Learning To Fall Patriarchy Analysis

Evelina Kochubey
Professor Roberts
English 1B
26 February 2018
The Weight of Patriarchy: Ann Bettie’s “Learning to Fall” and Feminist Critical Theory Feminist theory is important to each and every one of us today. Women are attacked and being underestimated whenever they want to break that cultural condition in ways of seeing. Patriarchy is a male-dominant society that makes women have limitations and generally unequal to men. Looking at the feminist perspective, we can see how women are oppressed and projected inferior, and in the story of “Learning to Fall”, there are two types of females that patriarchy describes as the “good girl” and the “bad girl”.
Since feminism is built upon the idea of patriarchy, it focuses on its damaging effects

Tyson writes that patriarchy is “sexist, which promotes the belief that women are innately inferior to men” (85). Although feminist don’t deny the biological differences, Tyson inserts, they do not agree that “physical, size, shape, and body chemistry make men naturally superior to women” (86). Tyson states that feminists argue mostly about the traditional gender roles that link to patriarchy casting “men as rational, strong, protective, and decisive” and “women as emotional (irrational), weak, nurturing, and submissive” (85). The patriarchal concept of femininity is linked “to frailty, modesty, and timidity” that “disempowers women in the real world” according to Tyson (88). A patriarchal woman is “a woman who has internalized the norms and the values of patriarchy” (85). Applying this criticism to the story, we see two women portrayed as two characters that patriarchy describes in a way that they see them either good or bad women.
Anne Beattie’s short story is about two women in the story:

Knowing Bonnie’s background of expecting a baby girl and Hal gambling a lot of money, Ruth had ordered photos from her because she was worried about their finances. Even the narrator questions why Ruth pretends she is not important. It shows us that men do not know how to use money wisely and that Ruth humbling herself to buy those photos was really because she wanted to support Bonnie financially. A patriarchal woman does not like to take the credits and the narrator therefore is questioning why Ruth was acting that way. Despite being supportive to others, Ruth does seem to want to solve her problem. She sees the world’s problem bigger then hers. Having a list of what she is: “I am sick of hearing how things might have been worse when they might also have been better…sick of lawyers saying to wait- not to settle…sick of wind whistling…” (10). Then, the next words, “She is never sick of Brandon.” Ruth sees herself in a situation she cannot come out from and needs “that prince” to take over her problem because she is just fed