Females were controlled by the males in their lives; first, by their fathers, brothers and male relatives and finally by their husbands. Women were expected to find a husband, marry and reproduce and serve her family until they died. Education for women at the turn of the century was a luxury not afforded to many, and if one chose to be single and seek education over domesticity, she was often pitied or ridiculed by both her peers and community. Emily Dickinson is one example of a woman who was able to choose a significantly different path for herself. Because Dickinson was born into a wealthy and affluent family she received the opportunity to be formally educated.
By utilizing the Handmaids as a representation of the females in the Gileadean society, the author exposes the flaws of an anti-feminist society through objectification and the absence of agency. The Handmaid’s Tale illustrates women who are strongly objectified by men. An example of how Handmaids are objectified is through their names. The women are named after their assigned Commander; their name which consists of two parts is constructed with the prefix, ‘Of’, followed by the suffix of their Commander’s name. The main character’s Handmaid name is Offred, meaning that she is property of Fred.
In the famous novel, The Great Gatsby, the author F. Scott Fitzgerald, creates a satire that comments on the ridiculous American ideals shown through multiple love maps between the high class and the lower class. It expresses how the women were known to think, as well as the different ways and views between the rich and the poor. The first sign of zaire occurred in the first paragraph when Daisy, talking about he day her little girl was born, stated “Alright…I’m glad it’s a girl. And I hope she’ll be a little fool---that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.” After reading that I had a good idea on how the women were viewed in this book. On the same page Daisy also said, “I’ve been everywhere and
It seems as if women are plentiful and men are rare. The man has freedom and the option to choose any girl that he wants, while the women are desperate and fight for whichever man they can get. Jane Austen points this out and shows how dependent the woman is on a man in her English society. This dependence is viewed as a necessary part of upper class England by most and was not criticized. If Jane Austen had written a book simply about English society, these sentiments would not have showed up.
The Second Sex: Mythologies and Contradictions, “What is a Woman”? Racel Robles Phiolosophy 327 Professor Conway Woman, Wife, Mother, Lover, Slut, Bitch…is this what a women is, what she is defined to? In andocentric society, women have been place in many lights, from the “good mother” to the “treacherous whore”. In The Second Sex, Beauvoir breaks down the construction of myths created by men in society to establish patriarchal “supremacy” over women. Such myths, Beauvoir explains, are derived trough literature and Social beliefs.
Mrs. Bennet is not foolish The mother, Mrs. Bennet in Jane's Austen Pride and Prejudice the character that was criticized by many critics is not foolish. I disagree with many others about her character and in the coming lines I will prove that she was not foolish as many had believed, but she was a realistic mother, loving and caring for the future of her five daughters. There are three main subjects I will discus, before I drop by to Mrs. Bennet, the first is the situation of women at Jane's Austin time, the nineteenth century, second subject is the financial and economic situation of the Bennet's family, and finally the role of the father Mr. Bennet. we must have a clear vision at the British society at the nineteenth century and to understand the status of women at that time, how they lived, their rights, duties, and their available options. Jane Austen at the beginning of her novel criticized the society at her time with the use of irony in the following words "IT is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife" But to understand these words better according to realty of the British society in the nineteenth century, I will manipulate the words order and it will become as follow" IT is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single woman must be in want of a husband in possession of a good fortune Women of the mid-19th century had no many choices.
Charlotte's acceptance of Mr. Collins’ proposal is a prime example; “marriage had always been her object; it was the only honourable provision for well-educated young women of small fortune, and however uncertain of giving happiness, must be their pleasantest preservative from want” (p105)1. Austen makes use of Charlotte's character to illustrate the social norms for women of the time. Charlotte's reaction to Collins' proposal is cleverly juxtaposed with Elizabeth's own values and more romantic views on marriage, as she is offered his proposal first; “You could not make me happy, and I am convinced that I am the last woman in the world that could make you so”(p92)2. Elizabeth's concerns are predominately her overall happiness and mental wellbeing, as opposed to her anxieties about her future financial security. These oppositions of values offer the reader a chance to balance their own views on the sanctity of marriage.
In this essay I will be discussing the representations of Sycorax and Miranda as embodiments of alternative versions of femininity in The Tempest. I will discuss how Sycorax is a representation of a strong, independent and feared woman, whose power and ugliness makes her an outcast to Elizabethan society and how it portrays its women, in that woman were seen as objects to possess and control, and I will also discuss how in contrast, Miranda is seen as an ideal woman of her time, through her beauty, obedience to her father, thus submissive to mans rule and through her naivety. Using the passage in The Tempest where Prospero reminds Ariel about Sycorax, we get an impression about Sycorax, who she is and how she looks to Prospero and Ariel. Prospero Describes Sycorax as a non-white, “Algiers” (1.2.261), who is an old and ugly woman whose outwards appearance seems to mirror her inner malevolence. He describes her by referring to her as a “Blue-eyed Hag”(1.2.269) which is seen supposedly as a mark of imperfection on a woman as at that time the eyes of beauty were most frequently seen as grey or brown, thus symbolically describing Sycorax herself as being an imperfection to society.
It’s is amazing that the facts he refers to from the 19th century that were actually accepted as scientific evidence are laughed at today. Nobody in today’s world would say that women are less intelligent then men, simply because their brain is smaller in size. Henrik Ibsen’s play A Doll’s House also shows this how women were seen, however Ibsen also helps to change the way that women were perceived. The story centers around a young girl named Nora Helmer, who is constrained to society s view of her gender’s role, and desperately tries to find herself in the midst of it all. In the attempt to save her husband s life and pride, she secretly borrowed money to use for his recovery from a deadly illness.
In The Catcher in the Rye however, despite the fact women are also presented as materialistic at times, through Holden Caulfield J.D Salinger explores women as largely innocent and independent, rather than shallow beings who’s existence solely relies on the men in their lives. Ultimately, as both novels are seen through the eyes of men they share a patriarchal view on women in society, but they also explore the representation of women in quite different ways, reflecting their standing in society at the time. The first time women are mentioned six pages into the book is through Daisy. However, interestingly she comes second best to her spouse, and Nick references their family as the “Tom Buchanans”, rather than 'The Buchanans' or 'Tom and Daisy Buchanan'. Daisy is Nick's family, whereas Tom, as well as being her husband, is just someone Nick knew from college.