In this journal, you are asked to write a feminist critique of your chosen novel. Here is what Steven Lynn has to say about feminist literary criticism in his book Literature: Reading and Writing with Critical Strategies:
"Feminist criticism generally assumes, like reader-response criticism, that a literary work is shaped by our reading of it, and this reading is influenced by our own status, which significantly includes gender, or our attitude toward gender. But, as feminists point out, since the production and reception of literature have been controlled largely by men, the role of gender in reading and writing has been slighted. The interests and achievements of half of the human race have been neglected -- or appreciated largely from only one sex's point of view.
You don't have to consider yourself a feminist to benefit from feminist criticism. Simply taking gender into account, regardless of your social and political views, is likely to open your eyes to important works, authors, and issues you would have missed otherwise.
Although it is difficult to generalize, given the diversity and development of feminist criticism in recent decades, there are some basic strategies you can adopt. You'll want to consider the significance of the gender of the author and the characters. You'll want to observe how sexual stereotypes might be reinforced or undermined in the work. How does the work reflect or alter the place of women (and men) in society? Perhaps most powerful, imagine yourself reading the work as a woman. If you happen to be female, this last suggestion may seem easy enough; but feminist critics point out that women have long been taught to read like men or to ignore their own gender. So, reading as a woman, even if you are a woman, may be easier said than done."
So, as you respond, apply these strategies to your book.
Looking for an example of feminist criticism? The article linked here contains a feminist analysis of a work with which many of you may be familiar, the Avatar: The Last Airbender series. Take note of how the author avoids simple retelling of plot events. While some summary is necessary, most of the analysis focuses on how the characters subvert traditional gender roles through the course of the series. Remember to write two paragraphs; each paragraph should be at least eight sentences long.
In the novel I've chose to read, Gone With the Wind, the author is a girl named, Margaret Mitchell. In this novel it takes place during the Civil War which means that the guys go off to fight for their country and the girls stay back at home to keep the house tity and pray for their soldiers who have left. That there is a stereotype by saying that just men go off to war to be soldiers. The truth is anyone can fight for what they believe in, male or female. So why does Mitchell not point that out? Honestly to answer that question I think that this topic is not even thought of, but just expected and forgotten so that's just what people wright. It's practically skipped over. Although some people would disagree.
ReplyDeleteAs a female I find it easy to understand how Mitchell has written this piece. If I were in her positions I would have, just as easily went right over the subject, that only men go to war. I would have wrote is just the same as she did, not even thinking about being feminist. Now if I were a male reading this book is could be different. I think males are more laid back and don't really care about situations like theses. I think it's mostly the girls who would complain about this feminism. Most ladies don't care in my opinion but those who do are mostly female because they get offended that people don't think they can do certain task.
There are a few different things you can look at through the feminist lens in Catch-22. First of all, there is a character named Nately and he is in love with a girl who is only referred to as, "Nately's whore." The first reason this is an issue is because it is putting women on a lower level of society. Secondly, Nately only refers to her as "whore" and never calls her by her actual name which could be a sign of disrespect. She is also used by other male characters and this is portraying her as an object. This novel could also be viewed as anti-feminist because there are very few female characters. They are; Nately's whore and a couple of nurses and that's it. This may have been okay for writing at the time it was written, but nowadays that would not be accepted by most.
ReplyDeleteI feel like reading this book as a female wouldn't be very enjoyable. I think this is because, as stated earlier, there are very few female characters in this book. The ones that are mentioned in the novel have very little roles and are shown no respect by the men. The nurses in the hospital aren't treated well by the patients and obviously Nately's whore isn't treated well. The book is clearly set in a very patriarchal society where women have little power. I believe this is shown by the fact that there are no powerful women in this book. I feel that the author, Joseph Heller, was enforcing a stereotype that only men had real roles that mattered in World War 2. He was also showing that women were treated like objects and were only near the war so they could service men.
I thought as well that Joseph Heller was trying to show only men were significant during the war period and that women were there for entertainment. Do you think it is a problem this book is written in a way that follows the environment of the actual war where women only exist as entertainment? Do you think this book was written to be anti-feminist?
DeleteNo I don't believe it was intended to be. I think that's just how it was during that time period.
DeleteCatch-22 could be considered to have a feminist lens due to the fact that women are very rarely mentioned throughout the book. When they are referred to they are put down by absurd names such as "whore". Though this was a common term for a girl who made love with a man every now and then without commitment, it could be considered disrespectful, though men in the time period found it the norm. Another example of something that could be considered disrespectful to women is when Hungry Joe tells them he is a professional photographer and takes nude photos of them. He really is a photographer, however he has lost his mind so it could be considered a lie. This mistreatment could be seen through a feminist lens.
ReplyDeleteThe use of the feminism lens in this book would be to portray the society of the time period and how they lived life back then. It shows that the war bases consisted of a high percentage of men, and Joseph Heller, the author, I feel is using this to show that woman during this time period weren't allowed to suffer the war the way the men did. They weren't allowed to go crazy on missions, and put their lives out there. The book portrays them simply as a fun relief for the soldiers, and an aid in the hospital. The women aren't allowed rights in the book, they are to be treated however the men would like to treat them.
I agree when you say women didn't suffer the war the way men did. Do you think some women would've preferred to be in battle over being forms of "entertainment"?
DeleteAt the time I believe women who were forms of entertainment were okay with it, and if they weren't okay with it they were in the factories.
DeleteAs I continue to make my way through the novel titled, Kidnapped, I have noted that there has not been a single appearance of any girl character. With the author being a male, he made all of the characters males, forgetting the existence of a women. He only scarcely mentions the thought of a female and that was to vaguely state that one character, Alan Breck, had a wife. To fill the stereotype of a man, the characters are those who create or run into a lot of conflict which always leads to violence. Another part of being a stereotypical male is that you are tough and brave and David is just that. He is tackling his long, crazy journey alone while being thrown curve ball after curve ball. Looking at it from the feminist point of view, I am confused on what his motive is to betray the captains and join the stranger's side. I am still looking for an explanation for all of the violence between the men. What is his motive to continue to follow Alan Breck when all he brings is trouble to the table when he could have stuck to the captain's’ side?
ReplyDeleteWith the rare sightings of the thought of a female, I think it means that Robert Louis Stevenson believes that women shouldn’t have a role in society. That women belong in the house and their only job is to be a mother and care for the kids, given the title ‘wife’ at one point in time. Because he thought that their place was to inside and the entire book has the setting of outdoors, he just completely left them out. I also think that because of the the fact that there is an absence of women in the novel, it completely demoralizes the power of women. It doesn’t really consider them a human or even a factor in the story, making them look as an object that the man can call his. A one point, David was stuck on an island, all alone waiting for someone to come and rescue him. When a boat came into his sight, he thought it might be a woman heading his way but it turned out to be two men. This can prove that men looked at women as a comfort source. They saw them as the mother-like structure that would help those in need and David was the one in need in this situation.
I agree with you, but do you feel as the favor against men takes away from the novel? Whats your reasoning?
DeleteI don't think that it takes away from the novel because it was written to have all the fighting and all the conflict but it just might be less entertaining to us females since we don't normally enjoy books of this sort.
DeleteIn my book, Dracula, the story is told in forms of journal entries, notes, and letters. As I've read, I can certainly tell of evidence of gender inequality. The first occurrence was was in chapters 1 through 5, Jonathan Harker's Journal. As he made his journey to Castle Dracula, he stopped by an Inn to rest. Through his description, all the businesses were owned by men. The driver of the carriage was a male. It appeared that women didn't have a, say, leadership role. The second occurrence was when he left the Inn to the castle. The owner's wife warned him not to leave yet, to wait, for that night was to be believed as in the evils of the night awake. Johnathan disregarded her warning, believing it was foolish.
ReplyDeleteReading Dracula as a feminist may be.. Interesting. Their are times when the men appear higher than the women and times when they are equal. Feminists may bring the idea of how, currently, women aren't higher than men. In the letters swapped between Miss Mina Murray, what is portrayed as Johnathan's fiance, and Miss Lucy Westenra, old friend of Mina, men treat women equal. When Lucy talked about the proposals made to her, each man respected her wishes, and offered to never bother her is there was someone else. The thing is, this is an old story, and the tables can turn at any second.
"A Journey to the Center of the Earth" does not have any strong female characters. The only females seen so far have been the cook and the wives of the men who gave shelter to the group. Hans, Harry, and Hardwigg are all males. The women shown have not played a big part at all. They are minor roles with no real impact or personality. I think the sexual stereotype about how females are weak and delicate, is heavily displayed. Most of the females shown seem to rely heavily on their husbands and are portrayed as stay at home moms. This seems to say that women belong at home and their job is to serve. There really isn't much to say because the main characters are all males. I guess that in itself actually says quite a bit though. I think that if Hans would have been a female, the plot would pack a bigger punch. However, if Hans was female, I probably wouldn't ship it as much. I wish I could say that this book broke gender roles and destroyed sexual stereotypes, sadly I cannot.
ReplyDeleteReading this as a normal person isn't very fun, so reading this as a feminist is even less fun. I think this book could have a bad influence on young girls that can be easily swayed. "A Journey to the Center of the Earth" doesn't have any females that can be easily related to. There is no female to idolize or aspire to become. In the prompt it says that women have been taught to read like men, I don't really understand that. In reality, we all read differently. Is there really a difference between how a male and a female read? Each individual interprets things differently, shaped by their experiences and their own thoughts. I'm not entirely sure why Verne didn't include at least one strong female character. If he had, it would have given more balance to the book.
I totally agree with you that there is no strong female character in the book. If there was what female character do you think would be good to put into the book. What would they do and what impact would they have. I also agree that this book is a bad book for inspiring young girls since there is no strong female character. But have you considered the fact that it just might inspire them? If they read the book and realize that women where treated like that in the past, they would be inspired to show what women can actually do. Lastly, do you belive that the gender roles and sexual stereotypes have to be broken in order for this or any book be considered to be a good book?
DeleteFirstly, I am a bit confused by parts of your reply because you seem to be asking questions, but you end them in periods. If I were to put a strong female character in the book, I would replace Hans with a female version. I feel that this would give off a strong impression and also be ironic. However, if Hans were to be a woman, it would ruin my ship between Harry and Hans. Some females might feel inspired by the fact that there are not any strong female characters, but I'm sure most will just find it disrespectful and annoying. Books can still be good without breaking stereotypes and gender roles, but doing so makes good books better. Books that do break gender roles and stereotypes are progressive and game changers. Authors who take advantage of this can easily open up their audience to a broader reach of readers.
Delete"Lord Of The Flies" has no female characters in it at all. I think that this shows that the author, William Golding, doesn't think of men and women as the same. By not putting any women in this book it shows that he doesn't think they could handle being stranded on an island. Which is very stereotypical that women are not outdoors, or as hard of workers compared to men. I think that if William would have been a women he would have put a girl in the story, I don't think that he noticed that he didn't put girls in it or that he did it on purpose, I just think its instinct to put your gender in the book more. Thinking back I always have more female characters in my stories rather then men.
ReplyDeleteAs a female I don't see how William wrote this book without including an opposite gender in it. I have more females in the things I write, but I never make a story with only females in it. I didn't notice how sexist this book was until I thought about it and I would like to think that William didn't think about it either and just made up characters not planning on excluding women from the book. I think that if William being a man he has never had to deal with not having equal rights, so he doesn't see it as an issue. I would like to hope that he didn't plan on being sexist to women when writing this book because women are a lot more than stay at home moms.
I understand what you're saying about him not putting women in the book could be accidental. However, I feel like he did it on purpose. When writing a story you would usually add at least a few people of the opposite gender. I personally would find it harder to write without ever mentioning one gender. Along with you, I never thought of the book as being sexist until I looked at it with a feminist view. Although, there is also the fact that the book was written in the time period when males were way more dominant than females. I believe that the setting the author was in had a big influence on the story.
DeleteI agree with what your saying however, it was in a time period when this was excepted and I think that's why it wouldn't make him think to include women. I also think that this would have to do with some type of home experience, I feel like he probably didn't have sisters, or a good mom so he may have not wanted to include such characters in his book.
DeleteI agree with what your saying however, it was in a time period when this was excepted and I think that's why it wouldn't make him think to include women. I also think that this would have to do with some type of home experience, I feel like he probably didn't have sisters, or a good mom so he may have not wanted to include such characters in his book.
Delete"The Light in the Forest" is not exactly a sexist novel but, so far, it does not have any strong female characters. It also doesn't promote females. There is little to no talk about the women in True Son's tribe. There is a small bit about True son's mother and family but it didn't elaborate on their importance. There is also not many females in the march to the English town. I believe that there was one mention of an English-American female which seems a little odd. I definitely wish there is a stronger positive females in the book so far.
ReplyDeleteWhile there is little mention of families, the ones that are present are very stereotypically female. The few times that True Son's mother and sisters are mentioned the main thing that is discussed are the clothes they made. On the flip side when men are discussed there is a wide variety of things they are known for. Another sexist character is True Son's biological mother. When True Son meets her she is sewing clothes. She is also very naggy and annoying. There is also mention of a slave-girl but nothing about male slaves. While the sexist points of the book are not overwhelming, it would not have hurt the author to not write them at all.
In "The Light in the Forest" I agree there aren't many females characters - weak or strong not that any female would be weak in this time. It's much more of a racist book than a sexist novel. However, in that era, females wouldn't have been beneath the male in any circumstance. Males moved in with the female, with her family, whoo-ed her, gifted her, and she chose her own husband in certain tribes. She farmed, and fed the family, sewed the clothes, cleaned the game and did most of the work in this time while men usually did the scouting and hunting.
DeleteIn "The Light in the Forest" it is hard to give a feminist view when there aren't main females to connect to. Do you think that later in the story when True Son goes to the English town and meets his mother that his mother will play a main part in the story?
In my book, The Red Badge of Courage, there is only one women to be found and that is Henry's mother. She did not like the idea of Henry joining the Army. With only one female character to be made in this book could be because this book was written about the life of a soldier in the Civil War. This could be that most women stayed at home during the Civil War - others disguised themselves as men and joined the army or became spies. I am not thinking that Stephen Crane is a sexist because there is only one female, so far, I can count the list of characters on one hand. He could be suggesting that Henry is a momma's boy by how he is weaker than the other soldiers. That could be true because his mom did not want him to go into the Army. I am not saying the girls are weak and would run away from the battle but Crane could be making that Stereotype.
ReplyDeleteIf I were a female reading this book, I wouldn't find it very enjoyable unless I liked reading about war. There is only one female character in this book and I may find that sexist. I did some research and found that there is only one female character throughout the book. This does go under the stereotype that was back during the previous wars that women couldn't fight. If I were a female reading this, I would be infuriated. Women today play a big role in our Army and could've played a bigger role in previous wars. Women played an important part in building this country and I don't think that this book does them justice. Crane does not mention women much and he could've been sexist and didn't think that women really "existed" during the time period of the Civil War.
Do you think that the only reason you see having one women in the book as sexist is because of when and how we were raised? Would you have rather seen a women as the main role?
DeleteI don't think that a woman as the main role in this book would fit because of the story line. Not a lot of women made it into the Army. I don't think that he's sexist because it would've been hard to fit more women into the book. I'm not saying I'm sexist but he was right to put more men in than women for this story.
DeleteIn Little Women, from the very beginning we know that Jo wants to be treated as a man is treated. She realizes that this is a man's world, especially during the time of the Civil War, when this book takes place. She says from the very beginning of the novel that she wants to be fighting in the War with her father. Although she is only fifteen so she is too young anyway, she knows that it's impossible because of the fact that she is a woman. Jo tries to beat these stereotypes and sexist rules. She does this by disregarding some unwritten rules that women are supposed to live by. Some examples of these unspoken rules are always wear gloves to parties, don't be clumsy, no winking. Also the fact that she goes by Jo, which is a more masculine name compared to her actual name which is Josephine.
ReplyDeleteTheodore Laurence, or better known as Laurie, is an example that people should be seen as equal, not men above women and not women above men. He goes by Laurie, which is more feminine than Theodore. He wants to pursue a job in music, which is unlike most men in the time. They usually were either at war or had a career in business. This shows that these stereotypes aren't just for the girls of the story.
In my book, "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" there are a few women. The main character, Tom, is a boy who tells his story which mainly involves boys. The one exception is that Tom saw a new girl and fell in love. He spends his time showing off to her. Other than that Tom's aunt is just shown as a mom who cooks cleans and disciplines her kids. Tom also has a cousin who helps him with his clothes and cleans him up for church. This book is mainly focused on boys.
ReplyDeleteThe author of this book, Mark Twain is a male and so far is not showing any stereotypes. He wrote this story the way that life was back in that time period. He never points out the women enough to put a stereotype on them. The women in this book just basically fill the plot line a little because of the fact that Tom is a young boy. If i was a female reading this book i wouldn't think of the sexism because it isn't there. I probably wouldn't like it because it was a story focused more on a boy but there is still plenty of interaction between the boys and girls. This book wasn't wrote to have sexism it is just displaying the time period.
I agree with the fact that the author has not shown stereotypes. But I disagree with the part where you said that the Woman in the plot seem to be there to fill space. for example Toms cousin effects toms schoolwork drastically.
DeleteThe book is very feminist in the beginning. It starts off by a man leaving his wife and leaving her with nothing except a child and the clothes she has on her back. In the first chapter the wife of Armstid kicks out Lena ( the lady with the baby) because it is frowned upon to have a child with no father. I donyl know if it’s her religion or what put the wife says npo at first but then lets her stay for one night. It’s feminist because girls are made to feel less superior and made to be household wives and ladies when they could be working for money.
ReplyDeleteOn the guy’s side of it, it’s like the old days how guys worked and the wives stayed home and did all the housework. The guys are the leader of the house and make the rules and make the money and do all the man stuff as they say. They work and go to the fields and drive out of town and leave the wives. The men in this book are not meant to their wives but they give less respect to them I think because they believe they are superior and they believe that men do everything and the wives get all the easy stuff.
If you were Lena, how would you feel about not having a home to go to? Would you also look for the father of your baby? How do you feel about the setting so far? I think the setting is mostly in a rural setting, with not a lot of wealth, do you feel the same?
DeleteI agree with the setting. It really hasn't gone into very much description on the town yet. But seems just like a very nice town with not much there. If I was Lena I would be scared and freaked out about not having a home. To be honest I don't know if I would look for my husband. Just depends are circumstance with him like how long I knew him and how much he meant to me.
DeleteIn my book called the Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane the only women that is in this book so far is Henry's mother. I think that the reason that there is only one women in this book, because it is set in Civil war time and women were not allowed to join the army. The fact that there is only one women in this book is sexist in itself. I also think that most people now think that way because of the difference in time. When this book was written women did not have as many rights as they do now, which affects how people from the 19th century and the 21st century view women. The fact that so far there are very few characters, and only one women, show that Crane doesn't seem to think women are important to the story. While this may not be a sexist behavior, some people may find it to be that way. Crane in my opinion is sexist because he showed that with Henry's mom not wanting him to leave for the army, but yet he didn't listen to her opinion and went anyway.
ReplyDeleteIf I were a women, I would not find this book every enjoyable. Most girls don't usually enjoy a war book, but some still do. The fact that there is only one female character throughout the whole book may come across as sexist. I think most women reading this now would not agree because women play a much larger role in daily lives then they used to. Women can now join the army, have their opinions listened to, and vote. While is this time period none of this was true. If I were a women I would not agree with this book because I never had lived in the time period. All I would know is the 21st century and nothing more
I don't think that Stephen Crane was trying to come off as sexist. It's just a small book about a scared soldier in the Civil War. There aren't a lot of places where he could've placed another female character into the story. Why do you think that he is a sexist by having Henry's mom not want him to join the Army?
DeleteIt's not sexist in the way that his mom didn't want him to join the army, but I say it as in more modern times you see people listening to a women's opinion more. In the time span of when this book was written this was not the case
DeleteIn the novel I chose, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, it is very easy to read using the feminist lens. There have been no women mentioned in this particular book so far. The author could’ve done this because people are stranded on an island. He might believe that women wouldn’t have been a big help in getting off the island. However, if that’s true, I don’t understand why William has the people be children. Surely if women wouldn’t have been a big help, neither would the young boys. In the story the children just run off and don’t get anything done. There is not a logical reason that I can think of as to why William has no women mentioned in his book.
ReplyDeleteOne factor that could affect there being no women could be the fact that the author, William, is male. He was alive during the time period where women could do nothing on their own and were dependent. Being male, odds are that he saw women differently than women are viewed today. He may have thought that if he writes about women it would just be boring because they would depend on the males and not be able to do stuff on their own. I’m sure that many women were outraged with this book at the time it was released. The author most likely didn’t think women were good enough to do any good on an island, or even be mentioned. However, the reason as to why there are no women could also be the fact that the story is different when it’s focused on children rather than adults. That theory still doesn’t make up for the fact that there are no children who are girls.
I agree that it is kind of rude that he has no mention of women in his book, however I think that he didn't notice it. I think that it is common to make characters the same sex as yourself. Thinking back I realized how much I do it. I think that there should have been women in this book because then it would have helped show society that women can do just as much as men.
DeleteGabie, I understand what you mean. When writing a story we naturally use the gender we are but we still at least mention the other gender most of the time. I completely agree with you saying that if there were women in this book, it could've shown people that women can do the same as men. I think that's something that would have been beneficial to our country back when this was written.
DeleteIf I was using a Feminist critical lens, I could look at many parts of the story for the novel Animal Farm written by George Orwell. The first thing I could look at is when the animals overrun the humans on the Manor Farm, the men get most of the heavy hitting animals to kick them out, while the only woman in the story gets driven out by a single crow. Another thing I could look at would be how the only cat on the farm is a girl, her name is Mollie. Mollie loves humans and early is the only animal that can't follow the rules of staying away from human beliefs and practices. She's known for being really lazy, not doing her work, but coming back to the barn for dinner time with an empty stomach. During the part of the book when the humans came back, the animals were attacking them to run them back out of the farm. The author made an emphasis to make sure to say that even the cat was attacking the humans.
ReplyDeleteAnother aspect I could look at is how every animal who is intelligent or has a lot of power on the animal farm is a male. The males are always coming up with the good ideas, and the females are just left to do their own work. When power is brought up in the book, the reader never hears about a woman in power, it's always a man.
I too noticed that the male animals are running the farm without any help from the females. I was wondering why George Orwell made it that way, because he could have written that there was a strong female lead character, but he didn't. Why do you think he did that? Do you think it was because of the time period?
DeleteAlso, I noticed that you said that Mollie was the cat, but actually Mollie is a female horse that enjoys the human ways (bows and mirrors). There are a few other females in the book too, Clover, the cows, and the cat (I'm pretty sure she doesn't have a name). Why are there so few female characters do you think?
I think George Orwell did do this intentionally. Maybe because of the time period or maybe to show how hard it is to be a leader and that a woman probably wouldn't be able to handle it. I thought Mollie was the cat, but it makes sense because she gets bows in her hair and eats sugar cubes. I believe that their are few females to symbolize how hard this really is on all the animals.
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ReplyDeleteBy looking at this story through the feminist lens, I can get a much better understanding of the book. The book is written by a male author, William Faulkner, and is definitely centered around male views. The main character that rises during the book, is Joe Christmas, an adopted kid that is beaten by his foster parents. In a feminist view, I see this as being more accepted because men are suppose to be tough, and they need to be taught toughness. Joe is also blamed for the killing of Miss Burden, even though it is not for sure. From a feminist stand point, women are more accepting of men committing violence, and think most men cause violence. Joe is basically raised as a pet by his foster parents. Again from a standpoint of feminist, this can be more accepted, teaching the boy how men are developed.
ReplyDeleteThe other big story unveiled in the first half of Light in August, is how Joe is a rebel child, that is sneaking out to have sex with women. Through the feminist lens, I see this as thinking that Joe is forcing this girl to have sex with him, since a women isn't likely to be okay with this. The book tells the graphic stories of him whipping the girl, but the girl is really a prostitute. Joe can be seen by feminist as having power over women, since men are seen as more abusive. As Joe develops the personality seen as a "whore" feminist see him as being a sketchy character. Joe takes advantage by telling the prostitutes he is part black, to get out of paying. Through a feminist view, I see this as Joe being a scum and a cheapskate.
Why do you feel that he was abused as a child? What reasons do you think he was beaten for? How do you feel with him sneaking out and having sex with that women? Would you do that? How would you react to these situations that Joe is put into? Would you stand up for the women that Joe is beating and having sex with or not?
DeleteI do not like his abusive childhood, and think this could be due to his foster father not getting what he wants from his wife. I think he shouldn't have been sneaking out, and I would not do that. If I was in Joe's shoes, I would request new foster parents. What Joe is doing is wrong, and I would stand up for the women
DeleteIn the book Shane it is a lot different being a girl. they are treated well but "know where they belong" so to speak. Women in this book do house work, hardly ever farm work. It was considered the woman's job to cook, clean, do laundry. but they where also treated well. they didn't have to do chores on the farm unless they lost there husband. from a woman's point of view this can be taken two ways. flatted that they don't have to do farm work. or they can take the point of view that says a woman can do everything a man can do.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Shane is a good book that explains both the female and the male points of view very well. Although, women of this time period sometimes do the gardening and other measly tasks such as collecting eggs and milking cows rather than the men who do the difficult work.
Deleteyou are 100% correct but i have not seen anything besides cooking and gardening yet in the book
DeleteIn the book Shane it is a lot different being a girl. they are treated well but "know where they belong" so to speak. Women in this book do house work, hardly ever farm work. It was considered the woman's job to cook, clean, do laundry. but they where also treated well. they didn't have to do chores on the farm unless they lost there husband. from a woman's point of view this can be taken two ways. flatted that they don't have to do farm work. or they can take the point of view that says a woman can do everything a man can do.
ReplyDeleteA Farewell to Arms seems to have a neutral view-neither feminist nor anti-feminist. There's only one side female character-a British nurse by the name of Catherine, who acts as the "love interest" to the main character. I emphasize "love interest" because the two don't really love each other, but are desperate for someone to love anyways. While she is more or less a "love interest" and is the only real female presence in the book, her character does add something to the story, making her more than just an afterthought.
ReplyDeleteAs aforementioned, both Henry and Catherine try to start a romance together, despite their lack of attraction towards each other, because they are in the midst of war times and are just desperate for the company of love. Without Catherine there, this desperation couldn't be felt very strongly in Henry. The novel is also in the midst of World War 1, meaning that women didn't have a place yet in the military. So Catherine's role itself is just reflective of the times, and not a sexist standpoint.
I feel as though Catherine does feel love towards Lt Henry but he just doesn't feel the same. I think he uses her as a cover up so women aren't all over him.
DeleteShane is a great book that explains both the male and female PoV. The female in this book, Marian, always wants to be in style with the women in the cities. She seems to also be in the house either cleaning or cooking fantastic meals. The women are also thought very highly of and are always treated with respect. One of the primary characters, Shane, is Marian's guest for a few days. In these days, Shane is always polite and considerate of Marian. He, Bob, and Joe always try to help her with everything. I believe that this level of respect should remain, however, it isn't.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
Deleteit is a shame that people think that women where treated like this because they are "weak." the are respected not weak
DeleteExactly. I'm very disappointed to see this in society.
DeleteIn the book Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain there are almost just as many woman as there are men although the story is based around the protagonist Tom Sawyer a boy who is a bit of a trouble causer. Although it is in an older time period where the woman do not have as many rights, There are a lot of strong woman figures in the book. For example Ant Polly is Tom's ant and guardian who is takes care of Tom by herself. another woman in the novel is Tom's cousin Marry who instead of seeing the bad trouble causing side of Tom she sees the good in him and pushes him to become a better student and mesmerize his bible verses.
ReplyDeleteLooking at this book through the feminist lens I notice that in theory the story seems to target boys who want to read about a an adventure. Although I do not think it is meant to be but there are plenty of strong women figures. Over all I do not think this story is written from a sexist point of view.
In London’s White Fang one of the main characters early on is female, but only if you count wolves. The wolf who is known as She-Wolf for most of the beginning of the book is a very important character in the book because she births the hero, but that is beside the point. This book sort of fights the helpless women stereotype, because even after White Fang’s father dies, his mother, She-Wolf, carries on with taking care of the rest of her litter, which is just White Fang. Earlier on in the book, we are shown an example of how men often treat women. The three lead wolves in the pack are constantly pressuring the lady wolf, to try and get her affection. In the beginning of this she doesn’t do much but isn’t happy. Eventually she snaps at them and fends them off, which is another good way of showing of strong independent women.
ReplyDeleteI personally believe that anyone of any gender should be equal, and that women are oppressed a bit. This being so, I found it interesting to look at White Fang through a feminist lens. This book, being from 1906, is interesting in how it displays women. It portrayed White Fang’s mother as strong and resourceful, even though in that era, men often did not have high respect for women. It could be argued that it was written that way not for respect for women, but because it was about wolves, and wolves are strong and resourceful, but I like it the first way. Reading in a feminist lens was a bit difficult for me because it required me to look at lots of things to do with gender. I appreciated that while reading this through the feminist lens there was a strong female lead in the book, even if she got sold off to another tribe eventually. I think having a strong female character at the beginning of the book added a lot to the plot and made the book more interesting overall.
How does the fact that the book was written in 1906 affect the feminist theory? If the book was written today do you think any noticeable changes would occur from the female perspective?
DeleteI agree when it comes to gender equality. However it is hard to spot in White Fang due too the lack of females.
I think the year of publishing affects the feminist theory because it shows that even back then, some men saw how women can still accomplish things, which was an uncommon thought back then. I think that if it was written now-a-days, the female perspective would change it a lot because how men look at things has been changed over the past few years, by getting more educated on equality.
DeleteAs I read Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen this week, I tried to see things from a feminist's point of view. I don't necessarily consider myself a feminist, but I found it interesting to think in such a way while reading. This story mainly focuses around the five daughters of a middle-class couple in the 1800s. The parents seem to be extremely focused around finding men for their daughters to marry. I feel as if society was telling them to care so much. The world saw women as being of almost of no use unless they were wives tidying the house and having babies. That was their only way of having a purpose, and so the girls' parents were desperate for them to fit into that equation.
ReplyDeleteMr. Bingley, the new, rich man in town, seems to be different though. As I read, I felt as if he was a better man than some would think he's be. He doesn't seem to act snobby and pampered as one may assume. I think that he would treat a woman as if they have more of a purpose in life than expected.
Did it help you to understand the book more, looking from a feminist's point of view? Do you think people who are feminists are able to have a better grasp on this book? Because it's in the 1800s, what do you notice different about how the sister's lifestyles are? How do you think money is effecting this book? What do you think about how women were portrayed back then? Since you found someone in the book who is a kind character, is there anyone else who shares the same traits as him? I believe with you that women should be treated equally, with respect, the same as men. I think you did a really good job showing examples of how inequality was shown somewhat in the 1800s.
DeleteI honestly think it helped me a lot by looking at this book through a feminist's point of view. It's very different, and it really made me think about what life was like back then. It seems to be completely different. The lifestyles of the sisters are pretty different compared to what girl's lives are like today as well. Now we can basically do anything that men can do, but back then it was crazy and frowned upon for a woman to do so.
DeleteThe money issue in this book seems to almost takeover. It's probably the only reason why the Bennet parents want their daughters to marry Mr. Bingley. Sounds silly, in my opinion. It should be based on more than bank accounts. Although, I do find Mr. Bingley to be pretty kind so far, unlike Darcy seems to be. The whole family of the Bennets seem to be friendly too, they just are a little too focused on money.
By looking through the feminist lens while reading this story there seems to only be a few moments where women are not treated equal. One of these moments is when a girl named Mercedes is visited by her lover, Dantés. Dantés during chapter three steals the beautiful girl from another lover by the name of Fernand Mondego. Fernand is infuriated by this and believes to himself that he should be the one with the lady and not Dantés. He think this way in a way that makes it seem like he believes he owns Mercedes. This small part of the story is a perfect example of the way women were treated during the time period of this story. Men didn’t care what the women’s opinions were and only that whatever they believed in was right.
ReplyDeleteOur society today has come a long way in bringing the gender gap closer and closer. Although, a hot topic is now the gender pay gap. While this isn’t the type of sexism that was seen in the olden days, this still is a huge deal. I believe that women should be payed just as much as men for the same job and I know that they are better at some things than men. When you look at our past, it is amazing how far we’ve come but what we really need now is that final push. Reading classic novels like this one expose me to a variety of different types of sexism and what a feminist might think of those if they were reading the book. Studying these different types of examples just might be the key for the rest of society to unlock the doors and allow that gender gap to finally close.
I agree that a large part of the sexism in this book is revolving around Mercedes and her two lovers. What about the sexism shown from Villefort to his fiance Renee? Also, what would the "final push" be when speaking about the pay gap between men and women?
DeleteI forgot about Villefort and his fiance and yes that is a perfect example of sexism! The final push that I was thinking would have to go along the lines of a well known figure finally changing how we view genders. Whether this be making laws to require equal pay or other things, I consider this to be the "final push".
DeleteI would not consider "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" as a sexist book. Despite this, up to this point in the novel there have been no female characters. In fact, I cannot recall a single mention of a female. The lack of the opposite gender does not bother me considering the setting. It takes place in the nineteenth century so naturally no women would be included in an expedition to purge a massive beast from the sea. I wouldn't say there are many instances of male stereotyping in the book either. I suppose one could say Ned Land stereotypes athletic men as hot headed. Some might also claim that from the men's goal of killing the animal lies the implication that men are barbaric.
ReplyDeleteI don't think the lack of females in this book has anything to do with how Jules Verne views women. I'm sure he knows women can do all of the things the male characters have. It would be nice to have a female character but I would not say this makes or brakes the book. Excluding a gender from a novel does not necessarily make it sexist. The way genders are treated in a literary work is tied with the setting. Over all, I would say Twenty Thousand Leagues is not the book to be read using feminist theory.
I disagree with you I think that Jules Verne was a sexist for not putting ladies in his book.
DeleteWhat if I were to write a story where women go out on an adventure at sea and never come into contact with men? Does this mean I'm sexist? Honestly I don't think that one piece of literature can determine that of a person.
DeleteIn Slaughterhouse - Five, there is not a huge female presence. The book is even written by a male himself and is based off his views of WW2. When looking at it as a feminist, women are treated very poor throughout this book, including Billy Pilgrim's wife. He describes her as fat, which is very diminishing and is not ok. When reading through a feminist lens, you see how men so easily sexualize women's bodies and are quick to judge them. Billy claims to like her well enough, no matter how she looks, but she does have a lot of money behind her last name. This coincides with men using women throughout this novel, Billy claims time and time again he loves her, but he never truly connects with her and barely speaks to her using a fully formed sentence. Usually I would claim he doesn’t speak much because of how messed up he is after surviving the bombing of Dresden. However, when looking through this feminist lens, you could say that he doesn't’ speak to her because he doesn’t have respect for her and was in it for the money.
ReplyDeleteWhen Billy is supposedly abducted, he is showcased to all of the aliens in what he calls a zoo. He is the only one there until the aliens abduct a famous actress in this novel, Montana Wildhack, who happens to be completely naked when she arrives. When looking at this lens, it throws a lot of red flags. Montana Wildhack is being totally sexualized, it's as if the book is saying she isn't beautiful without being naked. I believe that Billy is going crazy after his traumatic war experience and wishes his wife was as stunning as Montana is described to be and dreaming this all. Through a feminist point of view, Billy bases things completely off of looks and what he may benefit out of the relationship. Also in the first chapter, that is mainly a failed autobiography of the author, he describes his friends wife as someone who should maybe stay in the kitchen and not worry so much about war, as it is a man's fight. This is coming directly from the author speaking right to his reader, it just proves that the author himself does not think genders are equal.
It is hard to read with a feminist lens in mind when there is only few females mentioned let alone a main character in the plot. I also agree that the men in this novel sexualize women's bodies. Do you think later in the novel it will be easier to read with a feminist lens in mind?
DeleteI find it difficult to view this novel,"20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," from a feminist perspective, because there simply isn't much about the female gender in the story. So far as I can tell there have not yet been any female characters introduced. I cannot analysis the treatment or behavior of women in this story because there simply isn't any. That in itself tells you perhaps that women aren't treated equally because the author has chosen not to write about women.
ReplyDeleteSome may argue that there are no women in this novel becuase it is about being at sea on a scientifc expedtion. It would make sense that during this time period,the mid nineteenth century, that women wouldnt be out doing such things. Women weren't scientists, sailors, or whale hunters. It's unfortunate that it has taken society so long to come to where we are now with equality. It is still important to understand what took place in the past. To right main characters as females would have been an extremely progressive thing for author,Jules Verne, to do. Some might say that his story was zany enough without having to stir up gender roles.
I don't think that the lack of female characters makes us completely unable to use this lens. The lens involves more than simply looking at how women are treated in the novel. For example, you can look at sexual stereotypes which affect the men in the book.
DeleteI don't think that the lack of female characters makes us completely unable to use this lens. The lens involves more than simply looking at how women are treated in the novel. For example, you can look at sexual stereotypes which affect the men in the book.
DeleteAnalysing Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five through the feminist critical lens is fairly easy. The novel has only spoke of four or five women throughout the first five chapters. The women include a mother, a wife, a war buddy’s wife and an unknown woman. Half of the women have only said a few words, though the others have not said much. Kurt Vonnegut, a male, wrote a novel revolving around men or a particular man named Billy. Women are not a significant role in this novel, I believe, because women were not associated with the war. Now, we find several women fighting our country.
ReplyDeleteFrom the beginning of the novel, the reader follows a man named Billy. Billy had suffered many tragedies in his life and even fought in World War II. In the first chapter, he goes to meet with an old war buddy in hopes to restore memories from the war. His war buddy’s wife was found serving the men by preparing food and a space for them to talk. Women, in the past and present, are typically said to of been found in the kitchen because “the kitchen is where women belong.” Men and women are capable of cooking and doing other daily activities. She goes on to talk about the war and her opinion on how the war is being fought by “babies”, young men below the age of 18. I feel she would fight in the war if given the opportunity to, though that would not happen because of her being a female. Two of the other women in the book were being sexualized, Billy’s wife and the unknown woman. Billy had called his wife fat and was not thrilled about marrying her but she had money and he found her desirable. The unknown woman was also being sexualized because she was said to only be beautiful if she did not have clothes on. This shows that men look at women for specific reason, such as money and looks.
Do you believe that since Vonnegut is basing this off of some of his experiences, that this is how he has also viewed women? Or do you think he is being a little sexist to help the story develop an interesting plot? I agree Billy possibly only married for the money, but do you think Vonnegut meant for it to be seen this way, or is it simply the feminist lens that leads to this conclusion of him only marrying for money?
DeleteIt is a possibility that this is how Vonnegut viewed women. I feel like he might have made it seem Billy married for the money because he talked about how he didn't really want to marry her and he did mention money.
DeleteWhile the author, Jack London, is a guy he uses the feminine role in the book in a different way. In the beginning there are two friends going on a sled ride and they are chased by a pack of wolves with a she-wolf as a leader. I find it interesting how this is what the wolf got named. The wolf uses her influence to kill a dog each night and then ends up killing the last couple, which is how she gets named that. She would ‘flirt’ with the dog and bring it to the rest of the pack and the dog would be eaten. I feel like girls flirt with guys sometimes and guys just follow because they don’t think, which is what happens here. That does not happen in every case but women have a strong influence over a man and that is shown in the beginning. Some women can flirt with a guy and even if the guy knows he will get in trouble. This is also shown. The dogs know that something bad will happen and one dog realizes too late. He gets too close and is killed and eaten.
ReplyDeleteAfter this part in the book the she-wolf goes into heat and is ready to have pups and the males wolves know that. While running they bump into her and try to show their affection for her but she snips and slashes them with her teeth. They lay off for a slight while and then do it again. Eventually there are only three wolves that are still with her and they fight for her. The two are killed leaving the victor the women. This symbolizes how men will fight over one girl in society today, and the book was published in 1906. It shows how this has stayed in society and women are a strong part of everyone's lives. After the pups are born the mother instinct kicks in and she is protective of her pups. She doesn't want anything to happen to them, which mothers do today. The mother shows that it’s not just the man's job to go and hunt. One-eye, her husband of sorts, is killed and she is now on her own. She has to get food or she will die and her only remaining pup will as well. The idea that only mothers stay at home is disproven in this case. She does for a while but then has to take care of her own. This symbolizes how women are independent just as men are and are capable of doing anything.
I agree that sometimes women lure men into their clutches with flirtatious words and actions, but sometimes they claim that it is just how they were raised. How do you feel about that? I also agree that often times when the father dies/falls out, the mother steps in and shows how mothers can be self sufficient too. Do you think the she-wolf was a successful mother?
DeleteI think that girls have a choice to be that type of person, even if they were raised up that way. They have a brain and understand what they are doing and they can stop it, just as easily as they can flirt. I feel like they may tend to be that type of person that flirts but many change for better and become a better person for not being that type of flirtatious women. I think that the she-wolf was a successful mother. She killed the lynx for food for her pup. She didn't want him to fall like the rest of the litter that already had. Not only did she do that but she taught him life lessons like any good parent would.
DeleteTreasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson is a complete man fest. The only female character that I have come across is Jim's mom, who was only in it for a brief period. Certain groups of people might think that this is a problem. I, however, don't understand why they would. I don't find there to be anything wrong with an all male cast so long as the reader is able to project themselves onto the protagonist. For a young, groovy, hip youth such as myself, it is easy for me to relate to Jim.
ReplyDeleteIf I were to put myself in the size 8 shoes of a female, I still wouldn't see a problem with relating to Jim. So long as I was still young, there wouldn't be a problem. All the lessons that are taught to Jim can apply to anyone. Not just males. Additionally, since Jim has yet to hit puberty, the differences between him and a girl are minimal at best. If Jim were a girl named Jimette, the story would remain largely the same.
I agree that anyone can relate to the protagonist, male or female. Would the story change if any of the other characters were female?
DeleteI don't think it would. If any of the pirates were female, they would still be treated the same because that's how pirates operate.
DeleteIn reading The Scarlet Letter, it is somewhat easy to see the novel in the feminist lens. When I look at it it seems like the writer, Nathaniel Hawthorne wants the reader to look at the scarlet letter as a way to identify Hester or see it as a badge of pride instead of sin. She is mainly left alone to take care of herself and her child, making sure her child grows up normal and not so awkward and so solitary. Hester has to come to terms with how the community treats her, and has to try to become stronger the harder it gets on herself. Even though many people did not approve of her, to make money for her family she sewed things for the people in town and even tended the poor, sick, and dying. Making her once bad scarlet letter ‘A’ into something that became a positive thing.
ReplyDeleteThe setting Hester lived in didn’t support feminism because it was set mainly in the 1850s. Many men at that time believed women didn’t have a say in many things and Hester was a perfect example of stepping up. Hester did what she wanted to and took the responsibility honorably. She is a strong female role in the book that I think represents feminism fairly well.
I agree that it is very easy to read it through this lens. Do you think that maybe as we continue reading the book that someone may join her in saying that she isn't a terrible person, and what she did wasn't wrong?
DeleteAs the novel is going on right now, I don't believe that anyone will join her just because she lives in a town with puritan beliefs and they think that what she did should be punished.
DeleteAlthough "Treasure Island" by Robert Stevenson does not show any strong stareotypes, It can still be viewed from a feminist's prospective. Out of all the characters in the book, there is only one female. This character is Jim's mom, and she only appears in the book for a short time. Her only job within the story was to run the inn. All the other characters in the book both major and minor were men. Some would argue that this is a stereotype against women, but back in that time period, it was common for women to stay and take care of the home. She was the owner of the inn as well, and not many women back then owned businesses.
ReplyDeleteIt his hard to view this from a feminist lens because there is not a lot of evidence for feminism within the book. Robert Stevenson doesn't show any bad stereotypes torwards women. There aren't many female characters because the book is about sailing the sea and exploration. The book actually breaks some of these stereotypes, with Jim's mom being the owner of the inn. There isn't a lot of female characters simply because there isn't a need for many female characters in the book. Looking at a book through different lenses helps me learn about the book more. Looking at this book through a feminist lense was different. It made me think about the story more and I saw the book from a new point of view than before.
Do you think the book would be easier for more people to relate to if there were more female characters?
DeleteDo you think the book would be easier for more people to relate to if there were more female characters?
DeleteNo, I don't think having female characters would make it more relatable. Jim's character connect's with all audiences, not because of his gender, but because of what he does and the type of person he is. The genders of the characters in the book don;t really matter much, because anyone can relate to them and their lessons no matter the gender
DeleteReading “The Call of the Wild” through a feminist lens is hard to do. There really isn’t a whole lot of sexist stereotypes taking place in the novel as far as men being stronger than women, or women being weak. I think this is in part because of the fact that the book is written in a dog’s point of view. As a general rule, I don’t think that dogs are very big on stereotyping people, so I don’t think that feminist has a strong role in this book. Although I do think it could be argued that there was some amount of sexism used when London wrote the novel, because so far in the book there haven’t been any female characters. There might have been one dog named Dolly but she was only mentioned because she got mad dog and tried to kill Buck. Other than that, no females at all. Not to say that this won’t change farther into the book, but it seems unlikely that 50 pages in, suddenly there would be all kinds of female characters thrown in at once.
ReplyDeleteI think that not having females in the book at all is kind of strange. There isn’t a strong argument that could be made as to why there aren’t any female characters in the book. Or why the main character isn’t a female for that matter. It wouldn’t change the story line, and females can be just as strong as males, but I don’t think the book does a very good job of showing that. It seems kind of unfair for the author to have put no females in the story at all, let alone as main characters, but considering the fact that the book was written in the early 1900’s, it is easier to see why there aren’t many female roles in the book. In the time that it was written, women didn’t do much of anything. They mostly took care of their husbands and kept the house clean, but they wouldn’t be the ones going to work everyday. It is easy to see that the book was written in that era when you are reading it with a feminist view.
I think that maybe there are no female characters because no one thinks women would be strong enough to handle mad dogs. What do you think?
DeleteIn George Orwell's Animal Farm, it is difficult to find examples of feminism. The story is told in third person, so there are no first hand accounts of a female character's thoughts like there would be if the lead character in a first person story was female. If you take into account the authors gender and the time period during which the book was written, you might notice that there are some stereotypes.
ReplyDeleteThe book was published just after World War 2, and there were no females fighting in the war. Likewise, in the book there are no female characters in power. The male pigs claim they are the smartest and so they do all the decision making. So far, the female characters don't play any influential roles in the story. Another stereotype is that the female mare is "foolish" and "pretty" like how a blonde woman is stereotyped as not very smart. Why didn't Orwell make her both smart and pretty?
While using the feminist critical lens, I found that there are many stereotypes just in chapters one to five. It makes sense that George Orwell might not have thought to add a strong female lead character, considering the time period and the subjects or themes of the book.
I also noticed that there weren't any powerful woman characters.If the time period were different do you think that there would be any female leader roles? What would change? Why?
DeleteYes, I believe that there would be a strong female character if the book were written today. One of the pigs would change to a female, and she probably wouldn't be a pig anymore either. This would be changed because there were so many influential women after this book was written.
DeleteWhile looking back on the author of the novel Kiddnapped there has not been any female charcacters. The closest he has mentioned to a women in Alan having a wife. With the author being a male, that is where he is favoring the male population. Another man stereotypical is that they are brave and strong and all the men are strong and brave. From my point of view I am kinda confused about all of the fighting.
ReplyDeleteI feel like since he has a rare appearence of females, he thinks extrmely different of females than males. Females have the title "wife" and alot of people think of house keepers.Men looked at women as soothing and confort because when he they got stuck on the island he thought it was a women so got really excited.
Looks like we have the same exact view again. While reading did anything else pop out at you while thinking about the feminist theory? I found it difficult since they are so scarcely mentioned. But that also proves that the author didn't think of them often either.
DeleteWhat popped up in my head was just how the book would be if there was girls, for instance in the boot when there were two boys.
DeleteI feel like if the book had girls or if girls influenced it more then David and Alan might have the motive to go home and be with their wife or they might be fighting for the girls instead of just to cause trouble. Might be more a love story than an action book.
DeleteIn "The Pearl" by John Steinbeck, looking for examples of feminism is quite difficult. One of the main characters, Juana, faces rough work day in and day out. She is a worker. As a woman, she is expected to do the fill her housewife stereotype and do all of the cooking and cleaning. Despite all of her hard work, she takes pride in it. She likes her home-life, and she likes taking care of the baby. Even her husband, Kino, respects her for her toughness. Juana and Kino are no rich folk, but they definitely make it work. Juana is always providing food and a well-swept floor for her family.
ReplyDeleteJuana fulfills her “mom”-duties when her baby gets stung by a scorpion. Indeed, Kino definitely should've done more to help save the baby from harm. In a way, it seems almost that Kino knows that it's Juana’s job to tend to the baby. That is interesting to me. In the first chapter of this book, Juana is cooking and cleaning and helping the baby. Kino is supportive, but he hasn’t done no where near what Juana has been doing. Throughout the remainder of the book, I will look for many other examples through the feminist lens. It will be interesting how the title will tie into this.
It does seem like Juana has done most of the work as the mother or house wife in the book. But, why do you think that Steinbeck included this in his book? It seemed as if that was a "proper" thing yet Juana seemed very strong as well.
DeleteI think Steinbeck may have included this to give a better idea on what the typical household of these character's society looks like. It really helps me paint a better picture in my mind about what their daily life is like.
DeleteWhen looking through the feminist lens while reading The Count of Monte Cristo there are only some moments where women are not treated as equal, but I would assume that there will be more as the book progresses. The largest chapter with a woman involved so far is chapter four when the main character, Edmond, comes back to visit his fiance Mercedes. At this time, Edmond has been gone for a long time being the first mate on his ship. Before he gets to her though, the novel shows Mercedes’s cousin Fernand trying to get her to marry him. In this conversation, he talks about how she would be a great cook, cleaner, and mother for his children which is showing that she is thought less of since they would be “his children”. She refuses to marry him and soon after her fiance Edmond comes to her. When this happens, Fernand becomes angry because he believes he should get to be with her, as if she’s almost some sort of prize to win. This is just one example of how women were not treated equally in this novel.
ReplyDeleteAnother example of sexism in the novel is in chapter five when a rich man named Villefort is talking to his fiancee Renee. He talks about how he loves her enough but she is very rich so he thinks he could spend his life with her. By saying this, it’s showing how he isn’t marrying her because he loves her, but because of her money. Again, this is objectifying the women that are in the novel so far. Also, when he has to leave because of his job, she is very submissive towards him. I believe that a wife should submit to her husband, but she should also be an independant woman and be able to express her own opinion. Clearly in this situation, she is not able to express her opinion and silences herself as to not get into any trouble. These are only a few ways that sexism has been clearly stated in this novel, and I believe that it will continue to grow as more characters are introduced.
This novel so far has not had a lot of sexist moments so far. The few that it has had are the ones that you mentioned. I feel that the author, Dumas, spent more time on creating the characters and wanted a good baseline story without all of the distractions like sexism. I could be wrong but so far we have not seen a lot of this issue. Maybe we will as the book continues.
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ReplyDeleteIn the book "Journey to the Center of the Earth" there isn't a single strong female role. The book itself is about three men who are the main characters. Then in the book Harry's fiance herself states about the fact that women don't have a strong role. Gretchen says, "If I were only a man!" to Harry. She says this because she won't to come with them to the center of the Earth. This is a clear example of how much women are segregated in the book. The women are just there to take of their husbands and basically be a stay at home wife like it was in the old days.
ReplyDeleteAs a male reading this book I noticed the lack of women in the book. However thanks to looking at it in the feminist lens I now know just how much the role of women is lacking in the book. The book is based in the old days where it was common for women to just be stay at home wives. Also due to the lack of a female role the book doesn’t have effect that women have. Personally having a female role in a book is a good thing. They liven up the book a way that a male character can’t. That is just my personal preference and other people read differently. Then there is the fact that I don’t know how a women fully think so they probably have different viewpoints on this.
I definitely agree that there is a lack of females in the book. I would hope that you could have noticed the minimal amount of women without having to purposefully use a feminist lens. The book seems to be in the same era it was actually written in. At that time, females usually did not have jobs and stayed at home to take care of children. However, I think that Verne could have implemented at least one woman that wasn't completely washed out. What would a female character do? What role would they serve in the book? Do you think that strong female characters weren't put in because of the author's personal preference or because of the time period it was written in?
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DeleteI did notice it with out the need of the feminist lens. As for what a women character could do? She could be the anchor of the group maybe. An example of that would be if Gretchen came along. She would be able to keep the group together more and would have somewhat of a say in things since she is Haedwiggs daughter and Harry's fiance. Do you agree that Gretchen could have been a good female character to have with them? Lastly I believe it is a little bit of both. The time period does have a say in it but so does the author. He chose to go along with them time period of having stay at home wives instead of having a main female character. What do you believe in?
DeleteReading White Fang through a Feminist lens is a bit tricky. There is only one significant female in the story so far. Her name is She wolf. She lives without her partner, one eye, because he died. This shows that the female does not need to depend on a male to survive. She does her best to take care of White Fang. At one point, she pushes White Fang back into their den and stands guard when she senses danger. This shows she will do what is necessary to protect her pup.
ReplyDeleteFemales are generally seen as more gentle than males. This becomes important in White Fang. Being raised by only his mother, one would expect White Fang to have a difficult adjustment to the harsh world. The exact opposite occurs. She Wolf teaches her pup lessons about the wilderness. She does by herself and does a good job too. White Fang is growing up with only a female presence. Will he become a more gentle animal because of this? Or are all wolves born to kill?
This female though is strong and I'm sure she could take on a male. She takes on the lynx and kills it and he partner couldn't do that. She is one strong female so do you think that White Fang is going to be soft because his mother is part dog or will he be a killer? After his mother did kill a lynx, a very strong cat.
DeleteThat is a great point. White Fang will probably not be hindered by the fact he was raised by only a female. She accomplished some great facts and White Fang will most likely follow in her footsteps.
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ReplyDeleteThe Scarlet Letter is a very interesting book, so far, to look at through the feminist lens. It is very interesting because it was written by a man and it was set in a very different time than ours. The men in this book are allowed to do whatever they want to. No matter if it is to another man or to a women. They threw her in jail for adultery, even though she didn’t do it. This was very wrong because they are putting women on a lower level than they really are. Women in the book are not treated as first-class citizens. They are treated more like lower class, or even dirt. The men are all treated like they are kings.
All the women in The Scarlet Letter are not treated as equals. It is very easy to notice this. What I find as most interesting reading through the feminist lens, is how strong Hester is portrayed. She doesn’t dismiss her wrongdoings, but yet she embraces them. Although men do not see women as equal citizens, Hester understands the amount of bravery and intelligence she has, even when she lives in a Puritan society.
I agree that it's interesting looking at it through a feminist lens when the author is a man. Do you think as the novel goes on more of the women will begin to understand and embrace how much intelligence and bravery they have?
DeleteI didn't think of that, but now that you bring it up it seems that it will happen. Maybe the women will see how bad Hester is being treated that they may even stick up for her.
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ReplyDeleteIn A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway there is no way to say that there is a whole lot of feminism. All characters seem neutral in the midst of WWI. There is a love interest but it is mainly just a fraud relationship to have someone.
ReplyDeleteCatherine says she loves Lt. Henry but he just doesn't have the same attraction. She appears clingy probably because she's been left before and it's a difficult time during the war.
Do you think Catherine will become more important or less important to the plot as the story progresses? It seems to me like it could go either way: what do you think?
DeleteIn the book “The Pearl” by John Steinbeck feminism seems to ring silently in the background. Although Steinbeck has included the role of Juana, a wife of the main character, to be a mother figure, she also seems to have a strong part in Kino’s life. As Juana is seen through the story, she is seen doing “wifelike” activities. These activities being things like cleaning, making food for the family, and caring for the child. Other than these activities she supports her husband like every other wife, believed in the story’s time, would. It seems that Steinbeck wants to show that a normal life is with your wife doing the cooking, cleaning, and caring with a child and a strong father. It seems like this because in the book Steinbeck uses the symbol of songs to set the mood of the story. Every Time the mood is happy, the song of the family seems to play and with this song is Juana doing wifelike things such as cooking.
ReplyDeleteNow, as the story progresses it is interesting to wonder what troubles Juana might have to face with her actions as a wife and mother. She seems to e a sound of sense to Kino and a person that Kino relies on. It also seems that Juana keeps a lot of her faith in Kino to provide and protect the family. But, will Kino’s faith be put into his wife and very thing that she does for the family. Juana did save Kino and her baby from a scorpion as a doctor from the town would not. She had to take the role and save her own baby instead of having the baby die because of a greedy doctor. She seems to be becoming a true main character in the story. She now just has to unfold the rest of the way.
In the book “The Pearl” by John Steinbeck feminism seems to ring silently in the background. Although Steinbeck has included the role of Juana, a wife of the main character, to be a mother figure, she also seems to have a strong part in Kino’s life. As Juana is seen through the story, she is seen doing “wifelike” activities. These activities being things like cleaning, making food for the family, and caring for the child. Other than these activities she supports her husband like every other wife, believed in the story’s time, would. It seems that Steinbeck wants to show that a normal life is with your wife doing the cooking, cleaning, and caring with a child and a strong father. It seems like this because in the book Steinbeck uses the symbol of songs to set the mood of the story. Every Time the mood is happy, the song of the family seems to play and with this song is Juana doing wifelike things such as cooking.
ReplyDeleteNow, as the story progresses it is interesting to wonder what troubles Juana might have to face with her actions as a wife and mother. She seems to e a sound of sense to Kino and a person that Kino relies on. It also seems that Juana keeps a lot of her faith in Kino to provide and protect the family. But, will Kino’s faith be put into his wife and very thing that she does for the family. Juana did save Kino and her baby from a scorpion as a doctor from the town would not. She had to take the role and save her own baby instead of having the baby die because of a greedy doctor. She seems to be becoming a true main character in the story. She now just has to unfold the rest of the way.
I agree! I saw the same things through the feminist lens as you did. Although, it is interesting what I have learned about the family songs too. Do you think they made those or that they may have been passed down for generation to generation?
DeleteI thought it would be easier since I'm a girl to understand more about the book from looking from a feminist's point of view, so that's what I did. Even after doing that though, I was not surprised by what I read. In the 1800s, equality of women was not a thing. For the sisters, they didn't even know what feminine equality was. They don't really live a life of freedom to say, their life is basically chosen for them to be housewives. And though this is sick already, the are expected to live that kind of lidestyle, their whole entire life. Another aspect of lifestyles was having their love life's chosen.
ReplyDeleteThe sisters are having to live and be the person they chose and I believe though it is rare to happen in society today, I think some women fall in love for the wrong reasons. The two sisters have to be forced to marry as soon as possible so they can live out the life others have planned for them. Not the life they have planned for themselves. Coming from a feminist's point of view, I believe I would not like this situation at all because I want to be with someone I want to be with instead of someone others want me to be with. I believe like the sisters, that they have every right to be upset about their situations with their love life. I believe the author was smart by letting us see so far what it was like back then, and how it can somewhat relate to times today. I am anxious to see how the sisters' love lifes and futures come out as I would be too if that were me.
Why do you think that men and women could not be seen as equal beings in the 1800s? Do you think that if you were a girl living back then, you'd still feel the same way about equality, or would you probably follow society's rules? I would honestly most likely follow along. It seems hard to stand alone in a world full of strong believers in such a thing.
DeleteHow would you act towards your sisters if you were all competing with each other over a rich man, like the Bennets? Would you just let it go and let them try while you sit back, or would you go after him, especially because of his money?
In the book "The Call of the Wild" it's hard to look at it from a feminist point of view. It's because, as far as I know, there are no female characters. All of the the characters involved in taking Buck are all men. Maybe that's because no one thinks a woman would be strong enough to help the men with the dogs.
ReplyDeleteIn "The Light in the Forest" I agree there aren't many females characters - weak or strong not that any female would be weak in this time. It's much more of a racist book than a sexist novel. However, in that era, females wouldn't have been beneath the male in any circumstance. Males moved in with the female, with her family, whoo-ed her, gifted her, and she chose her own husband in certain tribes. She farmed, and fed the family, sewed the clothes, cleaned the game and did most of the work in this time while men usually did the scouting and hunting.
ReplyDeleteI find many of the females in the book to be somewhat sexist. Do you think the author did this because of his personal view of females or to be historically accurate?
DeleteI wouldn't exactly agree with the statement of them being sexist, more racists towards the Indians and thinking that they are better than they are. However, I think that a lot of white women weren't being valued in this time so perhaps the author tapped into what happened in history.
DeleteThere were several females in True Son's life, both male and female. Of all these characters, who do you think was the best role model for True Son?
DeleteAs I read through this book, there seems to be little female characters, and if the characters are female, they seem to be evil, or part of a dream. Don't get me wrong, their are females in this book, but most of them are either very small parts, or they are not there, but talking about them. I think the book is like this because in this time era. Women were only thought of as being their to cook, clean, and support their family. So having them in book is surprising, because in reality, women back then were almost forbidden to be considered human.
ReplyDeleteAs I read through this book, there seems to be little female characters, and if the characters are female, they seem to be evil, or part of a dream. Don't get me wrong, their are females in this book, but most of them are either very small parts, or they are not there, but talking about them. I think the book is like this because in this time era. Women were only thought of as being their to cook, clean, and support their family. So having them in book is surprising, because in reality, women back then were almost forbidden to be considered human.
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