Pinchwife And Margery Analysis

female objectification is the accepted social norm. This forbidden fruit ideology relies on dishonesty, violence, and dangerous misconceptions about the opposite sex. In relating back to Pinchwife and Margery, these theories ring true especially considering that this is indeed what Horner is doing to Pinchwife. To further complicate this issue, Lady Fidget tells Horner that she desires wild behavior in men despite publicly condoning it. She says, “we think wildness in a man as desirable a quality as in a duck or rabbit. A tame man, faugh!” (Wycherley 1189). According to the Oxford English Dictionary, “faugh” is an exclamation of abhorrence or disgust. This annoyance with tame men suggests that women separate personal desire from social politics

Women use formalities to gain an upper hand like men do, but women do this more politically than aggressively. Fidget states, “You would have found us modest women in our denials only” (Wycherley 1189). Meaning, they are modest in conduct but immodest in thought. This gets across the idea that women desire sex just as much as men do, and crave it without requiring compensation in the same way that men do. To his surprise, this presents Horner with an "alternate economy of feminine desire” (Burke 237). Feminine desire, which is largely ignored in patriarchal society, forces Horner to humanize the women he’s talking to instead of treating them as a commodity. In fact, the women get defensive when Horner brings up the issue of payment. This commodification of women paints them as very one-dimensional. Additionally, Dainty speaks of embarrassment, “we blush when they are shame-faced” (Wycherley 1189). She addresses the misconception that women shy away from sex and rather reveals that women are embarrassed when men are modest, bashful, and shy. This suggests that women recognize vulnerability and are flattered by it, rather than being embarrassed by