While Jonathan Lethem was successful in breaking traditional character archetypes in his novel Motherless Brooklyn, he ultimately fell short in regards to the representation of his female characters. Lethem presented a negative view towards femininity by developing characteristically weak female characters and further contributed to the trivialization of females in media. He emphasized the negative characteristics of his female characters which marginalizes the idea of gender equality. Lethem's female characters were depicted as weak because of their vulnerability due to sexuality, as well as being characterized as selfish. Both Julia and Kimmery are restricted by their own sexuality. Their professions as a maid and a waitress are traditionally …show more content…
Kimmery and Julia are not only defined by their weakness due to sexuality, they are also defined by their selfishness. Julia cheating on Frank is what killed him, yet she shows no guilt or remorse. In regards to cheating she states "I wasn't hiding" (295). Julia shifts any perception of her from being a victim to being the antagonist. She knew she was cheating on Frank yet instead of feeling shame, she did not care how she was perceived. This theme of the self centered female is also present in Kimmery. She initially was Lionel's love interest and represented the hope that he someday could be accepted. Ultimately she ended up being depicted as shallow when she never had any serious interest in Lionel due to his condition. The harshness is exhibited in Julia's overall statement on the conflict that "no woman will ever want you" (297). Her word choice includes the extremes of 'no' and 'ever' which truly emphasizes the hopelessness for Lionel while attributing it to the cruelty and judgement of females in …show more content…
The struggles female characters endure can be related back to everyday life in society Females in literature can serve as inspirations for readers when they are properly developed and represented fairly. In contrast, a misogynistic view of woman in literature can further perpetuate ideas of inequality. Strong female role models are important and books that marginalize female characters contribute to internalized misogyny. While Jonathon Lethem did have interesting development for some of his characters in Motherless Brooklyn, he ultimately failed to properly establish his female characters. His female characters lacked depth and were presented very negatively. Women in the novel are not only treated as unequals, they are presented as if they themselves are to blame for their situations. Both Julia and Kimmery are depicted as weak due to sexuality and self
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.
For readers who observe literature through a feminist lens, they will notice the depiction of female characters, and this makes a large statement on the author’s perception of feminism. Through portraying these women as specific female archetypes, the author creates sense of what roles women play in both their families and in society. In books such as The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the roles that the main female characters play are, in different instances, both comparable and dissimilar.
The submissive and sacrificial role, that the only canonical non-white character inhabits, paints a clear picture on how the writers view the role of black female
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.
...present powerful characters, while females represent unimportant characters. Unaware of the influence of society’s perception of the importance of sexes, literature and culture go unchanged. Although fairytales such as Sleeping Beauty produce charming entertainment for children, their remains a didactic message that lays hidden beneath the surface; teaching future generations to be submissive to the inequalities of their gender. Feminist critic the works of former literature, highlighting sexual discriminations, and broadcasting their own versions of former works, that paints a composite image of women’s oppression (Feminist Theory and Criticism). Women of the twenty-first century serge forward investigating, and highlighting the inequalities of their race in effort to organize a better social life for women of the future (Feminist Theory and Criticism).
Society continually places specific and often restrictive standards on the female gender. While modern women have overcome many unfair prejudices, late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century women were forced to deal with a less than understanding culture. Different people had various ways of voicing their opinions concerning gender inequalities, including expressing themselves through literature. By writing a fictional story, authors like Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Henry James were given the opportunity to let readers understand and develop their own ideas on such a serious topic.
Due to traditional stereotypes of women, literature around the world is heavily male-dominant, with few female characters outside of cliché tropes. Whenever a female character is introduced, however, the assumption is that she will be a strong lead that challenges the patriarchal values. The authors of The Thousand and One Nights and Medea use their female centered stories to prove their contrasting beliefs on the role of women not only in literature, but also in society. A story with a female main character can be seen as empowering, but this is not always the case, as seen when comparing and contrasting Medea and The Thousand and One Nights.
conceptualizations of gender in literature are situated in a culture and historical context ; the
Women in Literature: Reading Through the Lens of Gender. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2003. Print. The. Bailey, Carol. "
For instance, Paradise and Moriarty, along with surrounding male characters, engage in intellectual conversations regarding jazz music, philosophy and literature. With that said, female characters are “left outside the intellectual and decision-making sphere of the males” (Olsson 4-5). As a result, Kerouac audaciously depicts women as immensely lacking depth and intellectual ability, ultimately presenting women as tedious creatures capable only of fulfilling sexual desires. In addition, the description of Ed Wall’s wife, an acquaintance of Sal, further reiterates the absolute notion of female inferiority: “his [Ed] young wife prepared a magnificent spread in the big ranch kitchen … she was a well-built blonde but like all women who live in the wide spaces she complained a little of the boredom” (Kerouac 229). Essentially, Sal’s depiction of Ed Wall’s wife epitomizes Kerouac’s perception of women: they are a gender trapped within a male dominated hierarchy, isolated from social conventions and reduced to “unimportant housewives” (Olsson
“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.
Throughout American Literature, women have been depicted in many different ways. The portrayal of women in American Literature is often influenced by an author's personal experience or a frequent societal stereotype of women and their position. Often times, male authors interpret society’s views of women in a completely different nature than a female author would. While F. Scott Fitzgerald may represent his main female character as a victim in the 1920’s, Zora Neale Hurston portrays hers as a strong, free-spirited, and independent woman only a decade later in the 1930’s.
Throughout literature, authors employ a variety of strategies to highlight the central message being conveyed to the audience. Analyzing pieces of literature through the gender critics lens accentuates what the author believes to be masculine or feminine and that society and culture determines the gender responsibility of an individual. In the classic fairytale Little Red Riding Hood, the gender strategies appear through the typical fragile women of the mother and the grandmother, the heartless and clever male wolf, and the naïve and vulnerable girl as little red riding hood.
Throughout literature’s history, female authors have been hardly recognized for their groundbreaking and eye-opening accounts of what it means to be a woman of society. In most cases of early literature, women are portrayed as weak and unintelligent characters who rely solely on their male counterparts. Also during this time period, it would be shocking to have women character in some stories, especially since their purpose is only secondary to that of the male protagonist. But, in the late 17th to early 18th century, a crop of courageous women began publishing their works, beginning the literary feminist movement. Together, Aphra Behn, Charlotte Smith, Fanny Burney, and Mary Wollstonecraft challenge the status quo of what it means to be a
Females are powerful creatures that are often overlooked and underestimated. Females are a force to be reckoned with. In literature, the inspiration that drives the creation of strong female characters often comes from the writer’s own experience and life. This essay will compare the female characters of The Lamplighter by Maria Susanna Cummins and Ruth Hall: A Domestic Tale of the Present Time by Fanny Fern and the characters’ journey toward independence by referencing how the genres of literature and background of the authors feed the main ideas of the respective novels.