Other novels I read include The Dead by James Joyce and Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy, both of which addressed the theme of materialism and wealth as factors to being regarded highly in society, and how this way of functioning in society leads people away from living a true and happy life. These novels were written decades ago. One would think that with these societal problems being recognized for so long, we would have made more progress than we have by now. Instead, activists such as Audre Lourde stand decades later, addressing the same issues. Lourde, what with being a middle-aged, black, lesbian feminist with children, faces much of this oppression, and finds herself frowned upon by society.
We learn that Louise Mallard is a strong and intellectual woman although legally bound to her husband. Upon the news of his death, though feeling some grief, she rejoiced that she would at last have a future filled with freedom. The story concludes with her husband being very much alive and Louise dying of a heart attack at the news of this (Chopin, 1984). Having given over completely to the thought of her female independence then realizing it wasn’t going to happen was enough to kill her. Wollstonecraft, a European author, also wrote about the oppression of women.
“The Awakening” Essay In “The Awakening,” a book with great literary merit, by Kate Chopin, a respectable woman named Edna breaks the societal barrier that was placed on most women back in the 1800s. She seeks a new identity, one that includes freedom from her family and the ability to act on impulse and not have to abide by the commands of many. By the end of the story Edna goes through many changes in her life and ultimately achieves her goal of independence. But this newfound freedom only leads to trouble and eventually death. The idea of solitude as the consequence of independence is shown many times throughout the story and sums up Edna’s life.
In 1918 women over 30 had finally been granted the right to vote in political elections. But there is much controversy to whether the granting of the vote was the outcome of Emmeline Pankhurst’s persistent campaigns or due to the impact of WW1. In this essay I will be comparing these two opinions and concluding with an answer. Emmeline Pankhurst founded the WSPU (the suffragettes) after being angered and disappointed with Millicent Fawcett’s patient and peaceful protest. Emmeline and many women believed that being arrested and using the media was better way of getting things done.
Her unsuccessful and violent father moved the family many times, and her older brother was favored by her grandfathers’ will. By growing up in this type of household, she thought that marriage life was dangerous for women. As she grew older, events in the lives of her family and friends only strengthened her views that marriage was often hazardous for women (Miller par 3). This influential time of her life proved to be for the better: this pushed Mary toward self-educating and to write. In her novel, “Mary: A Fiction” (1788), a women dies from fever after she accepts the hopelessness of her life.
In order to achieve self-fulfillment their lives ended in tragedy. In Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour," a young woman's innermost thoughts about her life and marriage and her perception of the world are expressed through Louise, who reacts in a strange way after receiving news that her husband has been killed in a train wreck. "She did not hear the story as many women have heard the same, with a paralyzed inability to accept its significance" and instead of breaking down emotionally she explores the possibilities of what a new life would bring. She realizes that her husband is no longer there to control her or tell her what to do. "There would be no one to live for her during those coming years; she would live for herself".
But it grieved my grandmother. In one sense, her work was invalidated as a stay-at-home wife and mother, while in another sense, it resonated with her discontent. Today, at this 50 year anniversary mark, of the book’s original publishing ,women still wrestle with issues that Friedan broached in her writings and in particular “ The Feminine Mystique”. The struggle, as I see it, is not necessarily outside situational influences, even though we have a way to go in improving that. The struggle lies inside individual women themselves; those still influenced by a societal mindset that hasn’t caught up with this movement.
She wanted and needed more meaning to her life. This issue and anxiety was brought to the attention of millions by Betty Friedan with her book The Feminine Mystique. Friedan sent a message to surburban women that she understood them. For so long women had believed that becoming a housewife was their greatest achievement because it stablized the home, the family, and even the nation in the Cold War (Bowles, 2011, 4.3). Women did not want to express too much concern with the way they felt about the growing emptiness inside of them for they feared people would think of them as a failure.
Miss Emily is first explained as a nice, sweet, and normal woman, though that all changed as her life went on. The death of her father was the flame that ignited all of this “weirdness” of Emily. After her father died, Miss Emily did not go out much probably because of grief over the loss of her father. The text states “Because her father is the only man with whom she has had a close relationship, she denies his death and keeps his corpse in her house until she breaks down three days later when the doctors insist she let them take the body” (Akers 1). This statement demonstrates her inability to let go of lost ones.
The book had an immediate response from women and was extremely popular among American housewives. During her book, she conducted a survey regarding the graduating class of 1942 and Smith’s College. The survey revealed that that 89% of women regretted rushing into marriage and not putting their education to good use. By making these types of survey’s public for women across American to see, she made them think about the importance of being a woman and achieving their goals. It has been said that Friedan was the first person to allow women to talk about a problem that had been taking place for so many years.