Woman in the Nineteenth Century, by Margaret Fuller
In her essay, Woman in the Nineteenth Century, Margaret Fuller discusses the state of marriage in America during the 1800‘s. She is a victim of her own knowledge, and is literally considered ugly because of her wisdom. She feels that if certain stereotypes can be broken down, women can have the respect of men intellectually, physically, and emotionally. She explains why some of the inequalities exist in marriages around her. Fuller feels that once women are accepted as equals, men and women will be able achieve a true love not yet known to the people of the world.
Fuller personifies what is wrong with the thoughts of people in nineteenth century society. She is a well-educated, attractive woman and yet, in America she is considered unmarriageable because of the unintended intimidation her knowledge brings forth. She can’t understand why men would not want to find a woman with whom they can carry on an intelligent, meaningful conversation and still be physically attracted to. She knows that once this inferiority complex is gotten past, women will start to excel in all different fields.
My interpretation is that Fuller feels if women are educated and skilled then they will be able to take care of themselves until the right man comes along. Their discretion will be tenfold, and they will be able to wait for the proverbial "Mr. Right". Fuller gives three wonderful examples of how equality gets broken down in a marriage. The first is the "household partnership"(42), where the man goes off to work and makes a living to support the family, and the woman stays home barefoot and pregnant, takes care of the children and tends to the house. There is a mutual admiration between the husband and wife because they both keep up their end of the bargain. But there is no love built into this relationship. Couples like this are merely supplementing each other’s existence, he by working to support her, and her by cooking and cleaning for him. When she states "this relation is good, as far as it goes"(42), Fuller implies that women are settling for the sake of settling. In the nineteenth century there was a stigma attached to any woman in her twenties who was not yet married. Fuller questions why two people would settle for each other when there are so many people with different things to offer each other.
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...rriage should be based on? Where is the love that they share for each other? Why can’t women have it both ways? Why can’t they find a man who they love and who will love and respect them back? It is questions such as these that light the fire inside Margaret Fuller. Fuller is not attacking men in this essay; it is directed at women as well. She is simply asking that everyone try to look at things differently. She wants people to understand that if women get more education and skills, men will benefit as well. Fuller’s passion and desire for equality is most clearly evidenced when she states, "What deep communion, what real intercourse is implied by the sharing the joys and cares of parentage, when any degree of equality is admitted between the parties" (42).
Fuller’s point is that if all responsibilities are shared, men and women will get to have a deeper love and respect for one another. They will finally be able to find their true soul mates. They will be marrying each other for who they truly are, not because of convenience, looks, or for good conversation and friendship. They will be marrying a person they truly know, love and respect, and who loves and respects them back.
In order to somewhat comprehend Fuller’s riveting real-life stories, we must step back and remember that her time period is much different than ours (early 1800s). Back then, the people with right minds wouldn’t dare to go against norms or traditions of an in-line kept society, for the fear of being shunned and shamed. Nonetheless, this story really spoke to me, in terms of Ms. Fuller having a head start on all of her life experiences. She had no other siblings in the household to interact with her like normal children, she had no other playmates. The theories I decided to use in order to bring her work under different light, are “Queer theory” and “Psychological theory”. I believe that Ms. Fuller was really deep in her writing, especially in reflective pieces where she talks about her dear soul mate. She went through so much for the 40 years she lived, and most of it, in her childhood.
Man versus Men. Woman versus Women.”, Fuller begins by presenting different relationships possible for women and their husbands. While women might have only been seen as needed in the domestic sphere, Fuller contradicts this stereotype by presenting women in intellectual companionships. Fuller writes, “Women like Sand will speak now, and cannot be silenced; their characters and their eloquence alike foretell an era when such as they shall easier learn to lead true lives” (741). Fuller knows that women are beginning to show their abilities outside of the home. So, she presents a challenge to these women by saying, “She must be taught to do so, by one who speaks with authority, not in anger and haste” (741). Fuller understands that women still are seen as irrational and emotional when passionate. Thus, she devises the plan that for intellectual women to be heard, they must keep full composure. Margaret Fuller 's knowledge of the obstacles women faced helped her philosophies become
Even before this event, the struggles of women in society were surfacing in the media. Eliza Farnham, a married woman in Illinois during the late 1830s, expressed the differing views between men and women on the proper relations between a husband and wife. While Farnham viewed a wife as being “a pleasant face to meet you when you go home from the field, or a soft voice to speak kind words when you are sick, or a gentle friend to converse with you in your leisure hours”, a recently married farmer contended that a wife was useful “to do [a man’s] cookin and such like, ‘kase it’s easier for them than it is for [men]” (Farnham, 243).
In this essay, we will examine three documents to prove that they do indeed support the assertion that women’s social status in the United States during the antebellum period and beyond was as “domestic household slaves” to their husband and children. The documents we will be examining are: “From Antislavery to Women 's Rights” by Angelina Grimke in 1838, “A Fourierist Newspaper Criticizes the Nuclear Family” in 1844, and “Woman in the Nineteenth Century” by Margaret Fuller in 1845.
Since these individuals were apart of two very important movements their tactics were much the same. The movement relied heavily upon individualism, which allowed those men and women to be able to voice their thoughts openly. The women and men of the movement wholly supported equality for women and strived for women to be seen as an individual and equal-counterpart to men. In Margaret Fuller’s “Woman in the Nineteenth Century” she gives a dis-heartening point on women’s treatment, “It may well be an Anti-Slavery party that pleads for Women, if we consider merely that she does not hold property on equal terms with men; so that, if a husband dies without making a will, the wife, instead of taking at once his place as head of the family, inherits only a part of his fortune, often brought him by herself, as if she were a child, or ward only, not an equal partner.” Margaret Fuller gives an accurate account to how these recurring problem
He mentions how far women have come since his grandmother's day, but realizes the country as a whole has more room to grow. He mentions how tough it can be for women to juggle a demanding career while raising a family. Both text reference what honor motherhood is but they also admit the demanding workforce can determine how successful a mother they can be. Women today may not face slavery, but they face double standards that limit them to be successful professionals and parents.
All over the world, marriage is one of the main things that define a woman’s life. In fact, for women, marriage goes a long way to determine much in their lives including happiness, overall quality of life whether or not they are able to set and achieve their life goals. Some women go into marriages that allow them to follow the paths they have chosen and achieve their goals while for other women, marriage could mean the end of their life goals. For Janie, the lead character in Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, who was married twice first to Joe sparks, and to Vergile Tea Cake, her two marriages to these men greatly affected her happiness, quality of life and pursuit of her life goals in various ways, based on the personality of each of the men. Although both men were very different from each other, they were also similar in some ways.
She writes: “Male and female represent two sides of the great radical dualism” (Fuller 757). In this, she is letting us know that there is a portion of the feminine in every man and a portion of the masculinity in every woman. She explains the point further saying, “There is no wholly masculine man, no purely feminine woman” (Fuller 757). I believe this statement shows characteristics known as “feminine.” During this time, women were seen as the lesser and the weaker of the two sexes. However, Fuller explains a sense of equality at a simple level between men and women. She thinks this balance can only be obtained when women become independent and full partners in relationships. Having read some portions of Emerson’s writings, I am reminded of Emerson on “self-reliance” when Fuller speaks how women must break away from this injustice that has been made for women by man. By thinking for themselves and not having to rely on others ( husband /man
Developed in the late 1820’s and 1830’s, the ideas of transcendentalism was a core belief that human beings are best when they are truly independent. Margaret Fuller, author of Women in the Nineteenth Century, was associated with this transcendentalist movement. For this reason, it is best believed that the education of women should be developed to their full potential and that women need the freedom to be able to develop.(Doc 5) Also, women should not be limited to doing labor work or being mothers but the education of women should be exceeding. Years after the Seneca Falls Convention there has been different opinions on the beliefs of women’s equality and rights. Although women are inferior to men since birth, they are distinguished as the caretaker of men.(Doc 7) And because the roll of the women was to nurture men, the ideal of “American womanhood” was subjected. For example, Catherine Beecher book called, A treatise on Domestic Economy, was her philosophy that men should dominate the political and economic rolls. Additionally, it was also a handbook/guidebook for the use of young women at home and at
towards African Americans are presented in number of works of scholars from all types of divers
As centuries pass by, generations also pass their traditional values to the next generation. some people still think the way their ancestors thought and believe in what they believed in. During the beginning of 1890 people couldn’t have premarital sex, women had to be the caretaker while men were the breadwinner. During this century, those perspectives have changed, argued Stephanie Coontz, the author of “The American Family”. Coontz believes women should have more freedom and there should be gender equality.
Another point Fuller states is that “As to her home, she is not likely to leave it more than she now does for balls. If the negro be a soul, if the woman be a soul, appareled in flesh, to one master only are they accountable. There is but one law for all souls, and, if there is to be an interpreter of it, he comes not as man, or son of man, but as Son of God. Fuller’s point in saying this is to convince women that they need to take a stand and that what they are fighting for is the work of God.
In “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the narrator and her husband John can be seen as strong representations of the effects society’s stereotypical gender roles as the dominant male and submissive female have within a marriage. Because John’s wife takes on the role as the submissive female, John essentially controlled all aspects of his wife’s life, resulting in the failure of the couple to properly communicate and understand each other. The story is intended to revolve around late 19th century America, however it still occurs today. Most marriages still follow the traditional gender stereotypes, potentially resulting in a majority of couples to uphold an unhealthy relationship or file for divorce. By comparing the “The yellow wallpaper” with the article “Eroticizing Inequality in the United States: The Consequences and Determinants of Traditional Gender Role Adherence in Intimate Relationships”, the similarities between the 19th century and 21st century marriage injustice can further be examined. If more couples were able to separate the power between the male and female, America would have less unhappy marriages and divorces.
During the 1800s, society believed there to be a defined difference in character among men and women. Women were viewed simply as passive wives and mothers, while men were viewed as individuals with many different roles and opportunities. For women, education was not expected past a certain point, and those who pushed the limits were looked down on for their ambition. Marriage was an absolute necessity, and a career that surpassed any duties as housewife was practically unheard of. Jane Austen, a female author of the time, lived and wrote within this particular period. Many of her novels centered around women, such as Elizabeth Bennet of Pride and Prejudice, who were able to live independent lives while bravely defying the rules of society. The roles expected of women in the nineteenth century can be portrayed clearly by Jane Austen's female characters of Pride and Prejudice.
Within these marriages, readers get a sense of how education plays an important role in a successful marriage, as this fulfills both of their dreams of personal identity. Although women in the nineteenth century were viewed to be superior wives and mothers, manage the household, and perform domestic tasks, it was important for women to become educated as “an education was supposed to enable these girls to become successful women in society” (Leigh 117). Women were not meant to be “trained” in some way to become good wives, but needed to be formally educated in order to be a successful wife and