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Female gender stereotypes in literature
Feminist literary analysis essay
The feminist lens in literature
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More handpicked essays just for you.
Female gender stereotypes in literature
Feminist literary analysis essay
The feminist lens in literature
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
During the 1800s, women were supposed to adhere to the ideas of a patriarchal society. According to scholar Rula Quawas, womanhood during this time period consisted of “a sharp dichotomy between the home and the economic world outside that paralleled a sharp contrast between female and male nature; the designation of the home as the female's only proper sphere … and the idealization of her function as a mother and a wife” (Quawas 44). While men were expected to leave home and make money for their families, women were encourage to work in the house and take care of their children. These narrow expectations for women caused them to be economically and intellectually dependent on men. In the story “The Yellow Wallpaper,” the character Jennie embodies this stereotypical function of a woman.
In doing so, these working women began to have the ability to support themselves, and, therefore, tended to rely less on men. However, these women not only defied the workplace’s principles, but also condemned society’s gender
Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird and Eugenia Coolliers short story “Marigolds” evoke the most empathy by showing the growth of morals like empathy and compassion in the characters. The dynamic characters are used to emphasize how a person can change while symbolism is used to show a deeper meaning in an object both are used by the authors to evoke empathy. To Kill A Mockingbird, a novel published in 1960 about innocence, compassion and hatred. A story about children living in a racist time period trying to get through living there childhood without being influenced by the bad customs. “Marigolds” by Eugenia Cooliers is a short story also written in the 1960’s about a learning compassion and turning into a woman.
Acts of Symbiosis in “Of Mice and Men” In the novella “Of mice and Men” there are several relations of which can be put into one of the forms of symbiosis. The relationships that take forms of symbiosis take many forms. These relationships could be friends, enemies, lovers, or even just two people. These relationships could also be grouped from good to neutral to bad depending on the circumstances.
“A Tale Of Two Fed Up Housewives” A housewife is often described as a woman whose sole duty is to take care of the house, kids and their husbands. Susan Glaspell’s “A Jury of Peers” and Roald Dahl’s “A Lamb To The Slaughter” both take place in the 1900’s (Suffragette time period) which is a time where woman had no political rights and few rights in general. What people fail to realize is that women do have desires other than being someone’s wife.
The Chrysanthemums Literary Analysis One of the themes of “The Chrysanthemums” by John Steinbeck is gender inequality. In this short story, the main character Elisa Allen was a strong, smart woman who was stuck being a common housewife. Elisa wishes she could go out and be like the tinker, sleeping under the stars and adventuring every day of her life. Elisa’s husband owns a ranch of some sorts, and when he tells Elisa of the business deal he’d just made he gave her an unspecific explanation, or a dumbed down one so he doesn’t “confuse her”.
One of the top advisors to the President of the United States, Steve Bannon, wrote an article titled, “Would you rather your child have feminism or cancer?” Gender inequality is an issue that should have been solved long ago. However, the same actions by men that occurred in 1937, when “The Chrysanthemums” was written are happening almost 80 years later. At the end of the short story, Steinbeck wrote, “ She turned up her coat collar so he could not see that she was crying weakly--- like an old woman.”
b) The impossibility of the American dream The majority of characters from Of Mice and Men at one point during the story, dreamt of a better life. For Crooks, it was in the barn when he imagined himself hoeing on George and Lennie's farm. For Curley’s wife, it was to become a hollywood movie star. George, Lennie and Candy all fantasized a farm. What makes these dreams American is that they wished for unconditional happiness and freedom.
INTRO - "An Act of Vengeance" by Isabel Allende is a latin-american piece of literature. - According to feminists critics, literature adapted to this patriarchal society we have, and the feminist author, Isabel Allende, has exposed how men and women are in the society through her characters Dulce Rosa Orellano and Tadeo Cespedes. - The feminism theory is the outgrowth of the general movement to empower women worldwide. It recognizes and critiques male supremacy combined with the efforts to change this patriarchic view.
In her essay, “The Importance of Work,” from The Feminine Mystique published in 1963, Betty Friedan confronts American women’s search for identity. Throughout the novel, Betty Friedan breaks new ground, concocting the idea that women can discover personal fulfillment by straying away from their original roles. Friedan ponders on the idea that The Feminine Mystique is the cause for a vast majority of women during that time period to feel confined by their occupations around the house; therefore, restricting them from discovering who they are as women. Friedan’s novel is well known for creating a different kind of feminism and rousing various women across the nation.
The woodlands by the ranch were peaceful, not alarmed by the breeze of death and sorrow that followed the men as they marched through the canvas of green. Alerted by the footsteps of the men, the rabbits scuttled back into their burrows. The trees swayed in the glistening sunlight that bounced between them, igniting the woodlands with light. It was quiet, but death intruded on this harmonious atmosphere. Laying in the arms of George, Lennie looked as calm and peaceful as a kitten cuddling its owner.
The Cult of Domesticity goal was to involve women in the public world where they had no status. Angelina Grimke states, “Now, I believe it is woman’s right to have a voice in all the laws and regulations by which she is governed, whether in Church or State”(Doc. C). This quote further shows that women didn’t have many rights beyond the home even though they belonged to her as much as they did to a man. Women expressed their grievances through writing to reveal the reality of their life.
Hardships can shape an individual’s ability to persevere through difficult times and act as barriers to one’s aspirations. A person who faces rough hardships will develop to become rigid and resilient through struggle, while an easily distracted individual may stray off course and be left behind. In the short story “The Chrysanthemums”, John Steinbeck explores the idea that when an independent and strong-willed individual is faced with a patriarchal gender barrier, they are likely to become overwhelmed with feelings of insecurity and weakness. In the mid-1900s, there was a widespread belief in male superiority and the perception that women should not have demanding careers as they were inferior to men in physical, emotional, and mental strength.
Masculine and Feminine Roles in Steinbeck’s “Chrysanthemums” In the story “The Chrysanthemums”, by John Steinbeck, Elisa Allen lives an unsatisfactory life as she desires more than what is bestowed upon her. The reader learns Elisa’s husband is culpable for not seeing the beauty of his wife, leaving an open door for the antagonist, a traveler, to prey upon Elisa’s. Steinbeck uses Masculine and Feminine roles of the early 20th century, Internal Conflict, and an antagonist, to show Elisa’s struggle for Identity. Steinbeck illustrates Masculine and feminine roles of the 20th century in the “Chrysanthemums” to show Elisa’s struggle with identity.
In The Winter of our Discontent by John Steinbeck, Steinbeck discusses what the American dream meant for families in the 1960s. The American dream that most families strived for included a happy marriage, well behaved children, a stable job with a decent paycheck, and a nice house. Every character in the novel has a dream that they wanted to accomplish but could not. Ethan dreamed of wealth and power, but felt guilty in the end because he went too far in trying to reach his goals. Marullo already had his dream, but it was stripped away from him when Ethan reported him to immigration services.