Incest seemed to be a very common part of life for Celie when she lived with her father. The same could have been true for Celie’s sister, Nettie but Celie protected her sister from the incestuous embraces of her Pa. Celie was able to overcome this incestuous relationship with her father when Mr.______ decides to take her hand in marriage. (TCP novel) Nettie also had a problem with Pa and later moved in with Celie and Albert but it soon became apparent that Albert still had an eye for Nettie which forced Nettie to leave. (TCP novel) As one can see, incest was a part of life for Celie but she was able to escape it with a marriage to another person who abused her. The second theme which will be discussed is violence.
However, radical feminists disagree. They believe that women still face much oppression in the family. They show that one in five women suffer domestic violence in the family, many suffer sexual violence or at least have their sexual desires taken less seriously than mens; they also note that few empirical studies show men as equal to women in domestic labour (Oakley, Dunscombe and marsden) nor do men appear to be allowing women an equal say in decision making (Edgell) or in financial control (Pahl). Functionalists and the new Right take issue with radical feminists’ suggestion that women need to live without men as the New Right believe that only a man can act as a satisfactory role model for male children and give the children the discipline they need to be well socialised. They disregard the feminists demand for equality in conjugal roles as they believe that a division of labour where woman focus upon the home is instinctive, natural and functional.
Furthermore, although even then spousal abuse was not encouraged, it was far less taboo and Sigge most likely observed it in many families beyond his own. Sigge’s overall treatment of women in general throughout the film can also be attributed to observational learning. During this time period women were essentially considered to be second class citizens and treated by most men as such. Sigge most likely learned to objectify women by seeing this type of behavior demonstrated by other men in his culture. This is how he can rationalize cheating on his wife several times and still be angry with her for even seeing another man without him knowing.
The Court in People v. Aris, 215 Cal App 3d 1194, 264 Cal Rptr 167, 178 (1989) stated that "battered women tend to stay in abusive relationships for a number of reasons." Among those reasons: women are still positively reinforced during the honeymoon phase; women tend to be the peacekeepers in relationships - the ones responsible for making the marriage work; adverse economic consequences; it is more dangerous to leave than to stay; prior threats by batterer to kill self, or children; or to abscond with children; lost self-esteem; and no psychological energy to leave - resulting in a learned helplessness or psychological paralysis. "Battered woman syndrome describes a pattern of psychological and behavioral symptoms found in women living in battering relationships." There are four general characteristics of the syndrome: 1. She believes that the violence was her fault.
Women were viewed as men’s property so they had to do whatever the husband wanted them to do. Also they did the entire domestic work and look after the children. These views affected their lives as they couldn’t do many things like sue their husband for adultery, for beating them and if they tried to run away they’d be captured by the police and bought back to the husband. The women had to look after children and the domestic work which people then thought that this was all they were good for so they didn’t give them a good education or a well paying job. Finally the men didn’t think much of women for doing things that they could.
Actually sex is an impulsive desire which cannot be tamed while marriages try to confine these desires only to the married partner. Thus this restriction on the fundamental instinct of human beings creates a lot of sexual frustration in them. This often puts a spouse in a state of depression. A research carried out by Buss and Shackelford of the University of Texas at Austin revealed that around sixty percent men and fifty percent women are involved in some kind of affair during their marriage (193-221). As a result, the problem of spousal infidelity arises which is one of the major causes of divorce all around world.
Jane Austen writes: “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife. However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering the neighborhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families that he is considered as the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters” (5). This implies that the man wants a wife and the woman is not in a place to turn him down. The man becomes her claim, and for him she fights with other women. It seems as if women are plentiful and men are rare.
Example A helper working with a man who openly admits to abusing his wife does not agree with his actions but is still employed to help with the feeling the client has surrounding the abuse. Client: I feel as if hitting her is the only way I can gain any power in our relationship. Helper: I understand your need for power but I can not say I agree with your methods. Can you think of what makes you feel powerless in your marriage? The helper encourages the client while still being congruent to him/herself.
Although, it is understandable that she doesn’t point out his flaws with all the lies and guilt she has stacked up on her marriage. Assuming that this was the point of having Nora’s husband as a character, he showed the crudeness very discreetly and elegantly. He also emphasizes the fact that women don’t have as much credibility and respect outside of the home, especially at jobs. Men were portrayed as the moneymakers while woman were just the mothers. For example, when Nora’s friend from school was married her husband was in complete control of his business.
Iago tells to Othello “every man who is married has an unfaithful wife. Every woman who is married is an unfaithful wife.” It may be true for some men and women but there could be some exceptions such as Desdemona. Iago tells Othello that it is better to know the truth, which Iago knows that it is not the truth. Iago speaks to Cassio, not about Desdemona, but about Bianca, because Othello couldn’t hear what Iago and Cassio said, but could only see Cassio’s face. He is convinced that Iago was speaking the truth.