Marilyn French who is the author of the book “The Women’s Room” illustrates the lives of a couple women from the time period of the 1950’s also known as the baby boom and the time period goes on until this present day. These women are not out of the ordinary. These women they either go off to college and then they decide to get married, or they decide to get married in the absence of even caring about the display of college, and after all, they do know that college is the only way to find economical promising husband’s. Mira, who is the main character her lifestyle is discovered in parts of the book, roughly ponders why she is not happy cooking pot roast, changing dirty diapers of her two children Normie and Clark when they were babies, and…
Janie was in an arranged marriage with Logan Killicks, a financially stable, crop-owning farmer. Janie believed love revolved around marriage, but she was greatly disappointed when she had realized what a fool she was to be so naïve. Logan was soon exempted from what Janie believed to be true love. “She knew now that marriage did not make love. Janie’s first dream was dead, so she became a woman” (Hurston, 25). After marrying Logan, Janie was forced to work like a slave because Logan viewed Janie as what a “typical wife” would do with and for their husband; work, clean, and cook. The internal racism led Janie to feel like a tool of her husband, to use and abuse only for his working matters. “Her [Nanny] dreams of a better life …ended…Nanny transferred her hopes to Janie” (SparkNotes Editors). Nanny believed a woman will become successful if she married a wealthy man and “sat on the front porch” all day. Nanny did not realize her mentality was battling reality. Nanny’s fantasy of good living contradicted with what Janie had to do; work alongside her husband in the…
In her relationship with Jody Starks - her second marriage - she is physically abused many times. Jody saw this as assurance he had control. Today, every one in four women are abused because women have been known to be seen as more of objects than actual people. It was not until 1900 that the New York’s Married Women’s Property Act of 1848 was passed in every state granting married women ‘some’ control and rights to their property and earnings. There is a stereotype for women that still exists today expressing the idea that women are not capable of all of the things men have been said to be.…
In today’s society, women are independent, have their own voice, and hold job positions that were once never available to them. Before the enactment of women’s rights, women were confined to the lives of their husband’s. Mrs. Mallard and Delia are two very different women who share similarities in their current state of life. Mrs. Mallard understands the “right” way for women to behave within society, is constantly looked after by her peers, and realizes the powers that men and her husband are granted within their society. Delia is a hard-working African-American woman who is the breadwinner within her marriage and plays the role that her husband would be expected to play. Both of these women go through unanticipated life changing experiences…
Charlotte Perkins Gilman wrote a book in 1892 called “The Yellow Wallpaper”, accounting her own mental breakdown from reality in what would now be called post-partum depression in the form of a short horror story with use of symbolism and imagery. The short story depicts what a woman with depression and finally a psychotic break went through. There are femininities within this story, but the masculinities, as well, that led Gilman’s character’s mental breakdown. The 1890s was a time in history when women were not given the freedoms that most women enjoy today. Women of the 1890s obeyed their husbands without question. The man did run the house to a certain extent. He did not clean the home, but he did expect to come home to a clean house. The food was to be prepared on his schedule, and his wife was to be clean and pressed. His children were to have gone to school, and were required to be presentable to the father, should he call on them. This description is certainly not based on the average “middle income” family of today. This family dynamic was based off of Gilman’s description of her own historical time. The family described in the short story is of an upper class family. The husband can provide the financial foundation for their lifestyle, and the wife does not have to cook or clean because the family can afford to hire someone else, a nanny and maid.…
“She knew now that marriage did not make love. Janie’s first dream was dead, so she became a woman.” (Hurston 25)…
Brady, Judy. "Why I Want a Wife." 1970. Mercury Reader. N.p.: Pearson, 2013. 74-78. Print.…
Marriage is widely seen as a sacred union between two individuals, who promise to love and cherish one another until death. However, it has also been historically known to dichotomize and assign roles to each partner. In a marriage between a man and a woman, the former is traditionally designated as the leader of the household and the breadwinner. The latter is given the roles of mother and homemaker. In “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and “Sweat” by Zora Neale Hurston, these gender roles are shown to be the bane of a happy marriage, especially for the wife. Both Gilman and Hurston demonstrate a concordance that gender roles assigned to a husband and wife are inherently misogynistic and damaging for a happy and healthy marriage.…
Gilman was a feminist herself and wanted to change the position of women in society. “A feminist she called for women to gain economic independence and rights” (Gilman 2). Women were not treated equally and Gilman wanted this to change. She showed the unfair treatment of women within her writing, demanding their acceptance in society by making people aware of the problem. During Gilman’s time period it was seen as a woman’s duty to take care of her husband and be a house wife. “It does weigh on me so not to do my duty in any way! I meant to be such a help to John, such a real rest and comfort” (Gilman 3). The narrator of the story has an illness that prevents her from doing anything productive. She states that she is unable to do her duty to help John and take care of him, which also means she is unable to fulfill her duty as a housewife. Instead of being upset over not being able to work and see her friends and family; the narrator is upset at the fact that she cannot contribute to her role in society which is to be a housewife. She does not always feel this way though. Her condition renders her unable to work. So she starts to realize that her role in society as a woman is unfair. “I sometimes fancy my condition, if I had less opposition and more society and stimulus” (Gilman 1). The narrator finds some enjoyment within her condition because she is no longer tied to the stereotypes of society. She feels that if she has less opposition from her husband and interacted with people more she would be happy. This shows that her husband treats her unfairly by showing her opposition and not letting her stimulate her mind. Charlotte Perkins Gilman also had events take place in her life similar to those as the narrator experienced among other similarities, which are littered throughout the…
The treatment of women was extremely negative; most were expected to stay home to fulfill domestic responsibilities. Mrs. Beazley’s issue involved her husband selling land and property that was willed to her by her father. She signs the legal documents due to feelings of force from her husband. At one point Mrs. Beazley says to her husband after he exclaims, “You’ve signed the deeds,” she replies, “Yes, I know I have- you made me” (389). Mr. Beazley brings home a tenant to keep his spouse occupied and distracted from his escapades only to have the woman legally advise her of her rights. The author wrote “Mrs. Beazley’s Deeds” to shed light on how women were treated in the nineteenth century society and how they are still treated to this day in time. Gilman writes this story to appeal to American men and women and make them aware of how men and women are equals.…
As Emerson once said, “Speak what you think now in hard words and to-morrow speak what to-morrow thinks in hard words again, though it contradict every thing you said today” (Emerson, 82). Emerson is applauding the sense of being misunderstood because every life’s decision is a compromise between one’s will and society’s obligation. So, that is why Janie’s viewpoint of love had differ multiple times because her first two marriages where defined by society, whereas her marriage with Tea Cake was her own decision. Janie’s marriage with Logan was due to Nanny’s will, while the marriage alongside Tea Cake was due to her own freewill. Alike, the marriage with Joe was violating her freedom because she “pressed her teeth together and learned to hush” (Hurston, ), as opposed to Tea Cake, who allowed Janie to voice her opinions and listened. The love between Tea Cake and Janie was challenged by society. For a marriage is between an older man and a younger woman, it is balanced by the wealth one person carries, and the stability a man can offer. However, as Janie once said, “Love is lak de sea. It’s uh movin’ thing, but still and all, it takes its shape from de shore it meets, and it’s different with every shore” (Hurston, 191). Every person falls in love one way or another, to Janie, she choose Tea Cake for the realization that wealth and…
Marriage is something that is sometimes hard to keep and brings struggles to people’s lives. “The Painted Door”, a short story written by Sinclair Ross, involves a married couple who goes through multiple conflicts and endeavor to live with each other on a distant farmland. Ann, John’s solitary wife, has fallen into an unusual attraction to John’s friend Steven. Although John is partly responsible for his tragic end, Ann should also take the blame for John’s death.…
Though Ann plays no direct part in her husband’s death, her disloyal actions lead to the tragedy. Only Ann may be held responsible for her faithlessness in the marriage. Not suited for the life of a farm wife, Ann grows terribly lonely when left alone in their isolated house. Though she knows that “‘all farmer’s wives have to stay alone’” (369), she feels neglect in that John “never talks” (370). Out of respect for her husband’s hard work, Ann remains silent about her growing need for a companion rather than provider. In her restlessness, Ann seeks the fulfillment of these needs from Steven, instead of through direct communication with John. In taking advances to present herself in an attractive manner to Steven, Ann enters in to planned infidelity. These actions leave her solely responsible for the broken marriage.…
After all, my idea of a wife is different to Brady’s description of a wife. Brady wants a wife that willing to do everything to fulfill the responsibilities as a wife; from cleaning, cooking, take care of the physical, mental, social and sexual need for the husband (636). While my idea of the wife is where the wife should not be the one who is doing all of the housework alone. She should be appreciated, treated well and have the right to makes the decision for her…
Trauth, Denise. The Changing Role of Women. Texas State U, 21 Oct. 2002. Web. 28 Feb. 2013.…