The only way for women to be freed from oppression and commodification is through the collapse of society itself. The apocalypse also freed them from systematic oppression of the past when society still existed. However, men survived the apocalypse as well. Women therefore are not able to escape their oppressors, men and society itself, with the recreation of a chauvinistic society. This recreation of a chauvinistic society of the future evidently leads to the gender oppression of females. Women in either detrimental society is subjugated to fear as a means to prevent their antagonism. In light of this, the men’s authority would not be compromised with fear being a necessary tool.
The correlation of fear in women is depicted explicitly in
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As previously mentioned, a woman shall be punished severely should she try to escape, bringing up the example of Dora being greatly threatened by her male boss. Following up to her subsequent escape from SecretBurgers to The Garden after being escorted by Adam One, she still sensed the dangers and perils from the male boss Blanco. “[...] Blanco would still be on the lookout for her, down on the pleeb streets - him and his two thug pals. No woman ever got away from him, was his boast. [...] It would take a publicly advertised gang rape or her head on a pole to wipe the slate.” The consequences of her rebellious action - that is kicking Blanco’s head “without even thinking” - is rather similar to those in The Handmaid’s Tale. Women are not allowed, let alone having the freedom, to have what the desire and to be siding the opposition against the figurehead of the authority - men. Hence, in order for men to sustain their power and authority over the women, fear is injected into the society as a medium for conformity. In other words, fear among women is essential so that they would comply to whatever norms and beliefs the society uphold. In the cases of both texts, fear is used to exacerbate the oppression of females and ultimately, the commodification of …show more content…
Their positions as service workers and women make them vulnerable to exploitation and violence. However, the texts prove women to be very capable of survival. Toby and Ren are equipped with emotional fortitude, and practical know-how, which enables them to get through the “flood” and their sufferings. They both realize that there is a possibility for survival and that they have the abilities to fend for themselves. Yet fear still grapples them, in a sense that the main concern centers around the future of the society. The point of assertion for our main argument is the basic causal factor or root, that is their sexuality. The sexuality of women is constantly being undermined or downplayed by men and society in both texts, giving rise to the mentioned fears and the eventual outcome of commodification of
All men feel it and none dare to speak” (46). This quote is important to understanding how big of an impact fear was on them, and shows that it began to literally consume
Women were, and arguably still are, oppressed due to misogyny, or the dislike, contempt for, or ingrained prejudice against women. An example of a misogynistic belief is the idea that women are inherently intellectually inferior to men, or that women shouldn’t have authority over their own bodies while men should. This is usually caused by sexist stereotypes and beliefs that are present in the media (“Shocking: What [female celebrity] Looks like with No Makeup On!” “New Covergirl Is a Man!?”) and in children’s upbringing (“boys are strong, girls are weak”, “boys go to
Women already had a target on their backs as women were viewed as weak and unworthy because they didn't bring in as much money as men and didn't work like men
The prejudice that the author brings forward strongly is the notion of feminism. The author’s main purpose of writing this novel is to examine the role of women played around
The author employs power dynamics in gender to criticize the limitations imposed on women by society. The emphasis on the character's helplessness demonstrates the stereotype that women are powerless when compared to a man's knowledge and
This novel is a moving tale of lasting friendship and also a landmark work of speculative fiction. In this second book of the MaddAddam Trilogy, it is shown in the novel that the long-feared waterless flood has finally occurred. The novel, The Year of the Flood is the second novel of the Maddaddam Trilogy. The novel talks about the lives of two women named Toby and Ren who survive the waterless flood.
Throughout the ages women have faced varying degrees of sexism and during the progressive era this was a very prominent issue, women had finally had enough of being treated as second class compared to white males and simply males in general. They weren’t allowed to vote, own property if married, they were extremely restricted in what types of jobs they could get and often encouraged to just stay home, not to mention the large wage gap between white males and white females ensuring that on their own women would be hard pressed to survive. In many of the divorce cases the women were still required to take care of the children even though the male technically had custody. Sexism all though not as prominent today is still a very big issue, ranging
During this week, we have covered numerous topics, none more prominent than the oppression of women. Everyone had different opinions, allowing me to take into account different views on the issue. In one of the texts we examined, “Oppression”, Marilyn Frye, a philosopher, debates the subjugation of women. She states the cultural customs that causes oppression of women. I do agree with her view that women are oppressed, but I do not agree that it is just women.
The work is not yet complete, and is evident by looking at the domination of women throughout the centuries, specifically the 19th and 20th century, which was the height of the women’s rights movement. By analyzing two literary works from two different eras, “The Yellow Wallpaper” written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman in the late 19th century and “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers” written by Adrienne Rich in the mid-20th century, one can conclude that while there have been improvements to women’s rights, there is still discrimination prevalent. Although set in two different time periods, the main
They must rebel against society’s norms to conquer the viciousness of men and be proud of who they are completely. In the end of the story, the girl tames the wolf; maybe someday, with Angela Carter’s guidance, women can tame
If the reader can understand the presentation of the author, then the interpretation will have a sense of flow with what is being read. Susan Minot uses a feminist aspect on how she portrays the character in “Lust.” In an article by Janet Chatez, “The term ‘feminist theory’ is used to refer to a myriad of kinds of works, pro- duced by movement activists and scholars in a variety of disciplines; these are not mutually exclusive and include: (a) normative discussions of how societies and relationships ought to be structured, their current inequities, and strategies to achieve equity; (b) critiques of androcentric classical theories, concepts, episte- mologies, and assumptions; (c) epistemological discussions of what constitute appropriate forms, subject matters, and techniques of theorizing from a feminist perspective; and (d ) explanatory theories of the relationship between gender and various social, cultural, economic, psychological, and political structures and processes” (Chaftez 97-98). She discusses the concept of gender roles over the past several decades, were women use the strong theory to stand behind what they are fighting or portraying in their everyday life. Although most women are not considered strong feminist, the theory holds true for how women want to be considered in
Confinement can tear a woman apart, but the desire for freedom from society is embedded deep in the heart of all strong
Women face getting treated differently, lower paying positions, the opinions of men, and the idea that because they are women they are not capable of the same kind of work men are capable of. The more people that support the different movements for women’s rights the better chance of this issue becoming more well known. Although some may know the struggle women go through to be compared as equally to men, there is still room for more to learn about this issue. Just because women were brought on earth to make more lives does not mean they are weaker and should have to go through this everyday of their
The role of women in literature crosses many broad spectrums in works of the past and present. Women are often portrayed as weak and feeble individuals that submit to the situations around them, but in many cases women are shown to be strong, independent individuals. This is a common theme that has appeared many times in literature. Across all literature, there is a common element that causes the suffering and pain of women. This catalyst, the thing that initiates the suffering of women, is essentially always in the form of a man.
They have surrounded to men’s tyranny and ended up with nothing but self-pity. In fact, it could have been quite different. We should have understood the function of our own bodies and attracted and controlled men that way, and then tamed them. (…) Yet a woman’s sex is her magic weapon for defeating the outside world and revealing the significance of her existence (…)