The Role of the Female in a Male Dominated Society

The Role of the Female in a Male Dominated Society

The role of the female in male dominated societies is a prevalent theme in American literature and has been explored by countless authors. Edith Wharton, in The House of Mirth, and Zora Neale Hurston, in Their Eyes Were Watching God, are just two of the many who examine this issue in their literary works. Although the novels were published over thirty years apart, and speak of women of distinct cultures and societies, each author uses her novel to make a social commentary on the effects of the societal rules and expectations of patriarchal cultures toward women. As is clear after an examination of the protagonists in each novel, the consequences of such rules depend upon the way in which one approaches them. Although both women are indeed burdened by the rules of society, Wharton's Lily Bart abides by the expectations placed upon her and is ultimately destroyed by them, while Hurston's Janie is able to rise above and triumph over assumptions regarding proper behavior for women.

The expectations of women in patriarchal cultures are evident in the early pages of Their Eyes Were Watching God as Janie's grandmother, Nanny Crawford, arranges the marriage of her grand-daughter to Logan Killicks, the respectable farmer who will provide and care for her. Nanny reminds the reluctant Janie that she "ain't got nobody but me. And mah head is ole and tilted towards de grave. Neither can you stand alone by yo'self" (Hurston 15). It is clear that the common belief is that as a woman, Janie will be unable to care and provide for herself and Nanny sees marriages as the only way out for Janie, her chance to escape poverty and sit on a "high place." While Janie does succumb to h...

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The main characters of both novels, Their Eyes Were Watching God, and The House of Mirth, are introduced to common ideals early in their lives, namely that a woman must marry a successful and respectable man in order to secure her future well being. Likewise, both women are subject to the rules of their societies. Yet while Janie is able to overlook the comments about her and find the romance she desires, Lily is ever conscious of how she is perceived by others and is never able to strive for true happiness. As a result, Lily becomes a victim of cultural rules and expectations, while Janie triumphs and rises above them.

Bibliography:

Bibliography

Hurston, Zora Neale. Their Eyes Were Watching God. New York: Perennial Classics,

1998.

Wharton, Edith. The House of Mirth. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.