Ami McKay’s The Birth House follows Dora Rare through her life in Scots Bay. Facing challenges at every turn, women in the town find it difficult to live as others threaten their ability to live comfortable in their society. Reclaiming their rights to their own body becomes challenging as the ever changing dynamics between males and females affects the lives those living in Scots Bay. In a time of societal and medical advancement during World War I, McKay explores themes of male dominance, feminism, and the medicalization of childbirth.
In a society where males dominate, men feel as though they have control over their women. Male entitlement is common in Scots Bay, and when their needs and desires are not met they resort to manipulation and
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violence achieve them. The male figures in Dora’s life often abuse her and other women around her. Archer Bigelow expects Dora to satisfy his sexual needs whenever he pleases, and as their marriage progresses his advancements become violent which causes their marriage to fall apart. Archer believes that ‘a wife should be willing and happy to take her husband in any time he likes, [and] that he’s allowed to be demanding and restless, never giving [Dora] a day’s rest for the pain” (McKay 172). Despite Dora’s efforts to avoid intercourse with Archer, he often forces himself on her because he feels entitled to her body. Archer believes that because Dora is now his wife, he can use her body however he pleases as it is her duty as a woman.Archer Bigelow abuses Dora domestically, yet Dora faces abuse outside of her married life as well. Dr. Thomas abuses his status as an male obstetrician to manipulate and use Dora Rare, in hopes of his business in Scots Bay gaining popularity. He uses a 19th- century diagnosis of neurasthenia, a “female disorder that presents itself through hysterical tendencies” (McKay 194) Dr. Thomas, understanding the affect the treatment would have, uses this treatment to leave Dora emotionally and sexually vulnerable in order to ‘render [her] subject to his ministrations’ (Mintz 19). Dora purchases her own devices to aid in repairing her marriage, yet it is evident that no amount of treatment will be able to save Dora from her relationship with Archer that has been weakened by sexual abuse and violence. Finally, there are men who abuse their power outside of Dora's life. Brady Ketch is an abusive alcoholic. Although his wife Experience Ketch is weak from being pregnancy, Brady Ketch forces her to tend to the family despite being told otherwise. Experience could not “squat to milk to cow [and said] that it hurt too much. [Brady Ketch] made her do it anyways.” (McKay 8). Brady not only forces his wife to work before and after giving birth, he sells his daughter body for money to purchase alcohol, taking advantage of the fact that they are unable to defend themselves. The men of Scots Bay continue to use their power to abuse and belittle the women of Scots Bay, and these women refuse to take their abuse any longer. As society progresses, feminism becomes a topic of discussion across the globe.
Women in Scots Bay wish for equality, and Dora Rare often challenges stereotypes and roles that others expect her to fit into. Dora challenges the stereotype of a sweet, submissive women by openly expressing herself. Judah Rare, Dora’s father, believes that Dora expresses herself too often. He believes that she ‘thinks on things too long, especially for a woman’ (McKay 39).
Men expect women to express themselves only when necessary, and this implies that women in Scots Bay cannot openly participate in discussion without men silencing
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them. Dora’s ability to express herself also shocks Dr. Thomas. Dr. Thomas points out after the first meeting at Canning Maternity Home that it is ‘a pleasure to see such thoughtfulness in a young lady” (McKay 60). Men expect a certain sweetness from women; a quiet, respectable woman who will succumb to their every command. Once Dr. Thomas believes that Dora is sexually vulnerable to him, he attempts to use this against her. Dora she is able to clearly express her feelings through her actions by pouring a jug of “Sure Sweet Molasses” (McKay 234) over Dr. Thomas’ head once he oversteps these boundaries. Women inside and outside of Scots Bay wish for equality. They are disappointed to find that “the amendment that would allow votes for women in the US has been defeated yet again” (McKay 338). They hope that if one country allows women to be able to vote, other will be inspired to do the same. Miss Babineau trusts that one day women will be equal to men, and believes that things are changing for women. In Boston, feminists hold suffragist meetings, and Maxine spends her nights “writing letters to every congressmen and member of the US Senate” (McKay 338) in hopes of changing their mind about dismissing the bill. Despite their efforts, women are still second class citizens under male rule, and feminism in Scots Bay does not have a significant impact on life. The advancement of medicine in the early twentieth century increasingly influences the process of childbirth and the rights of women.
Dora Rare and Miss Babineau are the only people capable of assisting in childbirth in Scots Bay until Dr. Thomas opens Canning Maternity Home. Dr. Thomas’ promotion of the maternity home allows men in Scots Bay to act upon the privileges they have and further limit women's rights to their own body, while Dr. Thomas continues to criticizes the use of traditional medicine in the town. Dr. Thomas disapproves of their work, believing that the women in Scots Bay can find something else to “rely on more than faith” (McKay 32). He threatens Dora and Miss Babineau, criticizing their “assistance during childbirth”, believing it to to be a “crime” (McKay 34). His status as a male obstetrician allows him to abuse his power and use the law in a threatening manner in hope of ruining their business and taking over. The males os Scots Bay believe that doctors are far more capable than midwives when it comes to childbirth, and they are constantly doubting Dora’s abilities. Considering that medicine is a predominantly male field, men are far more willing to trust the male doctor over the female midwives in the town. Laird, Ginny’s husband, wants Ginny to have their child under the supervision of Dr. Thomas. Ginny believes that it is because “[Laird just wants what is best for [her]”(McKay 104), and proceeds to have her child under Dr. Thomas’ care. She
could hardly remember her experience, and regrets her decision, later coming to Dora for her second child. The town begins to place their trust in Dr. Thomas, and the men begin to take control over the birthing process. This limit women's rights to their own reproductive systems. They later match on Canning, expressing their concern on how
... the United States, the simple and hard work of the midwife Monique sharply contrasts Holloway’s perspective. With the death of Bintou during childbirth, Holloway realizes the reality of the situations Monique and other midwives faced everyday (88). When complications emerge, midwives lack the equipment to help save the mother and child. In the United States, children are normally born in a hospital or within a drive away from a health center.
For, in relinquishing, a mother feels strong and liberal; and in guild she finds the motivation to right wrong. Women throughout time have been compelled to cope with the remonstrances of motherhood along with society’s anticipations Morrison’s authorship elucidates the conditions of motherhood showing how black women’s existence is warped by severing conditions of slavery. In this novel, it becomes apparent how in a patriarchal society a woman can feel guilty when choosing interests, career and self-development before motherhood. The sacrifice that has to be made by a mother is evident and natural, but equality in a relationship means shared responsibility and with that, the sacrifices are less on both part. Although motherhood can be a wonderful experience many women fear it in view of the tamming of the other and the obligation that eventually lies on the mother.
Harrison, L., & Rowley, S. B. (2011). Babies by the bundle: Gender,. Feminist Formations, 23(1), 47-69. doi: 0.1353/ff.2011.0012…….. (Harrison & Rowley, 2011)
American culture has defined the ideal dynamic for a family for many generations as one with a single, or perhaps multitude of dominant male figures, a submissive role or roles usually filled by the women in the household, and of course, children, who are deemed more acceptable if they are “seen and not heard”. Marilynne Robinson’s Housekeeping deconstructs and twists around what has grown to be custom in American Literature, and challenges the reader to feel uncomfortable about missing or swapped gender roles within the story itself. In Housekeeping, Ruthie and her sister Lucille have been transferred through several relatives after their mother’s death, and find themselves aching for a “normalcy” that they have never experienced, one that
Realistically, when someone is more powerful, they have the ability to set the rules. Men have historically held power in society, which means that women did not have as much stance or freedoms as men have had in the past. For example, Canadian women did not have the right to vote until the year 1916. This factor has continued to trail into the present day, creating the ‘weak’ image towards women, overall forcing and pushing men to become the opposite of this factor. Thus, cultural ideals of masculinity rely on the ideas of femininity through patriarchy and gender binaries. The emphasis on characteristics of men are being exaggerated, as society is pressuring men with unattainable standards of masculinity such as being tough, muscular and buff. Men continue to conform to these characteristics, in the fear of being oppressed through exclusion, which only strengthens society’s standards even more. This leads to more societal pressures on men, thus leading men to experience more societal pressures in the fear of feeling excluded. These “systems of inclusion and exclusion are divisions or barriers that prevent people from joining and belonging.” (50). For example, if a man wears nail polish, they may be oppressed and excluded through facing ridicule and bullying, because wearing nail polish is considered “girly”, therefore this boy is rebelling against society’s socially
Domestic violence has been plaguing our society for years. There are many abusive relationships, and the only question to ask is: why? The main answer is control. The controlling characteristic that males attribute to their masculinity is the cause of these abusive relationships. When males don’t have control, they feel their masculinity is threatened and they need to do something about it.
Judith Fetterley argues that feminism in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Birth-Mark has an adverse effect on the women who are subjected to the male scrutiny. The article explains the stresses which the women encounter in their identity - which is the impression of the men’s response towards them and it highly varied. The article further demonstrates the consequences of which the women are confined in the man’s mind thinking, where they are objects of being examined, scrutinized, and experimentally analyzed. The author further comments that the story was written to be a feminist
As man developed more complex social systems, society placed more emphasis of childbearing. Over time, motherhood was raised to the status of “saintly”. This was certainly true in western cultures during the late 19th/early 20th century. Charlotte Perkins Gilman did not agree with the image of motherhood that society proposed to its members at the time. “Arguably ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ reveals women’s frustration in a culture that seemingly glorifies motherhood while it actually relegates women to nursery-prisons” (Bauer 65). Among the many other social commentaries contained within this story, is the symbolic use of the nursery as a prison for the main character.
In Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” and Edith Wharton’s The House of Mirth, both authors provide evidence for readers to conceptualize the stories through the critical lens of feminism. “The Yellow Wallpaper” is a story about the unnamed narrator who is taken to an ancestral home by her husband John to be treated for her nervous depression. Meanwhile, she develops a strong dislike for the yellow wallpaper in the bedroom that the narrator is restricted to. The narrator ultimately becomes hopelessly insane in hopes of relieving the women trapped by the wallpaper. Similarly, The House of Mirth tells the story of Lily Bart, a young woman who is trapped by societal standards. She struggles between the relationship of riches, love, and respect. Lily never achieves her goal of marking her status as a social elite because she overdoses and dies at the end of the novel. The narrator of “The Yellow Wallpaper” and Lily from The House of Mirth both struggle throughout their womanhood. Edith Wharton and Charlotte Gilman use different point of views to emphasize how eternal forces, such as entrapment, powerlessness, and subordinance of women ultimately lead to their overwhelming confinement in the nineteenth century society.
In society, there has always been a gap between men and women. Women are generally expected to be homebodies, and seen as inferior to their husbands. The man is always correct, as he is more educated, and a woman must respect the man as they provide for the woman’s life. During the Victorian Era, women were very accommodating to fit the “house wife” stereotype. Women were to be a representation of love, purity and family; abandoning this stereotype would be seen as churlish living and a depredation of family status. Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story "The Yellow Wallpaper" and Henry Isben’s play A Doll's House depict women in the Victorian Era who were very much menial to their husbands. Nora Helmer, the protagonist in A Doll’s House and the narrator in “The Yellow Wallpaper” both prove that living in complete inferiority to others is unhealthy as one must live for them self. However, attempts to obtain such desired freedom during the Victorian Era only end in complications.
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.
Barrie shows these throughout the book in differing situations as well as his emphasis on the importance of mothers. In today’s society, women have many more rights than ever before, therefore, we study literature to identify the changes we have reached
In Of Woman Born, Adrienne Rich effectively weaves her own story into a convincing account of what it means to become a mother within the bonds of patriarchal culture. Her conclusion that the institution of motherhood, which she distinguishes from motherhood, must be destroyed in order to release the creation and sustenance of life into the same realm of decision, struggle, surprise, imagination, and conscious intelligence, as any other difficult, but freely chosen work is substantiated by her courageous confession that contradicts culturally normative notions of motherhood.
In most cultures, motherhood intensifies social pressure to conform to what the culture says or what the tradition orders, this seems to be driven by levels of modernity or urbanization than by the status accorded to norms of society and community. Through the concept of “One Life,” it motivates Meridian in her quest toward physical and spiritual health, the societal evils which lower one class to another, one race to another, one sex to another, and eventually terrorize life. Meridian is built on the tension between ones’ beliefs against the societal forces that inhibit the growth of living toward their natural state of freedom.
Many women in modern society make life altering decisions on a daily basis. Women today have prestigious and powerful careers unlike in earlier eras. It is more common for women to be full time employees than homemakers. In 1879, when Henrik Ibsen wrote A Doll's House, there was great controversy over the out come of the play. Nora’s walking out on her husband and children was appalling to many audiences centuries ago. Divorce was unspoken, and a very uncommon occurrence. As years go by, society’s opinions on family situations change. No longer do women have a “housewife” reputation to live by and there are all types of family situations. After many years of emotional neglect, and overwhelming control, Nora finds herself leaving her family. Today, it could be said that Nora’s decision is very rational and well overdue.