Tom Jones Mary Wolstonecraft

The role of women in a society has been widely debated over a long period of time. Throughout history, we have witnessed unfair injustices between males and females. We live in a civil world where women were once seen as minorities; they were depicted and treated unfairly despite their social ranks. The struggle to achieve women’s rights has been a controversial issue for centuries. Many writers have questioned the purpose of women; among these was the British feminist Mary Wollstonecraft. Born into a rough childhood, Wollstonecraft quickly learned the values of independence and became critical of a society that threatened women as inferior people, she advocated for equality and independence of all human beings. In A Vindication of the Right’s of Women, Wollstonecraft calls for an end to the injustices against females. The actions portrayed in her writings resemble the similarities and differences in the movie Tom Jones.

In her essay, Mary Wollstonecraft states that women are inferior because they lack the proper education. “… The neglected education of my fellow-creatures is the source of the misery I deplore …” Women are ridiculed and looked down upon for their misunderstanding; they are seen as children who cannot stand alone. In the movie, the women during that period of time did not receive a high education. Only the upper class learned a proper education but only to a certain extent, they were taught to only speak and write but were not to get involved in more serious matters such as politics. Women like Miss Western whom received a higher education had to go to another country to obtain it and were often seen as masculine people. Education played an important role in the discrimination of gender. Only men were capable of...

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...e as sex symbols rather than human beings. For men, a woman’s standard was lowered due to what they often represented. Men were “more anxious to make women alluring mistresses than affectionate wives and rational mothers.” In A Vindication of the Rights of Women, Mary Wollstonecraft calls out for equal rights toward women. She explains that women are treated as minorities because they lack the proper education, they are considered sex symbols and are only meant to pleasure, and they are dependent on men. These three concepts apply to the movie Tom Jones. In the movie, people at the time resembled a sexist society and considered women as lesser individuals. Mary Wollstonecraft’s essay became the most influential feminist writing to exist in that period of time. It wasn’t until later on that her ideas received recognition and were celebrated and followed worldwide.