
However, the town the protagonist grows up in, the gender expectations are reversed therefore amplifying her confusion. In society, stereotypically men are viewed as more powerful, stronger and dominant to women.
The novel begins when a woman gives a female American Indian child to the protagonist of the story, Taylor Greer. Equality between women and men has been an issue around the globe for years. In some communities, women do have legal rights as many say, but many statistics have pointed out that men around the world have better access to education than women. According to women 's right activists, If discrimination begins, even before birth, very little change will happen. Women have been deprived of their rights for years, but society has changed, to some extent.
On the other side in Susan Glaspell’s Trifles, from 1916, we see a similar lack of respect towards women. Although these stories are different, there is still evidence of women going against the social norms. When one becomes confined to solitary oftentimes the brain will entertain itself within the environment it finds itself. Locked away in an attic nursery we see Gilman’s narrator occupying herself with the wallpaper.
In society at this time, women had no say of their own but instead accepted and did as they were told by the male of the house. Because of this identity, she is pressured to present herself and her home as lovely. However while struggling with meeting gender expectations; both characters suffer from the effects of trauma which are perceived very differently by the audience of the novel.
Contrary to the popular Victorian myth about the fallen woman, these women, they had higher standards of living, as long as she wasn't quitting her occupation. They were primarily young, single women, ranging from the age of 18-22. Their health was also better compared to other working, middle class women who worked for upto fourteen hours a day, with lesser wages. The women in the picture seem to confident furthering fuelling the idea that they could be prostitutes.” by Akanksha Singh Deshbandhu College “This picture seems to belong to the era of great depression , there is a sense of underlying chaos and meaninglessness in the scene.