Her ability to stand up to her father and forgive him the way she forgave her mother unquestionably shows her growth and development as a young woman. The Secret Life of Bees is a perfect illustration of coming- of- age and Sue Monk Kidd ends the novel with Lily Owens well on her way to becoming a woman and taking control of her life. She realizes that she had a mother in August and her community all
She was the first out of her family to become a part of the revolution. Mariposa or butterfly was the nickname given to Minerva. Soon after, her older sister Patria Mirabal and youngest sister Maria Teresa Mirabal were also knows as the butterflies. Courage is significant among the Mirabal sisters, and they display it in various amounts. The sisters are all aware of their cowardice as they perceive it, but at the same time develop self-will and demonstrate courage in numerous ways.
As the story transpires, Jane's unknown figure becomes all that is known to her; however, because of what is expected of her as a woman it is difficult for her to acknowledge her own self as she is afraid of her own monstrosity. Her repression is what initiates her transgression of becoming this unknown figure, and through excessive behaviour and desire she is able to recognize her situation as everything she is initially told is meant to keep her in the dark. Living in the nineteenth century, Jane has an extensive amount of pressure to be the perfect housewife and comply to her domestic expectations. Women have little rights and respect, and they must pursue their roles as women and tend to their husband and children's needs without complaint. Jane is very aware of these pressures placed upon her, as she is constantly describing how she must make John happy, and get well for John and the baby.
It really puts in perspective how times have changed. Not only the social stereotype of young girls today, but work ethic in them all. Daughters back then had to practically run the house from the inside-out, and complaining was never an option; nor did they know another way to go along with these daily duties besides being hard working and determined. Social norm has changed more than a tad, but whether it’s changed for the better is the bigger question. Do girls have as good of work ethic now as they did when a woman’s role was to stay in and run the house?
In turn, this made everyone think of her works as pedophiliac. “Mann has been accused of building her reputation [as an artist] on the exploitation of her children” (Higonnet, 403). Despite critics’ destructive interpretations of her work, I strongly believe that Mann embodies both the ideal characteristics of a feminist artist and being a good mother to her children. Not only has Mann made a huge impact in the arts, creating a female aesthetic through “the violation of a gender role,” but she also manages to find a median between her work and her children, ultimately combining the latter to produce a collaborative relationship to encapsulate one of the greatest themes of American art: family (Higonnet, 417). Sally Mann
Miss Moore represents the older generation trying to guide the younger one towards a better life, using her previous experience and knowledge to teach the kids about the world they are in, and Sylvia which is pretty much the essence of the youthful rebellion. As the leader of the group she often tries to discredit Miss Moore, to prove that even though she is older doesn’t make her right. We can see such behavior in the narration, as Sylvia describes Miss Moore “The only woman on the block
She took the place of her mother and took over the responsibility of caring for the children (Morton, 35). Because Madonna was so used to taking care of herself and others from an early age, she became independent in life. She became accustomed to having to work for what she wanted. Also, she didn’t have a true mother figure, and this led her to strive for femininity in her life. Even though she lacked a connection with a mother-figure in her life, Madonna pursued her dreams and created a name for herself in the entertainment industry by becoming a role model for young women across the world.
Soon after, word about Hildegard’s lifestyle spread and reached other noble families who applauded her and decided to send their young female daughters to live the same way. In this cell, a small convent between these women was created where eventually Hildegard became the leader (Flanagan 3). For Hildegard, becoming who she was and accomplishing all that she did was not so simple. According to Flanagan, Hildegard had two main issues, “...first, she was a woman, and second, she was unlearned,” (44). It was not common for a female during this time to be educated due to their gender roles and restrictions.
The True State of Happiness Janie is a dreamer, her grandmother Nancy says, she lives her life trying to reach the horizon-- Janie’s very dear dreams. The society’s principles of how a woman should act, and its strict limits, prevent Janie from reaching the horizon; that one day seemed to be so close. The first two unfortunate marriages separate Janie from her dreams by limiting her strictly and blending her into the melting pot of society. Everyone in the pot is forced to follow the mass of others, thus living their lives without finding their individuality and discovering their life purpose and path. Janie’s first two husbands, Logan and Jody, never allow Janie to reach the desirable horizon.
For Yourself or the People? Society has until recently always placed a stereotype on women, allowing them to only do certain things with their lives. The life that they were destined to live was inside the house, taking care of their family; cooking, cleaning, shopping. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros depicts the life of Esperanza a young girl whose, life is not typical of most of her friends and women of Mango Street. She is trying to reach a life filled with opportunity and hope for a better future, through hard work and determination.