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The role of women in literature
Depiction of women in literature
Depiction of women in literature
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Chapter 13: Many political viewpoints or thoughts that an author sponsors are widely found or implied in his or her literary works. For example, in Isabel Allende’s The House of Spirits, Allende’s views upon women’s rights are heavily implied. This occurs as Clara liberates the female peasants in a way to allow them to lead a prayer and practice religion, an activity frowned upon by the land and power controlling men at the time of the story, With this, an active reader can correlate the events in the story and apply them to the author’s political viewpoints regarding women's rights. Chapter 14: A majority of texts involve the referencing of Christianity, and tend to create characters that reference Christ himself. In this, there is a list
Throughout Isabel Allende’s Story, “The Little Heidelberg”, love and magical realism can be observed. There are plentiful details in describing the physical characteristics of the setting and the people and scenery within the tale. These techniques reinforce the theme, of which is unrequited love.
? . . . it made no difference if they studied medicine or had the right to vote, because they would not have the strength to do it, but she herself [Nivea] was not brave enough to be among the first to give up the fashion.? (6, Ch 1) The women in this society are dependant on the dominant male figure to handle political and economical duties. This point of view is intended to mimic the older generation of women ad present a foundation for the growth of an enlightened generation. Allende uses this excerpt to present a foundation of structure to the novel by beginning with the extremes of opinion, which are followed in the novel through different generations. Alba for example, become a very outspoken activist by trying to attend the student protests and follow Miguel on his demonstrations, a sharp contrast to the indifference or shallowness found in her great grandmother.
In Federico García Lorca’s La Casa de Bernarda Alba, a tyrant woman rules over her five daughters and household with absolute authority. She prevents her daughters from having suitors and gives them little to no freedom, especially with regard to their sexualities and desires. They must conform to the traditional social expectations for women through sewing, cleaning, as well as staying pure and chaste. While, as John Corbin states in The Modern Language Review, “It was entirely proper for a respectable woman in [Bernarda’s] position to manage her household strictly and insist that the servants keep it clean, to defend its reputation, ensure the sexual purity of her daughters, and promote advantageous marriages for them,” Bernarda inordinately
Throughout history, women have struggled with, and fought against, oppression. They have been held back and weighed down by the sexist ideas of a male dominated society which has controlled cultural, economic and political ideas and structures. During the mid-1800’s to early 1900’s women became more vocal and rebuked sexism and the role that had been defined for them. Fighting with the powerful written word, women sought a voice, equality amongst men and an identity outside of their family. In many literary writings, especially by women, during the mid-1800’s to early 1900’s, we see symbols of oppression and the search for gender equality in society.
The House of the Spirits written by Isabel Allende is an extraordinary novel that weaves together, history, politics, and current events to create a unique piece of literature. Throughout the novel on several occasions it is clear that there is inequality between the aristocrats and the peasants and this leads to struggle between the classes. The issue of class struggle takes the form of growing conflict by causing a division between the Conservatives and Socialists. At the head of the Conservatives is Esteban Trueba, a violent and materialistic figure. He believes people need to work their way up to the top and there is no reason that peasants share the upper classes wealth. On the other hand, Pedro Tercero Garcia represents the Socialistic view and he is willing to make the change through revolutionary principles. As the novel progresses class differences begin to build up and result in a political struggle between the Conservatives and Socialists thereby impacting the society in a negative way and causing it to rip to shreds.
Religion and the manipulation of history are the most important steps in creating a totalitarian state. In the novels discussed the reader comes to understand true oppression results when hope and power are removed in their totality. Katherine Burdekin’s novel, Swastika Night, portrays women who are degraded and removed, stripped of identity, femininity, and important self-efficacy as societal role-players. However, Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale presents a more inclusive and historically aware society, though still defined by the separation of citizens into a strict, sexist, man-made hierarchy and ruled by religious authority. The participation allowed to women leaves opportunity for women to shape their own environment, through underground movements, and influencing the men around them. Though society and religion can affect the Handmaids, Aunts, and other levels of women as it crowds out and vilifies the memories of a longed for past, the wounds of disenfranchisement are too fresh for history to be truly erased. The distinctive and definitive difference between the two dystopian societies discussed is the active presence of women, and through women, hope.
The one of the main themes in the epilogue, and in the entire novel is
...ndercurrents, female companions, and strong ideas about feminism. The works were written in the late 19th century when these topics were shocking and controversial to society.
This paper examines the short story Two Words by Isabel Allende. This story follows the journey of the self-named Belisa Crepusculario. Belisa provides for herself by selling words. Belisa’s personality and character attributes are the strongest element of fiction to this story. She is strong and full of perseverance, and determined to survive. Her Entrepreneurial spirt is the gate that guides her path to success. Additionally, she is filled with integrity. This story has clear evidence of the power of words. I would suggest that this power comes from the attributes of Belisa’s words.
Isabel Allende’s novel, Eva Luna, amalgamates many of the techniques and conventions associated with the picaresque tradition, magical realism and bildungsroman in order to present a critique of dominant Eurocentric ideologies of the patriarchy and oligarchy in 20th century Latin America and to valorize the voices and experiences of the marginalized and oppressed. A prominent aspect of Eva Luna which acts as a vehicle for the novels critique of the patriarchal oligarchy are the numerous motifs and symbols utilized throughout the novel. The manner in which Allende introduces and develops symbols and motifs throughout the novel functions to set up a number of oppositions which portray a sense of loss of freedom and expression under the oppression of the colonizing oligarchy, illustrate the superficiality of oligarchic power and align the reader with expression over silence and transgression above oppression.
Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre entails a social criticism of the oppressive social ideas and practices of nineteenth-century Victorian society. The presentation of male and female relationships emphases men’s domination and perceived superiority over women. Jane Eyre is a reflection of Brontë’s own observation on gender roles of the Victorian era, from the vantage point of her position as governess much like Jane’s. Margaret Atwood’s novel was written during a period of conservative revival in the West partly fueled by a strong, well-organized movement of religious conservatives who criticized ‘the excesses of the sexual revolution.’ Where Brontë’s Jane Eyre is a clear depiction of the subjugation of women by men in nineteenth-century Western culture, Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale explores the consequences of a reversal of women’s rights by men. This twentieth-century tradition of dystopian novels is a possible influence, with classics like Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World and George Orwell’s 1984 standing prominence. The pessimism associated with novels of this genre—where society is presented as frightening and restrictive—exposes the gender inequality between men and women to be deleterious.
Throughout the ages, the fight for women’s rights and equality has always been an uphill battle, from Abigail Adams’ famous reminder to her husband John to “think about the women,” to women earning less than their male counterparts when doing the same job in today’s society. This hindrance that comes with being a woman is also prominently featured in A Mercy, by Toni Morrison. Most of the female characters are vital to the plot, although almost all are made to be dependant on others in some form, while others are painted in a fashion not at all coveted. In A Mercy, women of all races and social classes are presented to have an undesirable socioeconomic status, through their family’s ranking, mental vulnerability, and their contrast to men in the book.
Throughout literature’s history, female authors have been widely recognized for their groundbreaking and eye-opening accounts of what it means to be a woman in society. In most cases of early literature, women are portrayed as weak and unintelligent characters who rely solely on their male counterparts. Also during this time period, it would be shocking to have women characters in some stories, especially since their purpose is only secondary to that of the male protagonist. But, in the late 17th to early 18th century, a crop of courageous women began publishing their works, beginning the literary feminist movement. Together, Aphra Behn, Charlotte Smith, Fanny Burney, and Mary Wollstonecraft challenge the status quo of what it means to be a woman during the time of the Restoration Era and give authors and essayists of the modern day, such as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a platform to become powerful, influential writers of the future.
The principles governing the relationships between sexes as well power has consistently been greeted with a great deal of dissension. The elusive balance pertaining to the power, respect, as well as rights between men and woman has frequently led to quarrels in days both present and past through the forms of rallies, boycotts, street marches, as well as other forms of activism. In Atwood’s compelling novel, The Handmaid’s Tale, which set in Gilead: a totalitarian, dystopian society, Atwood digs deep into the sexual politics of females as well as the misogynistic antics of the architects of Gilead.
Oakes, Anna. "Isabel Allende's "The House of the Spirits" novel upheld on challenge.”. The Watauga Democrat, 26 Oct. 2013. Web. 20 Jan. 2014. .