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.
Mademoiselle sees this potential in Edna but knows that Edna must first grow into an independent woman and seek the freedom on her own. Edna’s passion for art is shattered because of her duties as a mother and wife. Leonce doesn’t even know her infatuation with art and even if he did, she is still expected to care for the children and him. Edna “awakens” by discovering her passion and her lack of commitment. She wants the freedom to paint and Mademoiselle gives her that hope to possibly one day feel free by doing what she loves.
Victorian family life was completely different to the one we are used to today. There was a more distinct contrast between a man and a woman. For instance, the ideal Victorian woman had to be angelic, obedient, ladylike and silent, but most of all – she had to be a good housewife. Her main role was to make sure the house and children were looked after and that the husband was happy. In addition, it was socially and morally unacceptable for a woman to be unmarried.
Esperanza idolizes a house because of what her parents have told it would be like to live in one. A house is a home free of landlords, has its own stairs and 3 bathrooms. At the beginning of the book Esperanza expresses how she covets for a house of her own. Esperanza talks about how life would be with a house she could brag about because of her experiences with a nun asking where she lives and she is too embarrassed when she tells him. She doesn't want that feeling and that's why she so desperately wants to move into a nicer house.She is an immature girl at first but later on throughout the novel she realizes the importance of family and heritage and completely changes her views on life.
The act of his approval was of a good judgement. He enjoined together two pure and faithful lovers with the beauty of marriage. Although many disapprove his decision because he was well aware of the great feud between the
Emma Baird Dr. Meredith McCarroll English 232 25 September 2010 The Death of Edna Pontellier: A Rebellious Defeat Even from its first publication, Kate Chopin’s novel The Awakening has caused controversy. While today The Awakening is praised for its feminist undertones, the piece was first criticized for its lack of representation of American values. Instead of depicting a main character that embodied the Victorian ideal of a woman fulfilling the role as an “Angel in the House” which was the norm for American women during this particular historical period, Edna was a rebellious wife and an adulteress, whose desires and yearning for independence lead her to make many radical decisions throughout the course of the novel¾ from inwardly
Lieberman’s point is that fairy tales make beauty the basis for which reward is given, not intelligence, work ethic, or anything else a radical feminist would see as an asset. Lieberman also stresses that in popular fairy tales, beauty is associated with being kind and well-tempered whereas ugliness is associated with being ill-tempered and often jealous. This can be easily shown in one of the most popular fairy tales of all—Cinderella. In this, Lieberman argues, Cinderella is oppressed by her cruel, ugly stepsisters and stepmother who force the kind, beautiful girl to do all the chores in the house. Cinderella ends up getting the prize (marriage to the prince) based on looks alone.
In the play, Gwendolen sets the image for a typical Victorian woman, along with her mother, Lady Bracknell. She has her personal values and ideals, and exhibits self- confidence. This can be proven by some of her lines in Act 1, like her first line “I am always right!” or “In fact, I am never wrong.” However, sometimes her over-confidence makes her look foolish. When she meets Cecily for the first time, she declares that they were going to be “great friends” and she has “likes her more than she can say”. Then when she suspects that Cecily is going to steal her fiancé, Gwendolen immediately switches her tone to saying that she “distrusted” Cecily from the first moment she saw her and that her “first impressions of people are invariably right”.
Unlike Janie’s previous husbands, Tea Cake respects his beloved and treats her well. He converses with her putting himself on equal terms with Janie. Tea Cake’s respect for her individuality is why Janie is so deeply in love with
If Maupassant’s story “The Necklace” had been poorly written, it could easily have shown Mathilde quickly as only vain and superficial. But all writers must make us feel for their central characters if their stories are to be successful. Analyze Mathilde, her husband and any other secondary characters in the story and develop an argument that explains how Maupassant forces us to care about what happens to Mathilde. Guy de Maupassant's short story "The Necklace" tells of a vain, narcissistic middle-class housewife who longed for the aristocratic lifestyle that she believed she deserved. In describing Mathilde's callous self-centeredness in preparing for the party to which she and her husband were invited, as well as her reaction to losing what she thought was an expensive necklace she borrowed, de Maupassant incorporates a tragic irony that makes this story a timeless classic.