Mistreatment Of Women In Mikhail Sholokhov's And Quiet Flows The Don

In the early 20th century, Russian society grappled with social conflicts that were common in the farther reaches of the globe. An obvious problem within early Russian history was the complete mistreatment of women in an overly patriarchal society. In a society based on male dominance it is important to attempt to find when public sentiment shifted towards a more equal approach to the sexes. As if the mistreatment of women was not bad enough, it is evident that strong-armed government influence existed in early Russian society. A detailed understanding of these dilemmas is key to understanding the larger picture of early history in Russia.
A disconnect between genders was exhibited in early Russian culture. The objectification of women was a common problem in the Soviet society. In Mikhail Sholokhov’s And Quiet Flows The Don, there is an abundant amount of examples detailing men’s attitudes toward women. Early on in the novel there is a disturbing depiction of rape between Aksinia Astakhov and her father. It is difficult to comprehend the motives behind an act of rape, especially when coupled with incest, but that is not occurrence of rape within the novel. Further on there is a particularly vivid account of a gang rape scene between multiple Cossack soldiers and a young woman. Although particularly difficult to read, this moment further illustrates the female objectification present in this time-period by clarifying the commonality of the abhorrent treatment of women. Furthermore, it is revealed that the men are more than willing to resort to violence if it is necessary to keep the rape a secret, “Breath a word… and, by Christ, we’ll kill you!” (186). In a different aspect of everyday life, at times it seems that women are not...

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... power due to the installation of collectivization. Due to laws forbidding the private sale of individually produced goods, the peasantry is forced to rely on whatever is being sold at the market each day. Additionally in Volodina’s Election Day the lack of effort regarding the conditions of housing is an indicator of what is truly important to the decision-makers in the Soviet government. Couple the housing inaction with the coercive elections shown in the story and a clear picture of government influence is evident in soviet society.
Throughout the reign of Lenin and then Stalin the change from a patriarchal society to a more equal society has certainly been a positive outcome. The seemingly dictatorial and coercive government, however, was not a favorable outcome. It is clear that there is much room for improvement in Russian society at the end of Stalin’s reign.