Sexual Objectivity in Ruined
In Lynn Nottage’s playwright Ruined, some would argue that having been previously raped and sexually tortured, the women working for Mama Nadi are comparatively more sexually empowered when working in the brothel, as they consent to sex with the men; unfortunately, that is not the case. The situation is the same, the women are still being sexually objectified and exploited, only by a different perpetrator—Mama Nadi. Thereby, Mama Nadi is the only character that embodies sexual empowerment in the play. Her sexual empowerment is derived from her ability to take active ownership over her decisions, which are ultimately self-serving. Therefore, by placing Mama Nadi in a position to benefit by treating other women as commodities without regard to their personality or dignity, Nottage creates a unique dynamic in both power relations and conventional gender roles. More specifically, Mama Nadi is advantaged despite the gender norm of women being oppressed in her society. Compared to the other girls, Mama Nadi is substantially well off,
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as she is sycophantic, while the other girls are objectified for her personal gain. This juxtaposition between the objectifier and objectified in Ruined provides perspective on both objectification and the feminist outlook on female empowerment. Nottage’s incorporation of these two distinct portrayals of women prompts this analysis. Ruined creates a venue for dialogue about the conflation with female sexual objectification and empowerment. The relation between subject and object has been a topic of discussion for years. Nottage introduces this coupling in Ruined by constantly creating a dynamic in which the women in the brothel are objects and other agents are subjects. Women inherently are objectified by the subjective position of a masculine figure; in other words, “Humanity is male and man defines woman not in herself but as relative to him; she is not regarded as an autonomous being” (de Beauvoir 177). Objectification can be argued as being good or bad depending on the context; understanding this also shows “the allegedly impossible combination between (a form of) objectification and ‘equality, respect, and consent’ might, after all, be possible” (Nussbaum 251). Mama Nadi is proof of positive objectification as she recognizes the advantage in offering sex to men who scarcely have access to it being that it is war time. She is respected by men who pay for company with her girls, war generals, and commanders, which is notable since women are conventionally their subordinates. Still, Mama Nadi should in no way be regarded as benevolent as her fortune is because of the sexual objectification of the girls at the brothel which is nevertheless dehumanizing. Lynn Nottage’s Ruined explores the struggle of Congolese women during the mineral mining conflict in Africa. Though each of the women in the play have their own unique portrayals, they also have similarities that help group them. Collectively, the women that work in the brothel are all classified as objects. “The subject assigns a role onto the object, which exists only in its context of the subject” (poster author) –in the brothel the women’s roles are that of sex objects. The women at the brothel experience two distinguishable kinds of objectification depicted throughout the play. Prior to Mama Nadi, they were being objectified by soldiers. Sophie, for example, was brought to the brothel having been brutally raped and sodomized by soldiers. Joseline and Salima were also victims of wartime sexual violence. On the other hand, Mama Nadi continued to sexually objectify the women upon their arrival at the brothel. They were treated as sexual objects that perform under demand in order to increase her prosperity. Moreover, they were instruments of sexual pleasure, and Mama Nadi treated them like as such. This is apparent in many parts of the book which makes Ruined a stimulating take on the feminist outlook of female empowerment. Some people hold the misconstrued belief that being objects (of men) is what women want -- an “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” mentality, not recognizing the dehumanization. Ruined, with its characters, disproves this conception and shows that it is rather submissive and ideally self-objectifying, “whether or not [the sex object] feels dehumanized” (Vadas 20). Because she is the only sexually empowered character in Ruined, Mama Nadi exists in her own distinct category. She survives by profiting from men’s loneliness and desire. By appealing to them with her girls’ seductive auroras she swindles them into parting with their cash, and into joining the women in the bar’s back rooms. With Ruined having characters with such desperately sad backgrounds and all being in an unfortunate situation it makes sense for the reader to want to find some solace and good in the play—Mama Nadi. Through Mama Nadi’s tentative embrace of the damaged women and their eventual losses and redemptions, Nottage tempts the reader to believe that Mama Nadi has a heart and is a character to sympathize with. One would assume that although Mama Nadi treats her girls sternly, her gruff affection for them is what motivates her actions but that is falsely optimistic. There is no good/sweet ulterior side to Mama Nadi. Nottage offers the readers the information she did to simply depict Mama Nadi as a parasitic character, who is empowered by the objectification of others, which she unquestionably is. Mama Nadi recognizes the power in her own self-sexual objectification and of that of the girls which she objectifies. Only the force of her personality and her girls’ sexual pleasures with which she barters keeps the soldiers from raping her and her girls, and pillaging the bar and small stores on which they survive. The brothel is both a heaven and hell and its safety and comfort mercurial all that Mama profits from. Some would argue that the ending scene of Ruined, where Mama Nadi admits to Christian her ruined-ness and is emotionally vulnerable with him, is excusing of her objectifying the women at the brothel.
This, however, is not true. Activist and author Melinda Vada would respond to such a notion with, “self-interested reasons that would be offered by a woman who agrees that her treatment is sexually objectifying, but who wants the rewards that accompany such treatment (e.g., money or social status) are dismissed as generally insufficient for justification because such a woman creates a moral climate in which the violations of other women's rights to well-being and freedom become routine and acceptable” (Vadas 20). Mama Nadi is exactly the woman described in the preceding quote. Even though Mama Nadi is herself a victim, there is no explanation or excuse that negates the objectification and sexual exploitation of
women. Sexual objectification is irrefutably a strong proponent in in Lynn Nottage’s Ruined. Through the male and female objectification of the women of the brothel Nottage explores the nature of the objectifer and objectified. Mama Nadi, particularly, sexually objectifies herself and the women at the brothel for self-gain. Though her manipulation of sexualization is her means of survival, it does not excuse the fact she degrades other women, thus diminishing her character.
...c plot" limits and ignores the non-traditional female experience which is just as important to analyze. The Nan Princes, Lena Lingards and Tiny Solderalls of the fictional world deserve and demand critical attention not for what they don't do (the dishes) but for what they are-- working women.
The relationship between male and females within literary works can be expressed in a variety of different ways. Often times, gender roles are solidified to present the man as a dominant and overpowering figure, where the woman is seen as nurturing and are many times objectified due to this nature. In “Poof”, the reader is presented with an example of a woman who is ‘too accepting’ and ‘too giving’ to her male spouse, where as in “Good and Gone”, a male protagonist shatters the dominating nature of the standardized gender roles by loving a woman based off of common interest, not based off of submissive nature. Comparing these two protagonists of both plays, the writers, EP3C and Lynn Nottage, present a duality of dramatic effects by either
Throughout the plays, the reader can visualize how men dismiss women as trivial and treat them like property, even though the lifestyles they are living in are very much in contrast. The playwrights, each in their own way, are addressing the issues that have negatively impacted the identity of women in society.
Women and men are not equal. Never have been, and it is hard to believe that they ever will be. Sexism permeates the lives of women from the day they are born. Women are either trying to fit into the “Act Like a Lady” box, they are actively resisting the same box, or sometimes both. The experience of fitting in the box and resisting the box can be observed in two plays: Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun” and Henrick Ibsen’s “A Doll House”. In Hansberry’s play, initially, Beneatha seems uncontrolled and independent, but by the end she is controlled and dependent; whereas, in Ibsen’s play Nora seems controlled and dependent at the beginning of the play, but by the end she is independent and free.
Ehrenreich, Barbara and English, Deirdre."The 'Sick' Women of the Upper Classes," The Captive Imagination: A Casebook on the Yellow Wallpaper, ed. Catherine Golden, New York, Feminist Press, 1992, 90-109.
For example, in India many girls are being deprived from equal rights. In these societies, women are treated unequally and are blamed for any sexual advances thrown at them. In Rachel William’s article, “ Why girls in India are still missing out on the education they need”, the author states that women attempt to keep anyone from knowing that they are being harassed from the opposite sex so that they cannot be blamed for the men’s action. And, it is appalling to see that the ones that are penalized are not the men that are harassing the young girls, but the victims themselves. If we are really marginalizing men the way Rosin claims, then why does inequality, harassment and rape still
Women have been given by society certain set of duties, which although change through time, tend to stay relatively along the same lines of stereotypical women activities. In “A Doll House” and “Simply Maria” we see the perpetuation of these forms of behavior as an initial way of life for the two protagonists. Nonetheless we see a progression towards liberation and self discovery towards the development as a human being by breaking the rules of society. Such attitudes soon find opposing forces. those forces will put to the test the tenacity of these women and yield freedom and ownership for their lives which are owned by others at the start of their stories.
During the Elizabethan era women had a status of subordination towards men. They had a role to marry and oblige to their husband’s wishes. Shakespearean literature, especially illustrates how a woman is psychologically and physically lesser to their male counterpart. The play, Othello, uses that aspect in many different ways. From a Feminist lens others are able to vividly examine how women were subjected to blatant inferiority. Being displayed as tools for men to abuse, women were characterized as possessions and submissive; only during the last portion of the play did the power of women take heed.
Women in most cultures have been designated as second to men and in some instances, considered below male children as well. With the passage of time women gained respect and the right for equality. Although gender discrimination remains, a lot of progress has been achieved. Literature is a one of the facets of the human race that reflects the culture change of people. William Shakespeare’s King Lear portrays the patriarchal system of the Renaissance era, which leaves women completely dependent on the male head of household. In Henrik Ibsen’s Doll House, set in the modern era, there is still a patriarchal system but women have just a little more freedom. The article, The Doll House Backlash: Criticism, Feminism, and Ibsen by Joan Templeton, analyzes the gender subordination in A Doll House. Comparing and contrasting the themes of the two plays followed by consideration of the article’s research on the theme in A Doll House, assists in developing an understanding of the gradual progression of women’s freedom to be their “true selves” through equality with men. The “true self” is a person's character that is masked by a false portrayal designed to appeal to others.
As the realization of women as an exploited group increases, the similarity of their position to that of racial and ethnic groups becomes more apparent. Women are born into their sexual identity and are easily distinguished by physical and cultural characteristics. In addition, women now identify that they are all sufferers of an ideology (sexism) that tries to justify their inferior treatment.
In 1979, Caryl Churchill wrote a feminist play entitled Cloud Nine. It was the result of a workshop for the Joint Stock Theatre Group and was intended to be about sexual politics. Within the writing she included a myriad of different themes ranging from homosexuality and homophobia to female objectification and oppression. “Churchill clearly intended to raise questions of gender, sexual orientation, and race as ideological issues; she accomplished this largely by cross-dressing and role-doubling the actors, thereby alienating them from the characters they play.” (Worthen, 807) The play takes part in two acts; in the first we see Clive, his family, friends, and servants in a Victorian British Colony in Africa; the second act takes place in 1979 London, but only twenty-five years have passed for the family. The choice to contrast the Victorian and Modern era becomes vitally important when analyzing this text from a materialist feminist view; materialist feminism relies heavily on history. Cloud Nine is a materialist feminist play; within it one can find examples that support all the tenets of materialist feminism as outlined in the Feminism handout (Bryant-Bertail, 1).
...present powerful characters, while females represent unimportant characters. Unaware of the influence of society’s perception of the importance of sexes, literature and culture go unchanged. Although fairytales such as Sleeping Beauty produce charming entertainment for children, their remains a didactic message that lays hidden beneath the surface; teaching future generations to be submissive to the inequalities of their gender. Feminist critic the works of former literature, highlighting sexual discriminations, and broadcasting their own versions of former works, that paints a composite image of women’s oppression (Feminist Theory and Criticism). Women of the twenty-first century serge forward investigating, and highlighting the inequalities of their race in effort to organize a better social life for women of the future (Feminist Theory and Criticism).
Since the beginning of time, women have always been seen as things purely for the pleasure and benefit of men. Women have always been objectified. Objectification is seeing and treating a person as if they did not have thoughts and feelings, as if they had the status of an object.{1} Only in recent years have they begun to be seen as individuals of equal intelligence and ability. You may think, ”Women have had equal rights for a while. I do not see how this is a problem.” It may not seem like women were given their rights recently, but in our history, women have been treated objectively for thousands of years, even dating back to biblical times. Still, even when women have the same rights, opportunities, and responsibility as men, women can be found almost everywhere being treated as though they were incompetent and lesser human beings.{4}
The role of women has changed significantly throughout history, driven by women who took risks in setting examples for others to follow. Henrik Isben, author of A Doll's House, said “ A woman cannot be herself in society of the present day, which is an exclusively masculine society, with laws framed by men and with a judicial system that judges feminine conduct from a masculine point of view” (Innes 147). This proves that Isben was aware of male dominance in society during that time period. In his drama, “A Doll's House,” it deals with gender favoritism and male dominance.
Women can be perceived or looked at in many ways. They are depicted not only as mothers, but also as friends, companions, and even prostitutes. Today’s society has a variety of images of what they feel women should be and what they actually are. Likewise in Ike Oguine’s A Squatter’s Tale, women are portrayed through various roles such as mothers, girl friends or companions, and prostitutes to reflect the society.