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. During this essay I will explore the significance of how Steinbeck presents Curly's wife through the connotations of her name, how she is first shown, her parallels with other characters and finally how she is presented when she has died . 'Curly's wife', just a name yet a symbol of how women were then regarded by their husbands, as a possession, a belonging owned only by men. When Curley's wife married him she became 'his', everything she owned became his, Steinbeck could be emphasising this authority and power by having Curly even take her name, so she no longer has her own name but now everyone associates Curley with her, she is no longer her own person. The use of a possessive apostrophe emphasises the point even further that she belongs to him and he controls her, although she can try to push the boundaries of society's rules and expectations, he will always be there to stop her as she is dominated by him.
Jane was a slave to her profession and class, “governess slavery”, and was discriminated against by Rochester’s wealthy friends. Jane was also a slave to Rochester who had economic superiority over and would drown her in luxuries, “I will my self put the diamond chain round your neck...for nature, at least, has stamped her patent of nobility on
“The picture of that girl, the fact that she had lived neighbor to that girl for twenty years, and had let her die for lack of life, was suddenly more than [Mrs. Hale] could bear” (194). She feels responsible and blames herself for what has happened to Minnie. She believes that the reason that she stayed away - “because it weren’t cheerful” (192) was the very reason she should have gone to see Minnie. She reacts to her refusal to visit Minnie as a crime in itself. “Oh, I wish I’d come over here once in a while!” she cried.
Without the opposition being available the argument will lack meaning. Bosley presents her opposition effectively and strong. Throughout the article Cindy began to gain confidence towards winning the pageant. “I secretly believed that I stood a better chance … though she had the right name and the right body…” (Bosley 2). In contrast to Cindy’s new found self esteem, her mother seemed to uphold a strong lack of confidence in her daughter and in herself as well.
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.
Guadalupe Ramirez Professor Colette Morrow English 442 11 May 2105 The Condemnation of Widows in Elizabethan England and in Hamlet “He that woos a maid, must fain lie and flatter. But he that woos a widow, must down with his breeches and at her.” (Foyster) Hamlet explores a very interesting and complex topic in regard to women and marriage: the widow. The Elizabethan age was somewhat unique in regard to the woman. While it still held true that women often had little choice in their spouse, the Protestant Reformation afforded women a soul and therefore moral agency. As a result, women were allowed more freedom in the Elizabethan age than in previous eras.
Misha Myles Ms. Broaddus English AP 12 December 2011 Miss-Judgment Judging others by only their outward appearance and background isn’t always an effective way to get to know or understand one’s nature. In the novel Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen the character Elizabeth is influenced by one’s vanity and demeanor and is quick to judge their character. Which she later realize about her grave mistake when she understands that she has miss-judgment of both Mr. Wickham and Mr. Darcy. Elizabeth plays an important role in the novel; she is the most logical out of all of her sisters. Austen reveals Elizabeth’s character as an example about how she wanted to have her own self independence during that time period.
While I understand that this may not be the ideal way to handle a situation, I believe that Nanny did the best she could considering her experiences. I like that Nanny’s goal is to protect Janie. I appreciate the sacrifices she made for her granddaughter. Nanny’s character is true to life. While people may not marry their teenagers off in modern times, most parents have the same desire for their kids which is to see them wealthy and
Many men had an attitude of superiority and most women judged the women working in sciences negatively. However, there was some acceptance from men and women of females working in the scientific community. Women frequently were excluded by men from scientific study in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries because the attitude of the time was that women had only certain traits they could possess skill in, such as housework and beauty, and they lacked the intelligence to learn science. In document 3 Samuel Pepys, an Englishman, wrote in his personal diary that the Duchess of Newcastle, an author who wrote a book entitled "A World Made by Atomes", wished to be invited to the meeting of the Royal Society of Scientists. He ends his entry by saying that “The Duchess hath been a good, comely woman, but…” and proceeds to describe his negative opinion of her appearance.
In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen does not offer a harsh critique, but rather highlights the flaws in society in her opinion, using comparisons. Through these comparisons she states her opinion that the social norms of her time are not always correct. Her critique of the society isn’t biting because she points out the flaws according to her opinion and uses righteous examples to warrant her view. She uses examples of different marriages and personalities to persuade the reader of her viewpoint. From the first sentence in the book, ‘It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife’, it is known that the novel will be exploring the theme of marriage.