And our heroine is totally oblivious of his needs. She only softens and responds to his needs when she feels that he is emotionally responsive to her. And even then she doesn’t really feel his pain, she simply has come to appreciate him so she wants to please him. She is truly stuck in “a closed pot”. Steinbeck’s initial description of Elisa and her clothing accurately reflect what we later learn about her.
Byelinkov is not the type of person to take praise very well while Varinka is willing to give him all he needs. All of these show what kind of persons Byelinkov and Varinka are, it shows how they over compensate each other’s personalities. Byelinkov says that “Pride can be an imperfect value”(981) While Varinka responds with “It isn’t pride. It’s the truth. You are a great man.” Varinka kisses Byelinkov and is still happy that she can call herself his wife.
She is not preoccupied with looking graceful and pretty to attract a man’s attention but only yearns to obtain her autonomy. Jane hungers to feed her mind and soul, not her appearance. Throughout the novel Jane illustrates her commitment to dignity, independence, and freedom of choice. It is through her unwillingness to submit to a man's power and willingness to speak her mind that she depicts a clear image of a self-sustaining woman. Jane’s character not only radicalized the traditional roles of woman but also paved the way for all the woman who were determined to make women equal to men for ages all ages to come.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is, first and foremost, a literary exploration of the human soul. The primary focus of the novel is undisputedly the ethics and the morality of the characters. Although Twain concentrates mostly on the flaws of mankind, he also introduces a few kind and selfless characters, who are certainly the minority. A secondary theme is the state of Southern society in that time period, but that theme ties back into the general idea of integrity versus malevolence. Mark Twain, although a humanitarian, greatly emphasizes the extent to which prejudice and racism was ingrained in Southern culture, almost irreversibly.
Therefore the domestic roles that men and women do still remain unequal and society continues to transmit the instinctive patriarchal agenda. Dunne acknowledges that there are expectations that different gender roles must conform to in a heterosexual relationship. Dunne contrasts this with lesbian couples. In a lesbian relationship, household tasks are not linked to a particular gender script; this allows lesbian couples to create a more equal relationship. In this case, the domestic roles are almost symmetrical and patriarchy has been abolished.
Steinbeck has given a suitable title to the story, “The Chrysanthemums,” which relates to Elisa as chrysanthemums symbolize both Elisa and the limited scope of her life. Just like her, the flowers are unobjectionable and also unimportant; both are merely decorative and add little value to the world. Elisa is passionate and loving towards her chrysanthemums. She is smart, attractive and ambitious, but all these qualities go waste as she has limitations under which a married women lives. Henry Allen, her husband, clearly ignores her passion and care towards chrysanthemums.
Conrad’s use of ambiguity fascinated critics and readers as he used obscurity to dramatize Marlow’s perceptions of the horrors he encounters. Other critics say that Heart of Darkness broke many narrative conventions. Renowned Nigerian author and preeminent scholar on African culture, Chinua Achebe and English novelist, short story writer, essayist, and librettist E.M. Forster had different views on Conrad’s writing. Both men criticized Conrad as being racist and discriminatory for his use of words such as “nigger.” Conrad uses such words throughout the entire novella, even stating, “Strings of dusty niggers with splay feet arrived and departed” (26). To many critics of the novella, the implementation of such words should not have been introduced into this story.
Since she is a witness of bearing the lack of freedom, she creates a high credibility in her speech knowing that women and male supporters will believe in her claim of demanding equal rights to women. Fredrick Douglass was a rare educated slave that learned how to read and write. He knew the unnecessary evils behind slavery, unlike others who were taught to be inferior to their masters. In 1852, he delivered a scathing attack on
Beauvoir’s analysis of love is ultimately the comparison of the two genders. Within the differences of the genders authentic and in inauthentic love. De Beauvoir labels her theories on two forms of love. Inauthentic love, she believes that love is used as a liberator, where the woman takes pride in her matters over the one she loves (2010). Her love is inauthentic in the way she loves, due to viewing her lover, being godlike, this is inauthentic in the sense that no man is godlike.
The Victorian Era was characterised by very rigid perceptions of gender and class. Brönte’s Jane Eyre challenges these rules. It is, therefore, no surprise that the novel was met with sharp criticism. Most critics of the novel were, in particular, concerned with the apparent insult that it posed to the accepted image of femininity of the time. One review states that the novel proves to be filled with “ruthless rigour [which] must command our admiration, but [is] almost startling in one of the softer sex” (The Christian Remembrancer).