Good and Evil: The Role of Men and Women in Literature

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Recommended: Role of women in English literature

"Goblin Market" by Christina Rossetti, is about two sisters who go trotting along in the market and see fine fruits. Laura tries to help her sister by constantly telling her not to look at the “evil” men selling the evil fruits. The naive sister gives in and gets sick after eating bad goblin fruit, and is soon healed because of her sister's bravery. When women show bravery in literature it is often a big deal because it is uncommon for the woman to be the hero. “We must not look at the Goblin men; we must not buy their fruits” (42-43). The previous quote is what Laura says to Lizzie as she expresses her knowledge about the goblin. This particular time, a woman is the hero. A woman is saving other women and protecting her, the very effort of doing this is big step forward for women of this time. Although, her protection wasn’t strong enough, she attempted and that the significance of it all. This also is a reminder that a woman is not able to do a manly duty, to protect. The women were not strong enough, but the narrator does not let the reader think she wasn’t brave enough or perhaps too scared. There are no significant heroes in English literature, only female protagonist. For example, Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”, Elizabeth remains calm, cool and collected while tending to her sisters, waiting for a man to propose and other dramas of the novel. Women can be an emotional hero in many different English literatures but they will never have the opportunity to take heroic physical action. Society was dominated by men and gender roles were important in this time period. Men and women must fulfill what they are expected to do and be at all times. “We must not look at Goblin men, we must not buy their fruits” (42-43). This is whe...

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...nglish literature to modern day English literature. Women have been empowered to be the hero or a story, and to aid to a man, or to avoid one. Women also represent the good and pureness of a tale, and men often portray the opposite. In these particular works I selected, women play the braver role and men play the helpless role. In Paradise Lost, Milton did not use a specific man or woman role. He used God and the devil, but if you break down the characteristics of the concepts “good” and “bad” and put them in the category of a man and woman, you can deviate which concept belongs to each gender. For instance, pureness and good doing is God and resembles a woman, and persuasion and evil doing resemble a man. As men, they are still seen as the hero today, but women have also progressed in making a statement that they are just as brave, knowledgeable, and heroic as men.

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