Maggie O 'Farrell's Novel The Vanishing Act Of Esme Lennox'

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Up until the post war period and the rise of post-war feminism, women struggled to attain social equality. Maggie O’Farrell’s novel, the Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox (2006), explores the damaging effects of patriarchy on women in Western society in the 1930s, the inter-war period. With its juxtaposed settings of the 1930s and late twentieth-century Scotland, the lives of Esme and Kitty Lennox, and, contrastingly, their descendent Iris Lockhart, are examined to reveal the variations in the effects and impact of patriarchy, as determined by their chronological place in history. Expectations around behaviour, education, and marriage reveal the restrictions of the 1930s and the very different freedoms of the 1990s. Using three narrative voices, …show more content…

Being confined through clothing, Kitty and Esme experienced a sheltered upbringing, constantly being told “you are the granddaughter of an advocate, not a saloon girl”. Velvet was prohibited as wanton for unmarried women, especially when crimson red, as it is a strong vibrant colour associated with sexuality in both colour and feel. O’Farrell cleverly includes this as the tactile imagery invites readers to imagine the texture and touch of the fabric, which is very sensual. Kitty, who was older, understands “you always had to wear a pair of gloves… especially coming from a family like ours,” as it was believed at the time that the gloves would prevent the skin to skin contact that could result in sexual arousal. Kitty was uneducated on sexual topics, expecting “the man to have all the knowledge and get on with it”. As a result, she is unable to comprehend Esme’s trauma with Jamie, becoming furious that “she has done it with him”, wondering how, “as she wasn’t even married yet”. This reveals to the reader both Kitty’s naivety and the impact rape had on young …show more content…

The characters provide a contrast for the readers, by presenting the powerlessness of women through Esme’s fate in the institution after her refusal to conform to married life, and the subplot of Iris being a contemporary version of Esme. Esme’s suffering foreshadows the events of Iris’ life. Through the use of narrative voice, symbols and foreshadowing, O’Farrell reveals that all aspects of Esme’s life are determined by society’s expectations to create the essence of the harsh effects of patriarchy for the reader to

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