Sulaiman 1 Sulaiman Alsanea Prof. Elisa Hedrick English 115 October 11, 2018 Literary Lens – Feminism Throughout history, societal perceptions have evolved in radical and often unforeseeable ways. The contemporary assessment in relation to role of women in society, in comparison to this dynamic during the Victorian era, is a fundamental illustration of such a change and the extent to which these societal mindset changes can occur. This process of constant change inevitably influences the content, tone and motivation of literary works such as graphic novels and shorts stories. The aim of this analysis is to demonstrate how feminism has affected literature in relation to two separate literary genres. Feminism is a movement that emphasizes that the rights of women are equal to that of men. Sarah Evans described the shift from a patriarchal society that occurred in the minds of women as a “sea shift” which indicates that movement had a profound effect on the status quo in relation to the perceived roles of women in society (Evans, 2009). The feminist movement is reflected in various occurrences on both a personal and subsequent political level. On the personal level, women became more vocal about their desire for equal rights and in the assertion that their capabilities were equal, and in certain circumstance, superseding to that of men. These assertions were rejected by mainstream society as a threat to the natural order of life. It was an inconceivable suggestion that women and men were equal and society often invoked ludicrous and baseless arguments to support the retention of the status quo. Religious doctrine was used to vilify this movement and to equate the vocalization of this repressive dynamic with evil. The Sulaiman 2 resistance of the acknowledgement of women being equal to men is not a new phenomenon. During the middle ages, freethinking women were victimized and declared to be witches and were summarily eliminated in the most horrific ways such as being burnt at the stake. Even during this period, chauvinistic men justified their actions through the corruption of religious text that insisted on the inferiority of women. It would be incorrect to assume that the feminist movement only concerns itself with the recognition of the political rights of women. This movement is effectively a response to the dehumanization of women by patriarchal societies. Literary works substantiate the plight of women in this regard and utilize concepts such as symbolism to convey the suppression of mental and emotional aspects of the female psyche. The recognition of women’s rights was a slow progression from total dominance within a patriarchal society to the inclusive contemporary society that exists today. The significance of the feminist movement in literature is the fact that it clearly depicts the discrimination and erroneous perception of women that exist in patriarchal societies. It is imperative to recognize that the use of ‘fictional’ stories has often been the only means of expression for women who lived in these societal dynamics, as the direct vocalization of such contradicting views would inevitably have resulted in social alienation. The use of literature to address societal issues in what purports to be fictional works is not a new phenomenon. In her work, ‘The Story of an Hour’, Kate Chopin effectively uses symbolism to illustrate the oppression of women during the Victorian era (Chopin, 1894). The protagonist Mrs. Mallard becomes a symbolic symbol of female oppression in an unjust society that is dominated by apathetic men. This story is a fictional work that depicts an ‘ordinary’ situation where a woman is informed of her husband’s premature death. However, the author of this text successfully conveys a deeper meaning to the superficial purport of the story’s content. Sulaiman 3 This author depicts the protagonist in a detailed manner to focus the attention of the reader on the deeper significance of this depiction. Chopin depicts Mrs. Mallard as a frail, weak and generally subservient woman. The description of the central character deliberately encompasses negative words such as “weak”, “pale” and “powerless” (Chopin, 1894). To gain a clearer understanding of the symbolism used by the author, it is imperative to take the mindset of the author into account. Chopin was a feminist living during the repressive Victorian era. Her greatgrandmother, her grandmother and mother who were all widows who did not remarry raised her (Wyatt, 1995). ‘The Fun Home’ is another depiction of the oppression of women (Bechdel, 2006). In this story however, the author confronts the reader with a more direct illustration of the societal bigotry in relation to men and women. The novel depicts the story of a young girl who grows up in a patriarchal society that has ingrained viewpoints in relation to certain issues. The girl’s father is a perfectionist who goes to extreme lengths to create the illusion of being a perfect father and husband but he is in fact a man that lives a double life. His wife, who is aware of his homosexuality, contends with this situation, as she is a product of a patriarchal society that has destroyed her ability to confront this situation. The clear distinction between the roles of men and women is illustrated in two ways in the novel. The first instance involves the father being charged when he is discovered providing an underage boy with alcohol. The author clearly depicts how ‘everyone’ knew that there was a sexual component to her father’s actions but due to society’s views in relation to men, this issue is not mentioned at all (Bechdel, 2006). It becomes clear that even the justice system had become susceptible to the idea that men were superior to women and that was inconceivable for a man to commit such acts. The second instance is not a single occurrence in the novel; instead, it is the father’s persistent efforts to make his daughter more feminine. These efforts start when the girl is very Sulaiman 4 young and continue throughout her life. The father, who is a homosexual, fails to accept the fact that his daughter may also be of a different sexual orientation. He insists on forcing his daughter to comply with the socially acceptable norms of society while he himself is living in conflict with these same norms. The novel ultimately described the difficulty that the girl experiences during her life and her struggle to come to terms with her own sexuality. In these literary texts, there is a connection between the messages that the authors express, and the social environment. In ‘The Story of an Hour’, Chopin’s depiction of Mrs. Mallard’s progression from a subservient wife that exists only to please her husband and society, to an individual being capable of self determination could erroneously be considered as an illustration of her eventual freedom from male domination. This, however, is an incorrect assumption. Mrs. Mallards fear of the prospect of ‘emancipation’ is illustrated through the author’s reference to how “she was striving to beat it back with her will” (Chopin, 1894). The mental damage caused to this woman, is further encapsulated by the fact that she “whispered” through “slightly parted lips” (Chopin, 1894). The author expresses the resilient nature of women during this period and how women were often unaware of the injustices that they were subjected to. Chopin articulates this phenomenon when she describes the realization of Mrs. Mallard in relation to her marriage. Mrs. Mallard realizes that her perception of love and marriage was a mere fallacy that she created due to her fear of acting in a manner that would cause her ostracism from society (Chopin, 1894). When the protagonist’s husband arrives, she collapses and dies because of “a weak heart” that is later described as “joy that kills” (Chopin, 1894). This ‘irrelevant’ occurrence effectively substantiates Flucks’s opinion that it is erroneous to view Chopin’s work as a superficial embodiment of her feelings (Fluck, 1982). It is his opinion that Chopin represented recurring problems that are prevalent in a patriarchal society (Fluck, 1982). The significance of the manner Sulaiman 5 in which the story ends is twofold. Firstly, the declaration that Mrs. Mallard had died of “joy that kills”, implies that there was a high degree of ignorance in relation to the perception of females. It is apparent that this physician did not consider that it was possible for a woman to prefer her husband’s death to his life. The second significance is the that there was a general belief that a woman’s fulfillment in life was dependent on the presence of a man to ‘guide’ her. Bechdel’s novel, unlike Chopins’, illustrates the advancements that have occurred in the in relation to the rights of women since the Victorian period. It is essential to assert that these advancements were largely result of the feminist movement. This author is able to present the issues that relate to women in a direct and graphic manner without the fear of being ostracized by society. This was not the situation during Chopin’s lifetime. The fundamental shift in societal perceptions towards concepts such as homosexuality and acceptable behavior is clearly illustrated in Bechdel’s novel. Alternative lifestyles were unheard of in the past and even though individuals desired such lifestyles, as was the case with the girl’s father, they denied themselves due to the fear of societal reprisals. The fact that Bechdel’s novel contains graphic depictions of sexual encounters between two women, is further evidence of the progression that has resulted from the feminist movement as these depictions would have been considered criminal in the past. The fact that Bechdel’s novel was published long after that of Chopin, is a clear illustration that even though society has advanced in relation to these matters, that there is still a need for literary expression. Sulaiman 6 References Evans, Sara M. “Sons, Daughters, and Patriarchy: Gender and the 1968 Generation.”American Historical Review, vol. 114, no. 2, Apr.2009, pp. 331-347. Chopin, K. “The Story of an Hour.” Holt, Rinehart and Winston. 1894 Wyatt, Neal. "Biography of Kate Chopin." Virginia Commonwealth University 22 (1995). Fluck, Winfried. "Tentative Transgressions: Kate Chopin's Fiction as a Mode of Symbolic Action." Studies in American Fiction, vol. 10 no. 2, 1982, pp. 151-171. Project MUSE, doi:10.1353/saf.1982.0017 Bechdel, A. (2006). “Fun Home.” Houghton Mifflin. Essay #2 Guidelines (This will be due as a draft in week 8) Essay #2: Lens Essay on one of the stories and Literary Theory Feminism. Marxism. Freudian theory. Queer theory. Each perspective can operate as a "lens” that enables us to focus on a work of literature from a particular vantage point. Think of how what you have learned in school influences your interpretation of things: taking an economics class can allow you to understand a bill on healthcare reform from a budgeting angle. Taking lessons in bass or guitar can lend an appreciation and understanding of what the musicians are doing in a song on the radio in a way that someone who didn't study bass/guitar can't. ano logia Truth as "Action odge begins tely secting out aga main, le is the effect of capes that wiele w we would be the Be a general ont of the towa For our next assignment, we will write a lens essay on an aspect of your graphic novel AND one of the short stories we've read this semester, integrating our literary "lens" of choice. Write a total of four coherent, polished pages in which you analyze the graphic novel and one of the stories using principles from literary theory. (As a reminder, those stories were "The Youngest Doll," "Gorse Is not People," "The Land of Sad Oranges," "The Moths,” “The Story of an Hour," and "One of These Days.” The graphic novel choices were Persepolis, Fun Home, and Maus.) Confused? Worried? Stay with me! Here's what to do step-by-step. Click next. < Previous Next → Essay #2 Assignment Guidelines: Criteria and Points (Due as draft in week #8) Criteria (What you gotta do) O Select and describe your chosen approach to literature (Marxism, Feminism, etc). To do this you will integrate outside sources AND summarize key aspects of this approach coherently, as if for an unfamiliar audience. • Integrate, explain, and analyze relevant examples from the graphic novel and the story you select, using your literary approach to guide this analysis. • Help your reader understand to what extent the story/the graphic novel upholds, contradicts, embodies, complements, or changes Marxism, Feminism, or whatever your literary approach is. In other words, to what extent is “One of These Days” influenced by the government structure it was written in (Marxism)? Or, does "One of These Days" show how the Id, Ego, and Superego manifest in the dentist, the mayor, or the soldier (Psychoanalysis)? To what extent is Chopin's short story able to shed light on the patriarchal oppression of women in 19th century marriage (Feminism)? Organize your essay in a logical, coherent way, crafting your paragraphs with AXES principles in mind. • Use at least two outside sources (not including the graphic novel or the story) and include a properly formatted works cited page • Avoid plagiarism Write a total of four pages or 1000+ words . . 250 points possible. Previous Next →
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