What if metamorphosis could cause a revolution? In her radical short story Reeling for the Empire, Karen Russell describes a world where women’s rights, independence, and identity are stripped from them and are converted into monsters. The women of nowhere mill are transformed into silkworms, locked away in the mill to spin for the rest of their lives. However an uprising begins as the women begin to reestablish themselves and overtake their oppressors. In Reeling for the Empire, Russell uses the motif of metamorphosis to reveal the dawn of feminism in society.
The process of the women’s arrival to nowhere mill symbolizes their roles in society before the advocation for equality. The women of nowhere mill are not recruited directly, rather
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the agent asks the woman's father or husband, “He makes the pitch not to the woman herself but to her father or guardian, or in some few cases where single women cannot be procured, her husband.” The women are not seen as individuals capable of making their own decisions but are rather seen as labor systems that must do what is before for the family. Furthermore, these women come from wealthy or authoritative families who receive payment for their work, “They celebrate her new career and the five-yen advance against her legally mortgaged future,” presumably to further fund her family, not herself. Historically women were faced with identical roles, their lives were dictated by the leading males in the family and were forced to accept opportunities that would benefit the family regardless if they wanted to. Recruitment of women to nowhere mill is analogous to women’s roles in society. Transformation of the women’s bodies epitomizes female oppression in society. When the women of nowhere mill drink the tea their bodies begin to change into silkworms, they become less human and as such lose autonomy, “That tea he poured you back in Sakegawa. The agent is remaking your insides. Your intestines, your secret organs.” The women’s bodies are altered, they lose their appearance, as well as reproduction, reducing the meaning of their existence. In addition the women become dependent on mulberry leaves which are only supplied by the agent if the women produce silk. That is, the women of nowhere mill develop into creatures who can only depend on others to survive. Furthermore this conversion confines the will of the women in nowhere mill. As the women are transformed into silkworms they begin to create silk within their bodies continuously, “Every droplet of our energy, every moment of our time flows through the silk.” The transformation deprives their independence in order to produce silk for the mill. Moreover they have been confined to a brick room where the sole purpose of their existence is to produce for others. Women suffered the same oppression, social stigma was that women were supported and appeared how the leading male figure desired them to be. Women suffered a loss of independence and identity in the same way that the women of nowhere mill were subject to the transformation into silkworms before the advocacy of feminism arose. The silk cocoons reflect women’s advocacy for equality through rebirth.
After the women are able to harness their own silk they spin cocoons for their revolutionary uprising. The women then confront the agent and assail him announcing their revolt and newfound rights, “These wings of ours are invisible to you.” However the agent is unable to directly see the transformation as such he has yet to feel the full effect of the women’s revolt. In addition, the women will gain the freedom to escape from the mill through rebirth within the cocoons where they will grow wings and regain their autonomy as well as identity. What is more, after the women deprive the agent of influence over them they subject him to their revolutionary process by placing him in a cocoon, “The last thing I see before shutting his eyes is the reflection of my shining new face.” The rebirth of the women grants them new appearances and capabilities that will let them escape nowhere mill as well as enclosing their former oppressor and ending their entrapment. When advocacy for equality was becoming heavily supported mirror processes occurred, communities began to speak up for women's rights subduing views of oppressors which allowed women to become more independent and independent. The women’s assault on the agent resembles the actions of the advent of
feminism. The women of nowhere mill have regained their identity and independence from the creation of their cocoons, the transformation of the women’s bodies symbolize female oppression in society, and the process of the women’s arrival to nowhere mill signifies former roles of women. Reeling for the Empire places a heavy focuses on the women of nowhere mill, they are portrayed human machines whose sole purpose is to do other’s bidding. While Russell does reveal how women were affected before and during the birth of feminism, she fails to convey how males who advocated for equality took part in the establishment but instead treates them all as oppressors. Metamorphosis can cause a revolution, transforming a grotesque societal adoption into an alluring moth.
Women were auctioned off as “merchandise” to the best suitor they could get in town. Beauty, though important, was not as important as the dowry the woman possessed, because it was the dowry the family provided that could exalt a man’s societal status to all new heights. Once married, women were expected to have son’s for their husbands in order to take over the family business. A barren woman was not an option and could have easily been rushed to the nearest convent to take her vows of a nun, for no honor could be brought otherwise. No woman could run from the societal and legal pressures placed upon them. Rather than run, some chose to accept their place, but, like Lusanna, some chose to fight the status quo for rights they believed they
The book begins by explaining the roles that women in this time were known to have as this helps the reader get a background understanding of a woman’s life pre-war. This is done because later in the book women begin to break the standards that they are expected to have. It shows just how determined and motivated these revolutionary women and mothers were for independence. First and foremost, many people believed that a “woman’s truth was that God had created her to be a helpmate to a man” (p.4). Women focused on the domain of their households and families, and left the intellectual issues of the time and education to the men. Legally, women had almost no rights. Oppressed by law and tradition, women were restricted their choice of professions regardless of their identity or economic status. As a result, many women were left with few choices and were cornered into marriage or spinsterhood, which also had its limitations. As a spinster, you were deemed as unmarried who was past the usual age of marriage. Patronized by society, these women were left and stamped as “rejected”. On the other side, If the woman became married, all that she owned belonged to her husband, even her own existence. In exchange to her commitment, if a woman’s husband was away serving in the military or if she became a widower, she could use but not own, one-third of her husband’s property. This left her to manage the land and serve as a surrogate laborer in her husband’s absence. Needless to say, a day in a woman’s life then was filled with a full day of multi-tasking and as circumstances changed, more women had to adapt to their urban
2. The leading topic of the book is the history of the convention, which took place in 1848 and its further impact. First, the author starts from an introductory chapter, which describes in details the sufferings of women of that time. It is the first example supporting the diversity of topics touched by the author. For example, the McMillen mentions that the majority of women did not have any right to vote, receive the same amount of payment for the work they did equally with men, or hold property. All these issues have a relation to economic and political aspects, which penetrated the society of that time. In addition, throughout the book, the author mentions class divisions and discrimination based on race. All these discussions represent the book’s intention to touch on political, socia...
She showcases a variety of different scenarios, standards, and occupations that women were subjected to at the time. This helps the readers to see the difficulties women of that time period had to overcome to secure what little rights they were able. The oppression of working class women did not just affect those said individuals, but in turn, males, children, and other upper class females. Stansell’s ability to look beyond the normal subject matter permits her to capture the inimitable atmosphere surrounding the struggle of an assorted group of women to find their footing within the society of a nation that was facing its own struggle of independent and prominence. Thus, giving City of Women a fascinating edge against other books of a similar
Society continually places restrictive standards on the female gender not only fifty years ago, but in today’s society as well. While many women have overcome many unfair prejudices and oppressions in the last fifty or so years, late nineteenth and early twentieth century women were forced to deal with a less understanding culture. In its various formulations, patriarchy posits men's traits and/or intentions as the cause of women's oppression. This way of thinking diverts attention from theorizing the social relations that place women in a disadvantageous position in every sphere of life and channels it towards men as the cause of women's oppression (Gimenez). Different people had many ways of voicing their opinions concerning gender inequalities amound women, including expressing their voices and opinions through their literature. By writing stories such as Daisy Miller and The Yellow Wallpaper, Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Henry James let readers understand and develop their own ideas on such a serious topic that took a major toll in American History. In this essay, I am going to compare Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” to James’ “Daisy Miller” as portraits of American women in peril and also the men that had a great influence.
In the early years while the profits were high working conditions looked promising to the mill girls in their brief opening experiences of factory work. Jobs required little skill because the machinery was mostly self-acting. It looked very pleasant at first, the rooms were so light, spacious, and clean, the girls so pretty and neatly dressed, and the machinery so brightly polished or nicely painted (Harriet Farley, Letters from Susan, Letter Second).
Women in the nineteenth century, for the most part, had to follow the common role presented to them by society. This role can be summed up by what historians call the “cult of domesticity”. The McGuffey Readers does a successful job at illustrating the women’s role in society. Women that took part in the overland trail as described in “Women’s Diaries of the Westward Journey” had to try to follow these roles while facing many challenges that made it very difficult to do so.
From the beginning of this work, the woman is shown to have gone mad. We are given no insight into the past, and we do not know why she has been driven to the brink of insanity. The “beautiful…English place” that the woman sees in her minds eye is the way men have traditionally wanted women to see their role in society. As the woman says, “It is quite alone standing well back from the road…It makes me think of English places…for there are hedges and walls and gates that lock, and lots of separate little houses for the gardeners and people. There is a delicious garden! I never saw such a garden—large and shady, full of box-bordered paths, and lined with long grape-covered arbors with seats under them.” This lovely English countryside picture that this woman paints to the reader is a shallow view at the real likeness of her prison. The reality of things is that this lovely place is her small living space, and in it she is to function as every other good housewife should. The description of her cell, versus the reality of it, is a very good example of the restriction women had in those days. They were free to see things as they wanted, but there was no real chance at a woman changing her roles and place in society. This is mostly attributed to the small amount of freedom women had, and therefore they could not bring about a drastic change, because men were happy with the position women filled.
Throughout history society has been controlled by men, and because of this women were exposed to some very demanding expectations. A woman was expected to be a wife, a mother, a cook, a maid, and sexually obedient to men. As a form of patriarchal silencing any woman who deviated from these expectations was often a victim of physical, emotional, and social beatings. Creativity and individuality were dirty, sinful and very inappropriate for a respectful woman. By taking away women’s voices, men were able to remove any power that they might have had. In both Alice Walker’s “The Color Purple” and Kate Chopin’s “The Awakening”, we see that there are two types of women who arise from the demands of these expectations. The first is the obedient women, the one who has buckled and succumbed to become an empty emotionless shell. In men’s eyes this type of woman was a sort of “angel” perfect in that she did and acted exactly as what was expected of her. The second type of woman is the “rebel”, the woman who is willing to fight in order to keep her creativity and passion. Patriarchal silencing inspires a bond between those women who are forced into submission and/or those who are too submissive to maintain their individuality, and those women who are able and willing to fight for the ability to be unique.
Juxtaposition is the art of contrast and authors often use juxtaposition as a tool of both subtlety and boldness. Whether it is to illustrate the character’s ideals or emphasize conflict, authors utilize juxtaposition to provide a better understanding for the readers. Haruki Murakami’s “Family Affair” and Karen Russell’s “Reeling for the Empire” both invite the readers to understand the character by continuously collocating the character’s personality and action in the form of symbols and descriptions.
Women had no choice but to follow whatever society told them to because there was no other option for them. Change was very hard for these women due to unexpected demands required from them. They held back every time change came their way, they had to put up with their oppressors because they didn’t have a mind of their own. Both authors described how their society affected them during this historical period.
In the mid nineteenth century America was going through an age of reform. The person who would be the center of these reforms would be the women in society. Women soon realized that in order to make sure that all the reforms went through they would need more power and influence in society. The oppression and discrimination the women felt in this era launched the women into create the women’s right movement. The women fought so zealously for their rights it would be impossible for them not to achieve their goals. The sacrifices, suffering, and criticism that the women activist made would be so that the future generations would benefit the future generations.
Women roles have changed drastically in the last 50 to 80 years, women no longer have to completely conform to society’s gender roles and now enjoy the idea of being individuals. Along with the evolution of women roles in society, women presence and acceptance have drastically grown in modern literature. In early literature it was common to see women roles as simply caretakers, wives or as background; women roles and ideas were nearly non-existent and was rather seen than heard. The belief that women were more involved in the raising of children and taking care of the household was a great theme in many early literatures; women did not get much credit for being apart of the frontier and expansion of many of the nations success until much later.
During the course of history, women have always been portrayed inferior to men. Times have gone by and a stigma has developed causing an impression that a women’s life can only be sustained by the presence of men. At times when an opportunity arrives for a woman to take the leadership role, society often hesitates and doubt their ability and strength. Although the social structure of the 18th century paved the way for a women’s role to evolve, this absurd thought of inferiority still infiltrated the minds of women in turn causing uncertainties in their own capability. In the poem “Hazel tells Laverne” Katharyn Howd Machan usage of symbolism and motifs demonstrates the inner struggle of a working class woman who has escaped male dependency, yet she stills battles insecurities that have made her contempt in the life created by patriarchal eras.
This shows that woman, as well as other groups, gather around the idea that the utopian ideal must deal with change. This idea of change for a utopia to happen is one that seems to have been an overarching theme throughout the Utopian Literature class. This type of discussion is still playing out in the world today, some such examples being equality of pay for both genders who have the same occupation,