Feminist Reading: Dracula between Beauvoir’s and Roth’s Ideas In her article, “Suddenly Sexual Women in Bram Stoker’s Dracula” Phyllis Roth argues that Dracula is a misogynistic novel which is obvious in the system of power in which men are dominant and active figures whereas women are just followers and obedient to their system. She draws on Simon de Beauvoir’s idea that “ambivalence as an intrinsic quality of Eternal Feminine”, in order to show that women are victims to men powers. In her chapter, “Myth and Reality”, Beauvoir discusses the way that anybody in the society, specially men, doesn’t do their job in taking a step towards the oppressed women, but to act just like what the system of myth impose them to act. She shows that being immanent is what the society
Judith Butler’s Gender Troubles emphasizes gender as the constant repetition of non-existent ideals to uphold a masculine-dominant culture. Likewise, “Body Politics” highlights this belief within the overtly feminine qualities of city women. As a whole, the poem contrasts idealized feminine “city women” with a “real woman” who possesses both feminine and masculine qualities. The mother figure challenges both the gender binary and the patriarchal order by rejecting the feminine gender norms of the society. This feminist reading of the poem makes many valuable and probable claims, however the feminist approach contains some weaknesses.
Her parents go as far to ask her why she is silent. She kept her secret so long that she now views it as a second nature to be quiet. Resentment and hate are two very strong words usually not used to describe friends. Her relationship with Heather turns sour when Heather decides that the depressed girl with a bad reputation cannot be her friend. Melinda cannot even start over with new friends.
Feminism’s continual push for equality for men and women has grown and has become more successful. Women have abandoned the traditional roles of submissive housewives that was prevalent in the early 20th century. Early representations of women in literature were often stereotypical and unjust, but the characterization of women in literature has changed now. However, in the early 1900s that type of writing was predominant, in The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Gilman, A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O’Connor and Hills Like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway were writers that disregarded feminist concerns in their stories and demonstrated how feministic views affected society as a whole. Gilman utilizes feminist criticism within her story
When we speak about “the eyes, the windows;” “watching and seeing,” our attention is directly drawn to “The Gaze.” In Paradise, this concept is considered to be a complicated one since it does not belong to one social group; it rather depends on the one who owns power. Generally, in the patriarchal societies, it ismen who determine the use of such concepts of power relation. In this context, Bell Hooks urges the necessity for the black women to “Develop looking relations...that constructs our presence...that denies the “body” of the black female” (127). She sees that under male gaze, the black women are perceived as bodies, that is to say, women lose control to determine who they really are. Similarly, in her book, The Second Sex, the French feminist and theorist Simone de Beauvoir reinforces the above idea about males’ domination over females’ fate and lives by asserting that “Humanity is male, and man defines woman, not in herself, but in relation to himself; she is not considered as an autonomous being”
This quote describes how Melinda fights to gain power during her whole freshman year as well as when she was raped by Andy. Hester struggles to gain power also because the characters that mainly shape her and control her throughout the novel are strong male figures. Female empowerment is an important theme in both novels because it shapes the characters towards the end of each novel into strong women that stand up for
It is a moralist critique: the people were vain and hypocritical more often than not, which is why Murfin described the Victorian Era as he did. Though that does not make Thackeray a judge, at least not one per say. His style mirrors that of a moralist, but he just describes in a Realist way the world surrounding him. That is why at times the narrator sympathizes even with the most awful of characters and forgives them their folly. Thackeray’s depiction of the British society claims to be regarded as realistic, but not without mentioning, here and there, that maybe some actions can be excused, forgiven.
Men's obsession with violence against women is an often theme in literary texts, especially the ones written by female writers. The state where women are obliged to be silent, or they will be oppressed in their societies is explored deeply in lots of stories. For example, in ''Rape Fantasies'' where each woman illustrates her own fantasy and illusion if she experiences rape once, Margaret Atwood reflects a general view of how women react towards such cruel act of men. Although most women express different reactions, such as Estelle, who shows a passive reaction by sympathizing the rapist and feeling guilty towards him; and Darlene, who explains her disgust about the subject; Sondra chooses to be silent. Sondra's silence during the conversation
Many critics, including A.M. Roberts and Haydar Ali, have expressed their discontent regarding the sexism in Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. Feminist writer Simone the Beauvoir explains her theory on the social stance of women in her book The Second Sex. In the chapter Myth and Reality this theory can be applied to several women described in “Heart of Darkness”. Both the intended and the African mistress of Kurtz are examples of a false sense of ‘mystery’ which places them in a separate group in society that de Beauvoir describes in The Second Sex. The most prominent point of The Second Sex is to illustrate how women are segregated from society by men, something which happens a lot in Heart of Darkness.
plays. The reading, although borrowed from the feminist perspective, is not a fully blown feminist reading of Shakespeare’s works. The focus of the study comprises of the social circumstances and the misogynistic actions of the male characters and how these impact on the lives of the female characters. The relationships between the male and the female characters are often characterized by the physical and the psychological victimization and their feelings. Men allow their egos to persuade their decisions, attack their internal emotions and demolish virtuous women who are forced to become victims of political intrigues and machinations.