He depicts women as completely sexual creatures and also devalues women in the eyes of men. The way we have viewed women from the 1600’s to now has changed dramatically. In the 1600’s, the approximate time period Shakespeare had written Hamlet, women where viewed as helpless, dependent and had no place in society. Women today are looked upon with respect and dignity because they have earned self respect, value and a place in society as hard working, knowledgeable and yet compassionate. I believe Gertrude from Hamlet, is a depthless individual who only thinks about her body and external pleasures.
The men in the society are trying to live up to the social expectations to be the ones in charge and take care of the women. The moral high ground of George Wilson and Gatsby are above Tom in that they are willing to sacrifice themsleves for the ones they love. Neither men nor women appear to have absolute influence on each other’s desires; rather the act of selfishness and destruction which leads to tragedy. Women have minor roles in the Great Gatsby, and only have the function of seducing and undermining men. A Feminist Critique of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” (June 2009) “Even if they disagree about other issues, all feminists believe patriarchal ideology works to keep men and women confined to traditional gender roles so male dominance may be maintained.
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.
Euripides has been accused of being a misogynist as well as the world's first feminist. In your view, do the portrayals of Medea and Jason allow such contradictory interpretations? Euripides' Greek tragic play, 'Medea', depicts a wife's desire to right the wrongs done to her by her husband and in the pursuit of satisfaction, she commits the heinous of crimes, infanticide. The play is set in a patriarchal society, where women are treated as mere tools to satisfy their male partners. Euripides' portrays Medea as both a weak and strong woman, being able to stand up to some of the male characters and simultaneously succumb to their presence.
When characters of The Grapes of Wrath choose not to act as the opposite gender, they find that they feel helpless in their positions and are unable to progress and improve upon their situations. The plight of the characters that do not act as the opposite gender and the success of those that do combine to suggest that acting as the opposite gender is the only road to finding true happiness. The Color Purple chronicles the life of Celie, a timid African-American woman in Georgia. In Celie’s life, she and women around her are expected to fulfill responsibilities of obedience and domesticity as their husbands and other male superiors constantly beat and subordinate them. However, the women in Celie’s life are able to overcome their great adversity through acting like men to reach a state of secure peace.
Gilman provides the point of views of these women who know nothing of marriage to allow us to see our own society’s faults in the way we think things should be. By denying the men’s proposition of name change, the women point out the idiocy of the concept we accept to be the norm in our society. This problem of possession and power shows up in Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” as well. The husband in that piece has possession of his wife by controlling her every move. The men in “The Yellow Wallpaper” make the decisions and control their households.
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.
Her character is harshly judged from the start simply because she’s a woman and no one saw things from her perspective. Because of this, the reader is influenced to feel sympathy for Curley’s wife. Her husband, who is always trying to keep a close eye on her, controls her. He is exceedingly possessive of her, and is easily angered when he catches her talking to another man. “I get lonely.” She says to Lennie, “You can talk to people, but I cant talk to nobody but Curley”.
Awakening Essay Freedom In The Awakening by Kate Chopin, Edna Pontellier is bound to a life of perfection and social status. Her husband, Leonce Pontellier controls her life and expects her to do everything he asks. Leonce’s expectations aren’t unreasonable because in that era wives were suppose to make their husbands look good, which meant tending to everything and doing whatever their husbands requested. Edna has an “awakening” and realizes that the strict social life is not what she wants. Being free and in control of her own life is what Edna craves.
For example, Antigone seems to be impervious toward Creon’s misogynistic ways; however, her sister, Ismene, is seen to be internalizing the idea that women are insignificant compared to men. We see the impact that this sexist culture has on Ismene when she tells Antigone, “We must remember that by birth we’re women, and, as such, we shouldn’t fight with men. Since those who rule are much more powerful, we must obey in this and in events which bring us even harsher agonies… Since I’m being compelled, I will obey those in control. That’s what I’m forced to do. It makes no sense to try to do too much” (77-85).