We Have Always Lived In The Castle Gender Roles Essay

Since the dawn of man and women, the issue of gender role has existed. Throughout history the norms of each gender have shifted. The two texts of Beowulf and We Have Always Lived in the Castle, both support a single sex, but are on opposite sides of the spectrum. Beowulf, written in around 800 AD represents the time of men superiority over women, who were the dominant figures in society and their families. On the other hand, We Have Always Lived in the Castle, depicts the contrary, the time of the 1960’s where women’s power grew stronger in contrast to men. In each test the power of each gender is perceived as threatening to the opposite sex, to keep in place, the supremacy of their own gender.

Beowulf is an epic poem about a hero, Beowulf,

who is the epitome of dominance and power. This text commends male authority, but condemns female power. Beowulf is a warrior, who is the strongest, bravest, and smartest; a hero, as it says, “There was no one else like him alive. In his day, he was the mightiest man on earth, high-born and powerful.” (196-98) Despite his flaws such as being very conceited, “all knew of my awesome strength.” (418) or of his extreme savageness ,“with the strength of thirty in the grip of each hand.” (380-81) and “They have seen me bolstered in the blood of enemies (419), Beowulf is in fact honored for them. The women in Beowulf, play an important role which is contrary to what some people would think . The norm of the responsibility of the women at that time of 800 AD, was to represent peace, as Queen Helming was the perfect example of, “The queen spoke: ‘Enjoy this drink, my most generous lord; raise up your goblet, entertain the Geats…’”(1167-70) Here the Queen of the Danes is serving wine to her husband, and keeping order between the fellow nations, the Geats. Not all women are willing to maintain their “given” role as a woman, and who will do as necessary, disregarding the norms of the gender. An instance is Grendel’s mom, who is viewed as a “monstrous hell-bride.” (1259), because she instead of mourning her son’s death, she avenges him, and doesn’t fit the model of a “correct” women. In this epic poem, we see the contrasting descriptions of the characters and whether they act “appropriate” according to their gender.

This book represents not the norm of that century, but rather the story of the history of a family, through one’s person’s perspective.

This narrator and opinionator, is Merricat, whose views on men and the symbol that they represent is disrupt, and women should play as big or even bigger of a role in society. There are many instances where Merricat enjoys taunting the men such as Charles, “Amanita Pantherina,’ I said highly poisonous. … The Cicuta maculate is the water hemlock, one of the most poisonous of wild plants if taken internally.” (131) This is the representation of a phallic symbol, that she wants to be in possession of, to yield it against her enemy; Charles. Women power and to stand up against the ‘intolerable’ men according to Merricat in this text is celebrated. Men on the other hand are meant to be put in their place and be controlled for once, not be the controller, as it says “I could turn him [Charles] into a fly and drop him into a spider’s web and watch him tangled and helpless and struggling, shut into the body of a dying buzzing fly.”(129) This book represents the values of women; the opposite of men’s ideals and what they stand for as a

gender.

As time has gone on, we have seen the development of women’s recognition in society; economically, politically, and socially.

But even through a gap of almost 1,200 years, we see in We Have Always Lived in the Castle, written in the 1960’s, that the views of women having a say in the community is a minority, and not everyone agrees. Yes, there has been some sort of progress in women’s right, from 800 AD, alike in Beowulf, a person who wants revenge on her son’s death, is considered a hell-bride, but in the mid 1900’s, it would receive a little bit of a less negative reaction. But in both in Beowulf and We Have Always Lived in the Castle men are considered the ruler of them family, well at least until Merricat kills everybody. In my opinion, Merricat’s way of looking the hierarchy of gender, is different of having women in control, that symbolizes that idea that began as a minute topic in the time period of the 1960’s, and has expanded into the situation of women’s role of

today.

Women and mens’ roles in society has been a big topic even since 800 AD, but as time has progressed ideas of feminism and the questioning of the patriarchy have began to grow. Both texts have provided two complete opposite ideas of the relationship between men and women, and the norms of the behavior in society of each gender. The way women should act and the roles of men have changed but to an extent. Men and women always fight for the “controls”, but wouldn’t the world be a better place, if both genders in society were considered equal?