Equal Rights for Women in The Natural by Bernard Malamud

1063 Words3 Pages

Literatures had always been the reflections of the world’s issues. These literatures showed the problems within society in the period of time. In the book, “The Natural”, by Bernard Malamud had developed how women were seen as an object to men that they did not have the equal rights and social status as men. Also, women in the novel were classified as the trophies to men, whom they were either gold diggers digging for massive fortunes for the future, or accomplishments for men to chase after them. The author had established several female characters to optimize these issues. In the novel, Harriet Bird, Memo Paris, and Iris Lemon were representing different figures of female in that period of time. Both Harriet and Memo were being the negative effects to the main protagonist, Roy Hobbes, while Iris was the positive hope for Roy. The author chose to use these few characters to criticize the stereotypes of women in that period, and how they affected the others around them. Women were always having negative image in the history, which their reputations were low. Memo Paris and Harriet Bird seemed only attract to those with abilities, which made Roy extremely jealous in the story. When Roy first approached these two female characters in the story, he could not get closer with either of them, because he was just a rookie, and none of them was willing to get along with infamous or poor people. “as if she had recognized him from somewhere, but when she found she hadn’t, to his horror her expression changed instantly to one of boredom”(9). The instant action of Harriet Bird had proved that the suggestion of women only attracted to famous and wealthy people in that time, which caused people like Roy generated fear, and jealousy. People co... ... middle of paper ... ...of the good life for women from the society. She could not step aside from this belief; therefore, she ran between powerful men to secure her lifestyle, but she destroyed two men in her life. Iris stood for the weak, vulnerable, but hope in the story. She gave Roy a chance to have a stable life, but Roy decided not to take a chance because of the ethical issues that Iris had. Different problems of the females characters in "The Natural" were to up front the characteristic of Roy's childish, immature, and hot-head matter, just like Piggy's vulnerability in the "Lord of the Flies" was the comparison of Ralph's toughness. As well as to highlight how the society viewed female in that time, which females did not have the equal observations and opportunities as men that they had to go through difficult pathway to achieve the same social status as average men in the time.

Show More
Related

  • Symbolism in Bernard Malamud's The Natural

    2419 Words  | 5 Pages

    As a first example, women have a tremendous influence on Roy¡¦s actions and feelings.  One of the more influential symbols in the book, women tend to control what Roy does.  The first woman Roy falls for is Harriet Bird whom he meets on a train on his way to Chicago to try out for the Chicago Cubs.  Roy is extremely attracted to her, but a major league ballplayer on the train named Whammer Wambold has already caught her eye.  Roy becomes jealous and begins to do things to try to get her attention.  At a stop in the route, the passengers get off for a break and go to a local carnival where Roy and the big leaguer clash in a contest of talent, a David-and-Goliath-type confrontation (Solotaroff 9).  Roy strikes out the batter with three blistering pitches, each of which make Harriet pay more and more attention to him.  As they arrive in Chicago, Harriet stays at the hotel at which Roy has booked a room.  She gives him a call and provocatively invites him to her room.  Succumbing to her invitation, and making his way to her room, he enters and se...

    Read More

  • Women 's Rights By Dr. John Todd, And Gail Hamilton

    1608 Words  | 4 Pages

    Since the beginning of the 17th-century and earlier, there has always been different perspectives on women 's rights. Men and women all over the world have voiced their opinion and position in regard to the rights of women. This holds especially true in the United States during the 18th and 19th century. As women campaigned for equality, there were some who opposed this idea. There was, and always will be a series of arguments on behalf of women 's rights. Anti-women 's rights activists such as Dr. John Todd and Pro-women 's rights activist Gail Hamilton argued intelligently and tactfully on the topic. There were many key arguments made against women’s rights by Dr. John Todd, and Gail Hamilton 's rebuttal was graceful and on par with her male counterpart. Let 's examine some of Dr. John 's arguments against women 's equality.

    Read More

  • Cinderella The Legend By Hurston

    421 Words  | 1 Pages

    In today’s society, gender issues are often discussed as a hot topic. In literature, feminist views are used to criticise “societal norms” in books and stories. Two popular pieces by authors Kolbenschlag and Hurston paint two very different views on women. One common assumption in the use of a feminist critical perspective is that gender issues are central. Kolbenschlag who wrote the literary criticism “Cinderella, the Legend” would most likely disagree with this statement, she feels that women bare greater burdens in society and are more largely affected by social norms.

    Read More

  • One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest Analytical Essay

    1039 Words  | 3 Pages

    Misogyny in this text is represented through many factors showing how women can only prove their dominance by removing the men’s sexuality and freedom of independence. It is also represented in the fact that Nurse Ratched is seen as perfect except for her breasts, her outward mark of being a woman. “A mistake was made somehow in manufacturing, putting those big, womanly breasts on what would of otherwise been a perfect work, and you can see how bitter she is about it.” (6) The fear of women is usually stemmed from ...

    Read More

  • Symbolism Inherent in "The Yellow Wallpaper"

    716 Words  | 2 Pages

    The contrast between how She sees herself and how the rest of the world sees Her can create extreme emotional strain; add on the fact that She hails from the early 1900s and it becomes evident that, though her mental construct is not necessarily prepared to understand the full breach against Her, She is still capable of some iota of realization. The discrimination encountered by a female during this time period is great and unceasing.

    Read More

  • Women's Rights By Pat Mainardi Summary

    381 Words  | 1 Pages

    This article, by Pat Mainardi, helped me to remember a scene that happened multiple time during my childhood and it's still happening today. My siblings and cousins used and are always contending about women's rights. They believe that women ought to have the same equivalent rights as men in everything, on the grounds that women are our sisters, moms, and wives. They even said and say that life’s changes and women are not slaves. This subject was an extremely questionable one since it commanded, and lead to an intense debate between the boys and they did not have the same point of views. In any case, while they were discussing about women's rights, they generally asked my mother or me to make some snacks for them and after they were finished

    Read More

  • The Female Role in A Rose for Emily, Miss Brill, and The Storm

    1167 Words  | 3 Pages

    Reading literature, at first, might seem like simple stories. However, in works like William Faulkner's “A Rose for Emily,” Katherine Mansfield's “Miss Brill,” and Kate Chopin's “The Storm,” the female protagonists are examples of how society has oppressive expectations of women simply because of their gender.

    Read More

  • A History of Women's Rights

    1558 Words  | 4 Pages

    Women have always been fighting for their rights for voting, the right to have an abortion, equal pay as men, being able to joined the armed forces just to name a few. The most notable women’s rights movement was headed in Seneca Falls, New York. The movement came to be known as the Seneca Falls convention and it was lead by women’s rights activist Elizabeth Cady Stanton during July 19th and 20th in 1848. Stanton created this convention in New York because of a visit from Lucretia Mott from Boston. Mott was a Quaker who was an excellent public speaker, abolitionist and social reformer. She was a proponent of women’s rights. The meeting lasted for only two days and was compiled of six sessions, which included lectures on law, humorous presentations and discussions concerning women’s role in society. The convention was organized by a mostly radical group of Quakers while ironically their leader Elizabeth Cady Stanton was a non-Quaker skeptic. Stanton and her Quaker followers presented a document entitled the Declaration of Sentiments to the convention, which was accompanied by a list of resolutions that were to be debated by the members of the convention before it was signed. One hundred of the three hundred attendees of the Seneca Falls Convention signed the Declaration of Sentiments. The Seneca Falls Convention was merely a single step in the right direction for the women’s rights movement; it was seen as a revolution in which women were fighting desperately for equality to their male counterparts. The Declaration of Sentiments became a staple document in the women’s suffrage, as it was the first time that men and women came together to demand women’s right to vote. Women’s suffrage gained national attention due to the conventio...

    Read More

  • The Declaration of the Rights of Women

    1382 Words  | 3 Pages

    The French Revolution was a period of time in which France underwent many changes, many which could be considered revolutionary. France’s whole system and way of being was completely changed. New ideas were proposed everyday. An idea is revolutionary when it is a new idea, when it is something that has never been thought of before. The Declaration of the Rights of Women written by Olympe de Gouges on September 1791, was one of the ideas proposed to the National Assembly (Hunt, Web 1). The document proposed that since the French Revolution was all about finding equality for all people, women should be equal to men and therefore, should have the same rights as men did. Women at the time live in terrible conditions. They had little access to education, and therefore could not enter professional occupations that required advanced education, were legally deprived of the right to vote, and were not considered citizens (Class Discussion Notes). If equal rights were not given to women, the French Revolution had not reached its full potential, according to Gouges. She expressed this idea in her document, saying, “This revolution will only take effect when all women become fully aware of their deplorable condition, and of the rights they have lost in society” (Gouges, Web). Anyone that questioned the Revolution was immediately put to death (Class Discussion Notes). If Gouges’ document and ideas were important enough to catch the attention of the National Assembly and for her to be put to death, her ideas could be considered important and revolutionary (Britannica, Web 1) But, the document was not revolutionary. The Declaration of the Rights of Women was not a revolutionary document because its ideas were taken from other people and were no...

    Read More

  • Women's Rights Essay

    1705 Words  | 4 Pages

    Throughout history women have suffered from inequalities that differentiate from men, including the right to vote among many others. When New Zealand granted women the right to vote it empowered women from other countries to fight for the vote, where Europe and the Unites States then fought for women’s rights changing them forever. Many suffrage groups were formed, throughout the U.S and Europe, to fight for women’s rights. Two major events, Seneca Falls, and a parade led by Alice Paul, created a turning point for women’s rights.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Equal Rights For Women In Society

    1459 Words  | 3 Pages

    Today, women share the same equal rights and opportunities as men; nevertheless, that has not invariably been the case. Before the Jazz Age era, gender discrimination between men and women in society was considerably popular. Women were seen as inferior to men. Their jobs were to care for the home, children, and other domesticated duties while men were able to work, get an education, and become doctors or lawyers. Many women like Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Ida B. Wells, Sojourner Truth, Zora Hurston, to mention a few, seen the unfairness in women's rights and fought for equal rights for women through different movements, efforts, protests, and even marches to abolish women’s rights. As a consequence, women now pursue not only higher education and higher paid jobs/ businesses, but their rights. One of the world’s most controversial issues among churches of today is the role of a woman. Many people are confused about the duty of a woman and how she is supposed to serve God because of history. History taught us to never deny someone of gender, race, or even diversity since he or she has human rights. However, this issue should not be viewed as men versus women because this is not a political issue; instead, it should be viewed as the structural of a church. Women should not be priests, pastors, or even rabbis for God condone women for being priests, pastors, and rabbis as well as proscribed.

    Read More

  • Women Roles In The 19th Century

    1395 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Babbit

    1072 Words  | 3 Pages

    Women in the novel are accurately portrayed as they were in the 1920’s. Lewis presents two different scenarios in the novel, but both of these cases can follow the same mannerisms. First, Lewis depicts the loving housewife. Myra, Babbitt’s wife, continually comforts Babbitt throughout the whole novel. Myra even accepts the blame when Babbitt decides to cheat on her. Women are depicted throughout the novel as inferior when...

    Read More

  • The Evolution of the Role of Women in British and American Literature

    1818 Words  | 4 Pages

    “Girls wear jeans and cut their hair short and wear shirts and boots because it is okay to be a boy; for a girl it is like promotion. But for a boy to look like a girl is degrading, according to you, because secretly you believe that being a girl is degrading” (McEwan 55-56). Throughout the history of literature women have been viewed as inferior to men, but as time has progressed the idealistic views of how women perceive themselves has changed. In earlier literature women took the role of being the “housewife” or the household caretaker for the family while the men provided for the family. Women were hardly mentioned in the workforce and always held a spot under their husband’s wing. Women were viewed as a calm and caring character in many stories, poems, and novels in the early time period of literature. During the early time period of literature, women who opposed the common role were often times put to shame or viewed as rebels. As literature progresses through the decades and centuries, very little, but noticeable change begins to appear in perspective to the common role of women. Women were more often seen as a main character in a story setting as the literary period advanced. Around the nineteenth century women were beginning to break away from the social norms of society. Society had created a subservient role for women, which did not allow women to stand up for what they believe in. As the role of women in literature evolves, so does their views on the workforce environment and their own independence. Throughout the history of the world, British, and American literature, women have evolved to become more independent, self-reliant, and have learned to emphasize their self-worth.

    Read More

  • Women’s Rights: A Path into the Society to Achieve Social Liberation

    1241 Words  | 3 Pages

    Society has violated females’ privacy for thousands of years. The violations have crossed relational, physical, spiritual, sexual and emotional borders of women and girls’ privacy and privileges. Furthermore, women hold almost 52 percent of all professional-level jobs; however, American women stay behind men when it comes to their representation in leadership positions. The last decades of the 20th century women’s professional advancement slowed down, narrowing the percentage of women in management jobs. Philosophers like Plato and the ancient cynics have tried to advocate in favor of women. Yet, society has given more attention to the feminist’s political rights than the actual feminist’s social rights as the ones that women should enjoy on their work environment; although achieving equal political rights for women is a necessary condition for women to succeed, it is not sufficient to cover the gender break in leadership and management positions. It would not be sufficient because women’s oppression under male domination does not consist only in depriving women of political and legal rights, it also extends into the arrangement of our society and our culture.

    Read More

More about Equal Rights for Women in The Natural by Bernard Malamud

Open Document