Unmet Expectations A person’s ability to meet a society’s expectations determines whether or not they are accepted or rejected in their society. In Delirium and Where the Crawdads Sing, the respective societies cast their protagonists out because they are unable to meet these expectations. The authors of Delirium and Where the Crawdads Sing both significantly use the portrayal of the main characters Lena and Kya, who are trapped as a means to criticize society; in view of the fact that Lena is unable to be her true self in her society, Kya is left in the periphery of her society, and both girls suffer at the hands of rigid societal expectations that neither of them can meet. Delirium criticizes the current society’s rigid expectations by displaying …show more content…
Neither Lena nor Kya can meet the strict expectations of their respective societies, because of fundamental differences in their personalities versus standards, their inability to conform is also represented in today’s society through the judging and strict expectations. In Lena’s society, the government wants to control the people’s emotions, but Lena, being as strong-willed as she is, refuses to live that way because she would “rather die on [her] own terms than live on theirs” (Oliver 425). Once Lena figured out who she truly was, she was never going to be able to survive within the confines of society. Similarly, Kya was so different from her society, even after growing up, she could never be able to live like the town considered a normal life. Both girls struggled in their societies because of how different they were from what was an average life. During her trial, Kya’s lawyer spoke on how the town’s rejection of Kya because they “thought she was different” had prevented her from becoming a society member (Owens
From a young age girls are taught how to act in society and how society wants girls to act. In the three stories by Jamacia Kincaid, Alice Munro, and Joyce Carol Oates, we see how the mothers teach and reinforce the gender roles placed on women by society. The daughters in Annie John, “Boys and Girls,” and “Shopping” are all subjects of a greater force while growing up, and they try not to conform to gender roles and the ideals of women that the mothers have. In Annie John Annie’s mother forces Annie to grow up and become a respectable woman; however, Annie refuses to follow the roles assigned to a woman. At a young age, unbeknownst to her, Annie learned certain gender roles.
Although Lena encounters hardships of disapproval from her reversal of stereotypical gender roles in the beginning of the novel, she finds a place of belonging in her society as a fashion designer towards the end. Throughout the novel, other women do not approve of Lena or how she lives her life. However, when Jim visits Lena at work, he observes her interactions with her female customers. She shows great customer service, and the clients say that she “has style” (193). Cather illustrates to the readers that Lena has eventually found her place in society. Lena is an independent business woman who embodies strength and establishes that in her response to Jim’s concerns about her relationship with Pole. She states that “Men are all right for friends, but as soon as you marry them they turn into cranky old fathers, even the wild ones… I prefer to be foolish when I feel like it, and be accountable to nobody” (200). Instead of focusing on her relationship with men, Lena soon becomes a successful dressmaker in
Klara Becker’s role as a spinster in the novel gives her to have an advantage over other women. As a spinster, society allows her to be a bit eccentric. Taking over the farm after the death of her father and grandfather was considered eccentric for a spinster but madness if it was a widow. This shows that the place of the women in this society is not equal to that of a male.
The first image of Lena in the novel is as newly arrived, pseudo-sophisticated country girl who has come to town to learn the trade of dressmaking. However, from the beginning of our knowledge of Lena she is anti-domestic. Lena recognizes that marriage is difficult-- she is never caught up in the "idea" of romance which leads Ántonia to a disastrous relationship and unwed motherhood. Ántonia takes the dances and socializing much more seriously and ends up in trouble, whereas Lena enjoys dancing and kissing but is merely having fun. When asked about her mother, Lena responds, "Oh, mother's never very well; she has too much to do. She'd get away from the farm, too, if she could" (Cather, 104). When Frances Harling teases Lena about a suitor who the town thinks Lena will marry, she responds, "I don't want to marry Nick, or any other man, . . . I've seen a good deal of married life, and I don't care for it" (105). It seems impossible for the town to believe that a beautiful gir...
Egalitarianism can be absurd and detrimental to American society. In the story, heavy weights are put on strong people, and grotesque masks are put on attractive women. Also, many other people who have an above average intelligence often listen to loud noises which render them from completing a thought (5-7). Harrison’s father, George, compares the noises to, “somebody hitting a milk bottle with a ball peen hammer.” Darryl Hattenhauer of Arizona State proposes that “The story satirizes the American definition of freedom as the greatest good to the smallest number.” Unfortunately, the sacrifice of the individual to the good of society doesn’t improve conditions for the above average, average, or below (Alvarez). Joseph Alvarez suggests that, “the result [of the] power vacuum [is] a ruthless central government created by legislative controls people’s lives, which have become as meaningless as if they were machines.” In addition, the American dream that is described as moving up social and economic class through hard work and education; turn into a nightmare (Hattenhauer). For example, Kurt Vonnegut infers that the ballerina who reads ann...
Unrealistically, the narrator believes that she would be of use to her father more and more as she got older. However, as she grows older, the difference between boys and girls becomes more clear and conflicting to her.
Society tries to place many rules upon an individual as to what is acceptable and what is not . One must decide for themselves whether to give in to these pressures and conform to society’s projected image, or rather to resist and maintain their own desired self image. In the story “Boys and Girls” by Alice Munro, Munro suggests that this conflict is internal and external and a persons experiences in life will determine which of these forces will conquer. In terms of the unnamed protagonist’s experiences in the story, it becomes clear just how strong the pressure of society to conform really is, as it overcomes and replaces the girl’s self image.
The short story, “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid deals with being a young female in a poor country. This can be seen because Kincaid’s complicated relationship with her own mother is illustrated with the mother-daughter dynamic in the story. As I continued to read the story, I saw bitterness and worriness from the mother grow towards her daughter as she became a teenager. Throughout the story, the mother would tell her daughter, “this is how you do this… and you must act like this,” forcing the young women to act and be someone she did not want to be. It was like she was protective of her daughter and did not want her to ruin her life. Throughout the whole story, the mother was telling the daughter how to do chores a certain way so when she grew into a woman she knew how to do them
In a Doll’ s House, a certain number of imprisonment effects are at hand. Characters such as Nora or Kristine, are condemned either by poverty or by the situation or even by the role that women were expected to play and accept in this very conventional society, regardless of the fact that they were, despite this, respected and considered as the “pillars'; of society.
In Karen Russell’s short story St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves Claudette, the main character, and other teenagers are being raised in a home where they learn how to adapt to human society. Some girls accomplish this task while other girls fail. The wolf girl Claudette truly is conformed and successfully adapts to human society. Claudette proves this by her relationship with her other sisters along with her relationship with herself.
Unwilling to accept her supposed role in society, Nora wanted to figure out whether women should live under the guidance of men or if they should make decisions based on their own knowledge. Nora could not tolerate abiding by the rules of her male-dominated society. It took much fortitude for Nora to rebel against the views of the majority of people, and to reflect on the information she got herself instead of letting it be determined by another.
She makes her own way, makes her own rules and she makes no apologies. A Bad Girl blazes her own trail and removes obstacles from her path. A Bad Girl fights and forces her way to the top with style and beauty. A Bad Girl believes in jumping first and looking later. People will love you. People will hate you. Others will secretly wish to be you. A Bad Girl is you” (Season 16, episode 3). The framing of these women shows the image of an immature young women outrageous behavior and broken down structure to womanhood. Furthermore, sends a message to young girls that it is okay to act like a “bad girl” for older women in their twenties and late twenties are rewarded with camera time, a limitless supply of alcohol with a limo to chauffeur them to party’s. Normal behavior is portrayed as uninteresting, undesirable and worthless, and is covered up by the drama, fighting and drinking to advertise more normal lifestyle for the girls. Girls are put into a terrible double blind. They 're supposed to repress their power, their anger, and their exuberance and be simply "nice", although they also eventually must compete with men in business world and be successful. They must be overly sexy and attractive but essentially passive and virginal (Kilbourne
However, with Jim's exit from her life, she began the journey of decentering men from her life and began to live for herself. Women often felt compelled to compromise their values and customs for their husbands, with Crystal taking a similar journey. Crystal is a pensive person, shown by how she chooses to watch her step and tie her hair back in the treacherous terrain she finds herself in. Meanwhile, Jim ridicules her cautiousness and continues making haphazard attempts at his dream, even after failing countless times. In a period when men were the ultimate authority and most knowledgeable in society, Crystal demonstrated the necessity to retain the qualities of herself, even in the face of oppression.
One might ask what does that have to do with the bourgeoisie and its control over ideology? If we look at the young girls statements closely we may see underlying meanings. This young girl is missing out on her childhood; a time when she is supposed to be learning values that only her parents can supply. These values that she should be learning at home from her parents are now being instilled by values learned on the street attempting to make a living. When the girl says, "we never goes [go] home to breakfast till we've sold out" (Mayhew 1839).
...n life is more important than the conquest expected and set by society. An example of her blatant disregard for society is when she rejects the request of Karenin to stay in the marriage (although she has fallen in love with someone else) in order to maintain superficial appearances of an intact marriage and family.