Beatrice is cynical and witty; she doesn’t conform when it comes to the role of women in Elizabethan time. In terms of how males view females, there is a theme of cuckoldry (men who married unfaithful wives). This is shown in the first scene when Leonato confirms that Hero is his daughter, ‘Her mother hath many times told me so’, a joke at her expense, implying she is unfaithful to him. In a conversation between Claudio and Benedick, they talk about Hero. Claudio asks if he ‘noted’ her, Benedick tells him he did not, but he ‘looked on her’.
In the time of the Great Depression people relied on dreams to keep themselves going and because Candy had lost his dog, he now believes this is a new venture and now completely revives his spirit. Finally, Candy shows the view of women in that period. In the time of 1930‟s America, women were not valued in society and were only seen as housewives or easy sex. Candy‟s view on Curley‟s Wife represents exactly these views as he first says to George that „I think Curley‟s married a … tart.‟ This shows the view that Curley‟s Wife is flirtatious and is seen as easy sex. Candy views Curley‟s Wife as inferior and is shown in Crooks‟ room when he says „you let this guy alone, don‟t you do no messin‟ with him,‟ this shows his view the Curley‟s Wife is a tart because when he says „messin‟ around‟ he means flirting which justifys his view on Curley‟s Wife.
• ‘You aint ruined’ – sense that she is envious that the other farm girl can be no naive (could remind herself of her). Now she is seen as a second class citizen and cannot marry or have a family because she is married • ‘You blue and bleak face could’ - unhealthy because she is unhappy because she has no life or status DIDNT TAKE WHAT THEY WERE DOING SERIOUSLY • Although the reader is like to feel sorry for the poet, ‘we played’ tells us that she saw her loves as a game. Could suggest that she liked all the attention. • She saw them as toys too, ‘my hurdy gurdy monkey men’ • Now she realises what she has done wrong and is has set in she still shows now sign of sorrow, ‘o you didn’t know I’d been ruined’ the breezy tone is heavily ironic. • ‘You aint ruined’ – suggesting she was like her and wanted all these clothes and privileges
In comparison Fay Weldon’s Letters to Alice, written a few centuries after, shows a clear link of how particular concerns, held by society, have altered. A women living in the late 1800’s had very few rights and freedoms. Education was a thing men and if a women engaged in such activities she was at risk of being shunned by society or “left on the shelf.” Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice follows a young girl, Elizabeth Bennet, who struggles against society’s expectations. Being a smart and well educated women, she is somewhat frowned upon, however this has been disguised by Austen through her dialogue. An example is seen near the beginning of the book in which Mr Darcey and Mr Binley’s brother are engaged in polite conversation.
In The Bloody Chamber Angela Carter reverses gothic traditions so that the males become the victims instead of the females. Consider at least two of the stories in the bloody chamber in the light of this view. The gender constructs of passive, young, virginal woman who are victimised by dominant, strong and wealthy males is a common trait throughout gothic tales including many of Angela Carters short stories from “The Bloody Chamber”. However, Carter received the criticism of “[extracting] latent content, conjuring up a new exotic hybrid” in which she challenges the typical stereotypes of gothic conventions, influenced by her feminist nature. These caused the post modern versions of her stories to adopt dualisms of combining sexual desires with naivety and give alternative interpretations that perhaps the male characters suffered victimisation instead.
Furthermore, this detachment possibly suggests an implicit commentary on the marginalized life of women in the Victorian era. 2. What does Lucy think of Polly and Graham? Is she fair? Lucy describes Graham in a very positive way: “a handsome, faithless-looking youth of sixteen” “his waved light auburn hair, his supple symmetry, his smile frequent.” However, the reader has the feeling that Lucy feels jealous of Polly: “I wished she would utter some hysterical cry, so that I might get relief and be at ease” and finds her ridiculous “when I say the child I use an inappropriate and undescriptive term – a term suggesting any picture rather that that of the demure little person in a mourning frock (...), that might have just have fitted a good-sized doll.” However, Lucy does not to take in account the fact that Polly is extremely young, that she has lost her mother and rarely sees her father.
Daisy is described as ‘sad and lovely with bright things in it’ and Gretta is described as having the ‘light on her face’. The light that seems to follow the two characters represent their innocence and purity. However, as the characters develop throughout the novels, the innocence and purity of the characters seem to disappear as their more unattractive traits come forward. Daisy is shown as a very materialistic girl that wants financial security; this is shown by her marriage to her rich partner, Tom. Whereas Gretta on the other hand is shown as family orientated, but Gretta refuses to have sexual relations with Willie at the beginning, but eventually gives up her purity to him, as she matures sexually.
“Bronte does not entirely present Jane Eyre as the innocent victim in the opening chapters of the novel.” Discuss “What does Bessie say I have done?” The character of Jane Eyre is likely to be thought as the innocent victim in her current situation however in reality she very deliberately feeds into the fire of controversy that is her life with the Reeds at several points throughout the opening chapters of the novel. This particular quote is taken from the very birth of chapter 1 in a scene in which Bessie has told Mrs Reed that Jane has done something worthy of discussion. This then results in Jane reciprocating with such a “truly forbidding” quote. As a girl of only 10 years of age such remarks of attitude would likely express a great deal of disrespect for the guardian in reality; however I believe in the novel Bronte has used this quote to suggest Jane is far from innocent yet suggesting she’s very brave and mentally strong in confronting her elders. Bronte in majority has portrayed Jane Eyre to be a character of positivity and innocence through the characters manner, speech and idiolect.
This represents her unawareness of the concept of faithfulness because if a few words are all it takes for one to persuade another into cheating, then one must not understand the whole point of marriage in the first place. To continue, Alison plots with Nicholas to have an affair “as soon an opportunity she could spy” (Chaucer 2). Unlike the promise of faithfulness the old lady in “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” makes, Alison willingly cheats. She shows her immaturity in not thinking of the repercussions of her actions and how they might affect those around her. In addition, Alison displays childish behavior in the adolescent actions she does towards Absalom by sticking her bottom out the window and him not realizing it was not her face, therefore kissing it.
How central is self-control to Jane Eyre? Following a brief discussion of the importance of self-control in Victorian Women, the focus of this essay will be to argue that Jane utilises self-control to restrain her passionate nature, exhibiting behaviour that pleases those she reveres during her pursuit for a family. This is achieved with the characters she encounters and the control they exert over her. Victorian women were considered inferior to men, neither viewed as being passionate or sexual beings. During a time of patriarchal society entrenched in the catholic faith, the main ‘genteel’ occupation for an unmarried middle-class woman available was that of a governess.