Feminist Objectification In The Book Of Margery Kempe

In the book of Margery Kempe, the reader can notice how poorly John Kempe treats Kempe throughout the book. If this book was looked at from a feminist point of few, they would notice objectification made by John Kempe about Kempe. Feminist objectification can be defined as the seeing or treating of a person, usually a woman, as an object. The type of objectification shown in the book of Margery Kempe would be sexual objectification which is objectification in a sexual realm. Margery Kempe in the book of Margery Kempe, makes use of denial of subjectivity, reduction to body, and silencing to show how John Kempe treats her throughout the book.

Denial of subjectivity is the treatment of a person as something whose experience and feelings (if any)

need not to be taken into account. This is shown in the book of Margery Kempe when Kempe tells her husband John that she no longer wants to have sex with him anymore. Kempe wants to live a chaste life from here on out. John Kempe does not take Kempe’s feeling seriously. John Kempe still wants to continue to have sex with his wife Kempe. Even though Kempe no longer wants to have sex with John, he makes it clear that they are still going to have sex anyways. This example shows denial of subjectivity because clearly John Kempe is not taking his wife’s feelings into consideration. John Kempe knows that his wife does not want to have sex with him anymore but he is going to make her have sex with him anyways. Kempe told her husband John that she had rather, she thought, eat or drink the ooze, the muck in the channel, than consent to any fleshly communing, save only for obedience (Kempe, 2001, p. 10). Kempe was so serious about not having sex with John Kempe that she got herself a hair cloth from kiln such as men use for drying malt and laid it in her kirtle as subtly and privily as she might so that her husband should not spay it, nor did he (Kempe, 2001, p. 11). Denial of subjectivity was also shown in the book of Margery Kempe when the man from the church told her that he would lie by her and have his lust of his body, and she should not withstand him, for, if he might not have his will that time (Kempe, 2001, p. 12). This is an example of denial of subjectivity because Kempe was really excited and looking forward to being with this man. That night she laid in bed next to her John labored and vexed for the other man but when she went to be with him, he told her that he wouldn’t for all the good in this world; he had rather been hewn as small as meat for a pot. After the church man said this to her Kempe walked away all shamed and confused within herself, seeing his stableness (Kempe, 2001, p. 13). Clearly the church man did not take Kempe’s feelings into consideration. Kempe really liked the church man and was really looking forward to meeting him. The church man fooled Kempe into thinking that he like her and wanted to be with her. This proves that men do not take the feelings of woman seriously and do not take care of their feeling the way they need to be taken care of.
Reduction to body is the treatment of a person as identified with their body, or body parts.

After Kempe tells John Kempe that she no longer wants to have sex with him, John does not take Kempe’s feelings into account. John says that “he should when god would and so he would use her as he had done before and he would not spare” (Kempe, 2001, p. 10). John Kempe continues to have sex with his wife because he believes that she is his piece of property and that it is her job to have sex with him. Reduction to body is shown in this example because John Kempe is identifying his wife by her body parts and not all the other qualities that make up his wife. Kempe will grant her husband’s wish of still having sex, but with great weeping and sorrowing because she might not be, but with great weeping and sorrowing because she might not be chaste anymore (Kempe, 2001, p. 10). Another example of reduction to body in the book of Margery Kempe is when Jesus tells Margery “Therefore must I needs be homely with you and lie in your bed with you” (Kempe, 2001, p. 66). … “As a good wife ought to love her husband” (Kempe, 2001, p. 66). … In this quote Jesus is telling Margery that she needs to love him the way a wife should love her husband and that is by having sex with him. Jesus is also saying that this can be done by kissing him on the mouth. Jesus ends by saying that this deed can be done as often as she wants. This shows reduction to body because Jesus is think of Margery as identify

with her body and not all the other qualities that she possess.
Silencing is the treatment of a person as if they are silent, or lacking the capacity to talk.

The reader can witness silencing in the book of Margery Kempe when Kempe is excluded from local parishes because of her troubled relationship with the priests. The priests excluded Kempe from the churches because they are irritated by her cries and weeping. By the parishes and priests excluding Kempe they are essentially silencing her and not allowing her to talk or show her emotions. The priests in the book of Margery Kempe are putting Kempe into a traditional gender role by excluding her from the church because they are irritated with her crying and weeping. The traditional gender role cast woman as being emotional, weak, nurturing, and submissive (Tyson, 2006, p. 85). This is being used to exclude Kempe from equal access to the church. Kempe’s emotions should not have had her excluded from the parish. This was the parishes’ way of silencing Kempe. Another example of Kempe being silenced in the book of Margery Kempe is when she is getting married to Jesus. Margery believe that she got married to Christ on in chapter thirty five in the book of Margery Kempe. During the ceremony Margery did not talk. She stayed silent even when asked a question. Christ said “Daughter, I will have you wedded to my Godhead, for I shall show you my secret and my counsels, for you shall dwell with me and without end” (Kempe, 2001, p. 63). After Christ finished his statement Margery kept silence in her

soul and answered not (Kempe, 2001, p. 63). The second person asked Margery, “What say you, Margery daughter, to my Father of these words that he speaks to you? Are you pleased that it is so?” (Kempe, 2001, p. 63). Again Margay would not answer the second person but wept (Kempe, 2001, p.63). Final the second person answered to the Father for her and said “Father, have her excused, for she is yet but young and not fully learned as to how she should answer” (Kempe, 2001, p. 63). This confirms silencing because Margery was not given a change to answer the question she had been asked. The second person just simply answered it for her. This demonstrations that the Father and the second person do not care about Margery’s thoughts or feelings. It indication that they believe that Margery is unable or incapable of speaking. The reader knows that Margery is capable of speaking, but she was not given enough time to answer the question she was asked.
In conclusion to this feminist analysis of Margery Kempe we can noticed that Margery was silenced throughout the book and also was shown a denial of subjectivity. The reader can also note that Margery was shown a reeducation to body as well throughout the book. Objectifications where made by many of the male figures in this book. In this entry the objectification shown was a sexual one. The point of this feminist analysis is to increase the understanding of the experiences that Margery went through during the time of this book.