“How does this add to your understanding of women’s role within society at this time?” In this passage, Curley’s Wife is confiding in Lennie. A few lines into the extract, she asks Lennie “Ain’t I got a right to talk to nobody?”- Which could show that women at this time were told what to do, and whom they were allowed to talk to by their husbands. Women at this time were seen as having a lower status than men. Obviously Curley’s Wife does not love her husband, which is delicately shown when she tells Lennie “I don’t like Curley, he’s not a nice fella.” It is noticeable that Curley’s Wife does not have a name throughout the novel. She is only addressed as “Curley’s Wife” – her real name is never said.
This also foreshadows the death that is to come, shown further by Lennie's fascination with her; he 'watched her, fascinated'. Alternatively, this could symbolise her anger and frustration at the ranch's view of her, that is, as a 'tramp'. This could also be a comment from Steinbeck; that men are dominant in deciding the status of someone, and that women have little power. Therefore, colour imagery is used to show the danger surrounding Curley's Wife and to foreshadow her involvement later in the novel. The fact that Curley's Wife, on a ranch, is 'heavily made up' indicates the fact that she is lonely, as on a ranch there is need to wear such heavy make up, and the only purpose it serves it to attract attention from the other men.
“Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” Evoked Female Identity During the 1960s in America, where phallocentrism is still ruling society, many social problems caused younger people to be unsatisfied with reality and to become rebellious. In Oates’s story, the character of Connie is affected by patriarchal oppression. Oates gives Connie an independent identity while using her mother and sister as opposite characters to reflect her uniqueness and to let the reader understand the female identity. Connie's mother and sister portray typical females under patriarchal oppression. In the case of Connie’s mother, she rejected Connie’s attitudes because it often went against the patriarchal society's code of conduct.
‘Of Mice and Men’ is a tragic novel set in 1930’s America during time of great Depression and poverty. It portrays the prejudice and clichéd views of a strained American society. Curly’s wife, a character who is detached from the rest of the world, a heart wrenching symbol of the American dream, trying and failing to break down the boundaries of society. This female represents women in the Depression, the lack of freedom and equality that they held, an equality that may still be held from many women to this day . Steinbeck is addressing the struggle for female existence during this period by leaving Curly's wife as the solitary female of the book, unneeded, and unwanted by the other characters.
The Discrimination against Women Identities Throughout history, female were considered lesser beings and nothing more than the property of their husband. In the short story, Blank Spaces by Joanna Cockerline, the acknowledgment of female being inferior creatures in comparison to men is highlighted. Struggle against misfortunes, Elizabeth is oppressed by the social inequality due to the fact that she is a girl. In Blank Spaces, the social inequality implied by the narrative severely impacts Elizabeth’s career hierarchy, character traits, and life experiences. Like many feminist writer, Cockerline focuses her emphasis on how social norm discriminate women by inhibit their job opportunities.
Hester Prynne: A Casualty in her own Erotic War. In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne’s depiction of Hester Prynne’s inner turmoil can be viewed and deliberated on in numerous ways. As the reader myself, Hester’s inner turmoil is given off as that when she is denying her secret of Dimmesdale being her lover, she wishes she could deny that anything between them ever happened. Whenever Hester would think about her sin of adultery, Hester would in turn feel sick to her stomach. To me it looks as though Hester believes that Dimmesdale and herself could be together, but will not be able to on this earth before they die.
The negative impact of not having women educated with men is illuminated when she describes women from a man’s viewpoint. She manipulates the powerful part of society by speaking in a language that they would understand. She shows women as objects and talks about how the problems that men are facing all trace back to women. Wollstonecraft says, “…I have been as much disgusted by the fine lady who took her lap-dog to her bosom instead of her child…for had they sense, they might acquire that domestic
Tessie Hutchinson, one of the main characters represents women who are being tyrannized by society because of their gender. Devices such as symbolism and plot illustrate the condemned roles of women in the gender hierarchy. Also, the use of ideas such as betrayal within the strong marriage bond due to the traditional sacrifice, the senior figure of society, and the following of tradition passed down from generation demonstrate the power of females in this generation are brought up to the podium to be arguably conversed. The plot of “The Lottery” is that men had the most dominance over political decisions. This left no room for woman’s input or acknowledgment.
(Wharton, 1072) The story evolves to paint the picture of a female competition in which Delphin is but a pawn, blameless and controllable by women. The women's energies were spent toward each other, but even Mrs. Slade held no resentment for Delphin and the role he may have played, she only hated Mrs. Ansley, "'I knew you were in love with Delphin - and I was afraid; afraid of you, of your quiet ways, your sweetness...you...well, I wanted you out of the way, that's all'" (Wharton, 1074). She felt that Delphin had no accountability for making his own decisions, she only blamed Mrs. Ansley. Mrs. Ansley reinforces this by confirming that upon receiving the "invitation", Delphin could not pass up the opportunity for intimacy, "'But of course he was there. Naturally he came-'" (Wharton, 1076).
This shows how she is handicapped by the fact that she is a woman, in a society controlled by men. Her arrest is not justified by any suspicion; instead she is arrested simply by default after the murder of her husband, Camillo. In her trial Vittoria is similarly scolded by her social superiors for her ‘lavish