Examples Of Patriarchy In The Penelopiad

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Patriarchy has been the control center of many societies and has set a burden on women that are forced to feel its wrath. There have been times when people have tried to stop this dilemma, but it still remained to stick within societal values. In the novel The Penelopiad, author Margaret Atwood sets her narrative in the Greek Underworld. Penelope, with the help of the maids, emphasize how patriarchal their time period was. They also use their side of the story to inform the reader of the many challenges they faced in a community controlled by men. Along with that, Penelope and the maids educate the reader on how vulnerable women can be in a patriarchal state. Penelope and the maids use both their testimonies to speak on how corrupt a patriarchy …show more content…

The maids give off a bitter tone when describing their disappointment toward Telemachus. They tell of all the things they have done for him when they say, “We brought the water for you to wash your hands, we washed your feet, … we turned down your cosy bed. You strung us up, you left us dangling like clothes on a line” (Atwood 191). The maids emphasize that men dominate no matter what the circumstance is. When they explain the many things that did for him in the past, and then the betrayal they face from him, it represents a shortage of trust from Telemachus’ side of the rope. The maids also tell of the carelessness Telemachus has for them when they say he left them “dangling like clothes on a line”. Telemachus did not see the maids as nothing more than objects, so he definitely treated them like they were. Meanwhile, all of this contradicts with Penelope’s viewpoint because she was not able to care for Telemachus at all, but was still forsaken by him when he forces her to leave. He does this so she will not be able to interfere with the fate of the maids. Even in opposite situations, the same results occur. This demonstrates that a patriarchy treats all women alike, leaving the women to be neglected and often turned down by men. This example also reveals that no matter your place in society, men are always going to be the dominating

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