Analysis Of Speedboat By Jen Fainn

Renata Adler’s novel Speedboat enters the mind of journalist Jen Fainn, following her musings of her life. Published in 1976, Speedboat offers the audience a glimpse into the effects of second wave feminism. Through the critical lens of third wave feminism, I will examine the ways in which Fain’s narration lays forth the benefits and disadvantages of second wave feminism.

Second wave feminism was a cultural movement in the United States during the 1960s and 1970s. While women had gained formal political equality through the right to vote in first wave feminism, this wave called for social equality, such as the choice to marry, the choice to work outside the home, etc. Essentially, women wanted autonomy from male impositions on their movement

throughout life. Third wave feminism continues with these ideas, however, third wave feminism recognizes the limitations of second wave feminism, specifically that the rights second wave feminism fought for were only applied to a very small group. If one wanted access to the second wave feminist movement, she had to be white, upper class, heterosexual, and physically and mentally able-bodied. Third wave feminism centers around the idea of intersectionality, in which activists recognize that each identity a woman holds can either oppress or give her privileges that others do not have access to.
One positive result of second wave feminism displayed in Speedboat is sexual freedom. Throughout the novel, Fainn has multiple sexual partners, while also easily declining offers from other men. Fainn does not act as if she is unusual in this aspect, as this has become the norm for the time. Previously, a woman would be expected to wait until marriage to have sex, and her husband was supposed to be her only partner. Fainn freely throws off these traditions, as shown in her multiple sexual relationships. Fain makes clear note of at least four sexual partners: Adam, Aldo, Will, and Jim. Fain does not try to hide any of these relationships, nor does she ever speak of longing for marriage. She simply desires to have relationships with these men and does so without worrying about the implications of it. Through these relationships, the audience sees the ways in which the burden of being a virgin of marriage, that was solely placed on women, slowly disintegrates. The social pressure of female purity are lessened and women such as Fain are free to explore relationships with less worry about the negative social effects of sexual relationships outside of marriage.
Another benefit of second wave feminism was the admittance of women into scholarly circles. During this time, women began to engage in academics at growing rates. Women could now be considered intellectuals. Women could have their own interests separate from being married and having children. Fain notices this when she states “They borrowed passions—Wallace Stevens, Joseph Conrad, Mozart, hiking, the Bible—from each other, as girls of another generation borrowed clothes.” (156). Fain notes a camaraderie among these women, who are eager to learn and engage in scholarly issues. The women pool their resources, such as their knowledge in certain subjects. As women had been excluded from academic spaces for so long, this “borrowing of passions” is likely a way to compensate for these lost years of education and increase the general knowledge of womankind. Fain is a a part of this culture, spending her undergraduate years at an elite women’s college, and completing her graduate studies abroad. Fain and others of this time have access to educational opportunities that women previously did not.
Another advantageous outcome that Fainn takes hold of is the ability to easily work in a broad array of fields. Fainn works as a journalist, writing everything ranging from foreign affairs to obituaries. Not only does Fainn work outside of the home or domestic work, she travels across the world for her position. Fainn travels in luxury, going to the Mediterranean, Europe, and other regions for her work. She is not socially bound as women often were, nor is she physically bound by obligations to remain in the United States. The fact that Fain is well traveled is a physical representation of the freedom women were gaining during the second wave feminist movement.
While second wave feminism helped women advance in society in many ways, it did not address many issues that women faced then and still do to this day. Fain’s stories of the modern woman during this time fail to address class and race, as second wave feminism mainly served the interests of middle and upper class white women. Fainn herself serves as both oppressor and oppressed, as she enjoys the benefits of second wave feminism, while actively contributing to the systemic discrimination of the poor and people of color.
Fain’s elitism, which is present throughout the novel, highlights the ways in which second wave feminism did not confront the issue of class.

Fain constantly describes herself as traveling or partying. Fain never worries about her basic needs being met, rather she has the time and economic security to worry about philosophical questions, such as the meaning of life. Fain states, “For a while, I thought I had no real interests… So I steeped myself, in thrillers, commercials, news magazines” (10). Fain has the economic freedom to us her time to explore what her true interests are. Women of lower classes often spend the majority of their time working and taking care of others, and would have no time to worry about what their “real interests” are. Fain does not realize her privilege in being able to use life for self understanding, rather than simply trying to survive, which is the life her lower class female peers live.

Another way in which Fain’s narration explicitly ignores issues of class is through her frivolity. While trying to impress her partner with her cooking, Fain states, “Each morning when he left, I cooked a meal according to recipe… then tasted it, found it good, and threw it out… all afternoon, I would cook the meal again” (46). Fain does not even stop to think about all the food that she is wasting. Fain never reflects on the amount of people in the world that live without food, while she throws whole meals in the trash. Fain lives in an elitist mindset in which the only needs that concern her are her

own.
While Fain herself lives in security, she acts as part of a system that serves to oppress lower class people. Fain describes her interaction with homeless people, in which she details “I went downstairs. A ragged man was lying across the little space that separates the inner door...from the outer door. I am not a news addict. I could have stepped over the sleeping man, picked up my Times, and gone upstairs to read it. Instead, I knocked absurdly from inside the door, and said, ‘Wake up. You’ll have to leave now” (55). Fain admits that she could have shown kindness to this man, but decides not to. The actions of Fain serve to reinforce class stratification through social cues. By simply viewing the man as a nuisance, Fain is complicit in the dehumanizing of the homeless as well as other impoverished groups.
The limitations of second wave feminism is also shown through Fain’s blatant racism. Throughout the text Fain openly identifies people based on their race and the characteristics she believes belong to certain races. Fain also believes in using interactions with people of color as a chance to exert her social power. After what Fain describes as a negative encounter with her cab driver, she states, “I did not tip him. Racism and prudishness, I thought… but there are moments when everything becomes a show of force (55). Fain refuses to tip him simply to prove that she has power over the cab driver; that she has the power to limit the driver’s economy security. She will not tip as she finds that his behavior is disgraceful for “an oriental”, as she calls him. Perhaps if the cab driver had been white, she would not judged him so harshly. Yet Fain feels the need to reinforce the status quo by refusing to tip the cab driver, an action to remind the cab driver that he is acting outside the acceptable bounds of someone of his race. Fain realizes she is being racist and admits it, but seems to find no flaw in it. Fain revels in her own freedom, yet continually seeks to limit that of other groups.
While Fain’s unique perspective is important in understanding the impacts of second wave feminism, especially in the 1970s, it is important to realize that her feminism is extremely limited. The freedoms that Fain has because of the feminist movement belong to her only because of her other identities that are privileged. Fain’s lack of understanding of nuance within female liberation reflects the overall cultural understanding of the time, which led to the need for the third wave of feminism, which addresses the use of power of people in privileged positions, such as Fain. While the importance of second wave feminism is recognized in this novel, it is clearly lacking in other issues than those that affected upper class white women.