In these two novels, Fantasia and So Long a Letter ,we will explore how the women in these novels deal with modernity and the ways in which it conflicts with some of the traditions of their society. In So Long a Letter, the main character of the novel, Ramatoulaye is coming to grips of the hardships placed upon her when her husband takes on a second wife. In Ramatoulaye’s case, we see her conflicting emotions for she considers herself a feminist modern woman, however she is still somewhat submissive to the ways of tradition. She ponders on the alternatives, yet she comes to one conclusion, to stay with her husband. Her marriage paralleled that of her good friend’s Aissatou, however Aissatou was able to forge ahead with a new life that did not involve polygamy.
Even t... ... middle of paper ... ... going on, but under a different name, Herminia, since nobody knew that name but her father and her sister. She was able to keep it a secret until her father’s death, but still breaking barriers down with her talent, letting people know women can do more than what you think. The novel, In The Name of Salome’ is told during a time of that many different struggles are going on. Telling the story of Salome’ Ureña de Henriquez, how her poems talked about the challenges that her nation endured, giving us insight on her viewpoints on what was happening during that time. In The Name of Salome’ is a novel that touches on the issues of gender and war during the 1800s-1900s.
All of these experiences in Chopin’s life helped her to develop the main character of her novel; a young woman striving for love, freedom and independence. Edna Pontellier, the main character of The Awakening, attempts to find a new life through which she can pursue her dreams of finding love and gaining independence. After an “accidental” marriage, Edna is trapped in an obedient life. She does not passionately love her husband and continues to tolerate her children, while she dreams of a better life that she would be able to truly enjoy. Edna is expected to please her husband, care for her children, and not anything more.
To sum things up, both novel the Handmaid’s Tale and Veil of Roses are comparable with similar themes escape, love and freedom. The Handmaid’s Tale and Veil of Roses both reminds us about how women were or may be treated in society. That comes to show, as empowering as women might feel in today’s society there are others who still pray and fight for their life every day. Women fight from love, violence, religion, or even marriage. It all comes down to a matter of struggle, which can be very pessimistic for each woman.
Jane just wanted to escape and become the woman she wanted. She wanted to write, she wanted to get well, and be a better mother for her child. She was confined to a room and a schedule that held her back from being completely her. “The Yellow Wallpaper” represents how women were treated with little respect. Perkins describes struggles of a woman in a weird eerie style in “The Yellow Wallpaper”.
In reading the book you realise that it is entirely possible for woman to lose their rights completely, and the social clock, in relation to woman in society, could be turned back. The Handmaid's Tale is set in the future an any signs of the rights of women as we know them are banished and barren, except in the pain ridden memories of women living reduced roles. Charlotte Bronte, although more subtle in her approach than Atwood, displays just as much passion concerning rights of women. At several points she acknowledges that women's role in society is questionable, and should be a prominent issue in women's minds. I thoroughly enjoyed reading both books and feel that both are excellent pieces of literature that put across a strong, important message.
11 Jacbo 's narrative uses many examples and showcases many times that slave women have shown that they may have fallen under true womanhood, but yet she tries to instill that even in reading these horrors, even if the reader tried her hardest, she would fail because of the unique issues of being a slave mother. “Reader, my story ends with freedom; not in the usual way with marriage. I and my children are now free!... The dream of my life is not
‘Little Red Cap’ is a subversion of Little Red Riding Hood amongst the collection of poems in ‘The World wife’ it presents us with a story of ‘innocent…childhoods end’. Through a close reading of this poem it is evident that, you can see beyond the literal sexual and autobiographical theme and into an in-depth portrayal of women and their achievements throughout history. Duffy uses the issue of women as the central theme in her poem. She shows women gaining independence from adolescence, leaving home and exploring the world and facing dangers of varying degrees. They are often mistreated, misunderstood and treated unequally.
The women choose to conform to society’s expectations of women in the early twentieth century, however; Edna and Nora struggle with who they truly have become inside, until the conflict either consumes them or sets them free. Edna conforms by enduring her husband, Leonce Pontellier; caring for her children and home, and keeping her relationship with Robert discreet throughout the novel. While there is an obvious internal battle between romance, conformity, confusion, and unrealized raw passio... ... middle of paper ... ...alizes that not only can she accept herself, but no one else can, either, and her metamorphosis leaves her imprisoned. Nevertheless, both women realize that they have become something which only society expects of them, nothing that they have selected for themselves. They have become wives and mothers, instead of potentially single, and independent women, and their boxed-in world suffocates them.
Throughout history, society often places women inferior to men, causing women to be predisposed to obeying their husband without a second thought. However, when a woman begins to question the idea of loyalty and obedience, her eyes are often opened to the mold that she is encased in and becomes determined to break through and develop her self-potential. In Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House and Kate Chopin’s The Awakening, the main female character is put through a revelation that changes her life forever. Through their quest to find their own freedom and individuality, Nora Helmer, from A Doll’s House, and Edna Pontellier, from The Awakening, each uniquely discovers themselves. Since the beginning of the play, Nora was very loyal to her husband and even told him how she would “not think of going against your [his] wishes” (Ibsen 6).