I analyzed “Pagan Night” with feminist criticism for
the story that we already read. I felt that author used the ditzy mad women in
the attic, and Cinderella archetype to portray Sonny. She is a the ditzy mad
women in the attic because she is portrayed as stupid and weak, for she allows
herself and her baby to be abused. Sonny is completely reliant on her husband
and because of that he can treat her anyway he wants and she and incapable of
freeing herself from the situation. She is completely submissive throughout the
whole story. He just takes her stuff and sells it. Him not having to ask her
and just taking it from her portrays her as not an equal. He orders her around and
treats her like badly, and she just takes it. Because of this domination of a
woman by a man, it appears as though women are not equal to men. Instead, the
story portrays women as though they are servants to men.
The woman in “The Storm” is portrayed as the angel
in the house archetype. She is portrayed as a weak and helpless woman throwing
herself into the arms of a strong man for comfort. The author describes her with
words like “she cried” and “she would not compose herself” which portrays her
as a weak and emotional women which conversely socially conditions us to think
that all women are weak and emotional. While the woman is painted as frantic
and stupid, the man is described as being logical, calm, cool, and collective
under pressure; this conversely socially conditions us to think that men are
the voices of reason in society. The words describing what she is doing are
words like “cushion”, and the words used to describe what the man is doing are
things like “hammer”; this is symbolic of the authors belief that men are
strong and women are weak. The men control the story, and even the ending is
ultimately pans out as a product of the men’s decision. This is symbolic of how
men control women and how women’s decisions are limited; this suggests women’s lives
are largely at the mercy of the men that are around them that control them.
“Little Red Cap” portrays women as stupid, conniving,
weak, and in need of men to save them. When little red cap is on her way to her
grandmothers she encounters a wolf who is a male that easily tricks her into
giving him information and to sidetrack her. This portrays men as being superior
to women in intellect. She is this stupid helpless girl at the mercy of any
male figure that she comes by that means to do her harm that can easily trick
her. The wolf goes to the grandmothers house where he goes in and eats her with
no resistance. This further portrays women as being stupid, helpless and weak
The grandmother was stupid not to lock her door and the wolf just walking in
and eating her no problem suggests that the grandmother, partly because she is
old, but mainly because she is a woman, is so weak she did not stand a chance
against a male wolf. Little red cap also gets eaten when she gets there, but a
male hunter passing by found the wolf, shot him, and then cut the two women out
of the wolf. This portray the man as the strong hero who rescues the helpless
women from the wolf. This is an archetype of the two damsel in distresses. By
portraying the man as the strong hero and the women as the weak helpless figure
in needing to be saved by a man, woman are portrayed as inferior to men. The
next time a wolf comes the women succeed in killing the wolf but not through
superior strength, instead, they achieve that by tricking the wolf. This
portrays women as conniving creatures that only can only triumph over men
through trickery.
Reading the story 'The Storm', by Kate Chopin reminded me of a bad romance novel, I have never read one myself, but this story fits the archetype I have in my head perfectly. Everything is described in rich, vomit-inducing phrases such as "Her lips were as red and moist as pomegranate seed," and "...when he possessed her, they seemed to swoon together at the very borderland of life's mystery." The plot line doesn't fail to disappoint either, with the innocent housewife being swept off her feet in the middle of a big storm by a passionate, muscular former lover. They cherish the moment, then the storm passes and he rides off into a glistening sunset described as a "palace of gems," while she stands on the porch watching him ride away. The most interesting part of the story is that even though both the woman and the man are married, neither of them seem to experience any kind of regret or guilt after their fleeting affair, in fact, both seem to be happier and more content with their lives after it is over.
Looking deeper into the text however reveals some deep and introcate points for a feminist critique. The general characters seem to be very demeaning to women, with Calixta being portrayed as this sweet, innocent, perfect housewife. She seems to be completely content sitting at home sewing, cooking and worrying while the men of the story take action. The men are the ones out in the storm, the former lover was the one that put his arms around her to protect her, he had to quiet her and soothe her because she was frightened of the storm. The text refers to Calixta using a lot of adjectives, likening her to a flower and a dove, while at the same time refering to Alcee using action words, he is the one that kissed her, he "touched" her, he "possessed:" her. Calixta is made out to be this completely innocent, defenseless creature that just wants to be taken by this passionate muscular man. I feel that if taken for face value, this story seems to be very off-base with reality.
The ending of the story is what gives it new meaning though. Something about this infidelity with a complete lack or remorse or bad feelings really made me start thinking about any alternate meanings that the text could hold. One that came to me after reading through the story a couple times is that maybe this is a story about a woman who has something lacking in this perfect housewife life of hers, and uses the storm and the former lover to take back control of herself and realize that she is her own person and not just some stereotype set by society.
The second story that I read was, 'To His Importunate Mistress', by Peter De Vries. This short poem has some very masculine overtones to it, with the general plot being that the subject of the poem is frustrated with this gold digging love of his, and how he doesn't have enough money for it, but he really wants to sleep with her. The poem is actually quite humorous as it pulls back and forth between his infatuation with this woman, and his apparent lack of funding. From a feminist perspective, this poem really alienates the woman and draws all the attention to the man, as a lot of people could probably relate to this sort of archetype. The woman in this poem is not named, and the only way she is described throughout the entire text is in terms of how expensive she is. But inversely, this might be a story about how much of a cheapskate this guy is, and how he is just looking for an excuse to get out of it. While the text doesn't set you up to feel that way in the first place, this man is clearly not a picture of chivalry, talking about how anyone that ends up with this woman, "Must rue the undishevelled bed" and hoping to spend time in "rented bowers." It is hard to glean any kind of universal truth from this text, but I feel that it does serve to highlight how easily negative stereotypes can be put onto women.
The first piece that I looked at with a feminism view point was The Storm by Kate Chopin. The story follows Calixta through a storm in the South. She seems to be the damsel in distress yet when a male shows up that she knows from before she invites him in and allows him into her bed. This shows a powerful side of Calixta. Even though she shows that she might be afraid of him,she still allows him to touch her and kiss her. She becomes the "passionate creature" she once was with this man long ago,which then gives her a certain power. After the storm is over the Alcèe, the male she was with leaves just in time for her family to show up. Calixta seems unemotional about what happened while her family was away. She carries on as if nothing happened.
There is another female that is briefly involved in the story at the end. It is Alcèe's wife, Clarissa. Alcèe writes her a letter to explain that he is not coming home right away. Now after seeing his actions with Calixta, the reader would assume that Clarissa is our house wife or damsel in distress since her husband is away and with another woman, yet at the end of the story she is relived to have her husband away for longer than expected. Clarissa might be doing things that would not be becoming of a lady. There for she maintains a power herself.
The second story I looked at with a feminism critique was Girl by Jamaica Kincaid. This short story has a very feminist base. It describes the way to become a proper woman to a young girl. There is a lot of suppression with in the story. From washing the clothes on specific days to what to cook and how. "...always eat your food in such a way that it won't turn someone else's stomach." this line sticks out to me since it seems very demeaning to a young girl. I know my mother always told me to close my mouth while I eat out of respect for others, but this is a harsh way to get this across. The word slut is even used in this story so the girl it is directed to should not look like a slut and hem her dress properly. The mother or whoever is directing this girl has not faith in her to become proper. She feels as if she will become this slut she is talking about.
The Storm is a story that in the time it was written (c. 1898) was pushing the boundaries of what would and could be talked about in regards to women. Womanhood in the late 1800's meant being married with children, being a homemaker, with great emphasis placed on cordial behavior and decorum. When Kate Chopin penned a story that spoke of woman as sexual beings instead of wives and mothers it was to say, in the context of the time period written, provocative. Calexia, the main character of the story and Alcee, an old boy friend, who arrives at the house to retreat from inclement weather, have a sexual encounter outside of their marriages. Through the lens of Feminist Criticism, this encounter can be viewed as an act of liberation or defiance by the author, especially in a time in history when women where not allowed to vote or was it socially acceptable for women to work. While this piece pushes the boundaries of womens sexuality it also touches on how the beauty of a woman is perceived. In the following passage we see an example of this, "She was a little fuller in figure than five years before when she married; but she had lost nothing of her vivacity. Her blue eyes still retained their melting quality; and her yellow hair, disheveled by the wind and rain, kinked more stubbornly than ever about her ears and temples." In almost every culture a woman is measured or compared to other women by her outward appearance. This perception may change between different cultures, but in western culture it usually involves a woman being slender in appearance, with large eyes and a fair complexion. Within the quoted passage the author speaks to this stereotype of beauty and debunks it.
In the story I Stand Here Ironing, a young mother in the depression era tells the story of her daughters life while at the ironing board in the morning. The story told is tragic in the sense that the mother doesn't have much to say about her daughter that could be considered positive. The story speaks of Emily past the time of her birth as a homely girl that had been psychologically marred by the abuses of a teacher at daycare/school and the absence of her father. The story which is told by Emily's mother, speaks of Emily through grade school and into young adulthood. Emily being a young woman in the late '20's is already at a disadvantage in the sense that women, especially young girls in this time period. Women in this time period were in some cases viewed as 2nd class citizens. There is also the stigma attached to Emily (and which was also seen in The Storm) of what makes a woman beautiful and uses this stigma to solidify the plight of Emily's tragic life. Through the entire story great emphasis is placed on Emily's lack of physical beauty, from her frail frame and homely appearance to her pock-marked face. Opposite to that in The Storm, the author in this story uses western cultures idea of what makes a woman beautiful to paint a story of a tragic existence of a young woman.
Discussion Post 4
During class I read "My Last Duchess" and tried to apply feminist criticism to it. The way that the duke describes her shows that she was indeed very beautiful and how paint couldn't reproduce how she really looked . The main image that I conjured up of her was the silly trophy wife. The duke picked out this young and beautiful girl mainly for her looks and attractions, and she was easily impressed which gives me the idea of her being ditzy. She flirted with other guys, which the duke didn't take very well and ultimately has her killed. He objectifies her and pretty much throws her away because he was displeased with the way she acted. Honestly that isn't a solid reason to have someone killed, let alone your wife, but this is how women were often treated and though of. He then goes on to meet another girl downstairs.
"The Storm" has a very sexual theme encompassing the story. Calixta is a typical stay at home wife where she attends to the household deeds like cooking,sewing, raising the children, ect. When the storm rolls in, Calixta is greeted by an old acquaintance Alcee who tries to console her during this emotional event. With tensions running high, one thing leads to another and ultimately they end up having sex. After they storm passes they continue on with their lives and remain as though nothing had happened. Women can definitely be highly emotional and sometimes driven by them, and during the time of the storm and the presence of an old lover they just did what came naturally I guess. (Although I cant really agree with it.) The way the author presents this story is kind of odd, it seems like what she did was ok and everyone lives happily ever after.
For my last piece of feminst criticism I chose to read "Girl" by Jamaica Kincaid. I found this piece very interesting because it was presented almost as a manual on how to grow up being a "proper" girl. The mother is instructing the daughter on various tasks that women should know, and certainly how not to become a slut. The mother often contradicts herself numerous times telling her what not to do but implicates that she probably has done them herself, given she has solutions for them.The background of the author plays an important role in this piece of literature, she grew up on a very small island that was under British rule before she emigrated to the States. She could be comparing the life she had as a child to what our current society accepts as "proper".
The "Wallpaper" is a story about a women diagnosed with having some kind of nervous depression, and therefore moves to a summer house in which she is told to get better. Right away from a feminist perspective one can tell that this women is clearly struggling with her situation and remains very passive through out the story. She is the typical housewife of the early twentieth century in that she is compliant and does what ever she is told by her husband. Through out the story she never undermines her husband even when it looks like what can help her condition is something that goes against the husbands proposal. The story clearly shows that this woman feels greatly opposed to the methods she has been giving, but the time period and role of woman from the apparent times doesn't let her express her true emotions or feelings about the situation. The husband and brother which are both doctors tell her she needs to rest and get her mind of work. She on the other hand feels that working on her writing will help her more than what she is being told to do. Therefore, being shut down by men makes her sneak around to do her writing and then lie to her husband since she knows he will get upset. Almost every argument or discussion with her husband through out the story ends with her being subdued into her husbands reasoning and with out much opposition from her. Later on she becomes fascinated by the wallpaper in her room which she wants to get rid of. By the end of the story she rips the wallpaper of her self after being told she wasn't able to by her husband and in doing so she figured out that the person trapped behind that wallpaper was her. The symbolism of the wallpaper was that of her trying to escape the restraints put on her by man mainly, as the story ends she yells out "I've gout out at last".
The second story I read was a poem "The Lady in the Pink Mustang" by Louise Erdrich. From the beginning one can tell that the lady being described could easily be an archetype of what someone would consider a whore or prostitute. Reading the line "her price shrinks into the dark" implicates that she is a commodity at night and also the " or How Much." can give away what kind of living she does. The fact that it says she travels light and doesn't really have many belongings creates the image of a woman who is on the road for very long periods of times as the poem describes. This poem has a woman who could be seen as someone who has given herself up or possibly the other way around.
-Leo N.
This story is set in Louisiana, with mostly catholic neighborhoods which mean there is judgment of people who stray from god’s commandments. It all begins with describing how worrisome calixta is being around Alcee. She wants him to look at her in a seducing way. The Storm is a story of sexuality. During the era that this story was set, many didn’t publicly discuss sex or immodesty. The relationship between Calixta and Alcee is very passionate, separate from their marriages. The storm frightens Calixta but this gives Alcee a chance to build their relationship.Being very close during the story, it reminds them of the love they once had in their spouses. However, the story is very aggressive which gives a dark tone or theme of uneasiness near till the end. White images show up from the unbuttoning of Calixta’s blouse and her white monumental bed.The story had a dramatic finish which resulted in the reader thinking they were going to be together from here on out.
For my second story I chose the lady in the pink mustang as well. The poem has many controversy words and ideas that may be seen by some as too taboo. I got the impression that this lady may have been in the pornography industry as a stripper, model, or a show girl. She writes “Painting her nipples for show” indicates to me that she wants to show off her body. The pink mustang is a staple in the story in the idea that a flashy pink car could suggest a vagina. She works more at night to conceal the real her. "It is what she must face every time she is touched, the body disposable as cups." The disposable meant to me as short time use or piece garbage. This is the life she has chosen and the life that has chosen her.
In class we read "The Storm". In the story the main character is a woman named Calixta and she is at home waiting for her husband and son to come home. This is older times so she is the typical housewife who does all the housework and cleaning, etc. While Calixta is waiting, a man she knows named Alcee comes up to her house to get out of the storm and she lets him in. They end up kissing each other which means they both cheated on their spouses. Later when the storm dies down he leaves and her hudband and son return home and she welcomes them back and acts completely normal like nothing ever happened. Back in these days all the blame would be put on her and not Alcee; she'd probably be branded something horrible and could even be shunned but as for him, he would most likely go unnoticed and not punished because he is a man and their rights weren't equal.
I read the poem "The Lady in the Pink Mustang" by Louise Erdrich and the lady seems to be some kind of prostitute based on some of the lines the author uses such as "how much" "owning the woman who bears it" "every time she is touched" "The body disposable as cups"and a couple others. She doesn't seem happy with how she is branded and the way she lives her life. It seems like she's running from something in her past; maybe some type of abuse happened. She doesn't carry much with her in the mustang, only things that are not valuable. She most likely ran away from her home and doesn't have much to bring with her anyway. Being this prostitute figure i don't think she really thinks highly of herself and she just appears lonely and desperate.
In class, we read the story, "The Storm" by Kate Chopin. The story was very easy to do a feminist analysis on because it was written at a time when women did not have equal rights with men and were seen as inferior. The protagonist is Calixta, a seemingly uneducated housewife. She is the stereotypical women of that specific time period because she does all of the cooking and cleaning and feels defenseless when a man isn't around to protect her, especially during the storm. When Alcee comes to Calixta's house looking for shelter from the storm, they become attracted to each other and kiss. Even though they both cheated on their spouse, Calixta would be the one to blame. She would be seen as a whore. Nobody would care as much that Alcee was also apart of it because he is a man.
I decided to do my second feminist analysis on the poem, "Night Waitress" by Lynda Hull. The narrator is a waitress who seems to be lonely and has no self-confidence which is noted when she says, "my face has character, not beauty" (26). The men probably treat her like scum because she mentioned that "the men all look as if they'd never had mothers" (27). I think she is trying to say that the men are very rude and obnoxious to her. The waitress probably doesn't like her job because of the way she is treated but it is probably at a time period where woman can't have jobs as lawyers or the owner of a company so she has no other choice. She is just seen as a waitress.
In the 1920s
Coca-Cola really started becoming well known in the advertising industry. The
ad
shows a young girl standing next to a red cooler with the
words “Coca-Cola” printed across.
The girl, dressed in a bright summer outfit
is holding up a bottle of coke. The
design of the ad is set up so first thing someone can see is the
Coca-Cola label in the top corner, and then
to the slogan. The Coca-Cola company used the slogan so people
can fantasize that this product is
something you can alleviate yourself of your worries and have a refreshing beverage. People
see the pretty
girl drinking Coke and this ad conveys ordinary people drinking Coca-Cola's
product. The advertisement
has the picture placed in the middle, this can cause the eyes to move directly there
so the audience can see
the big Coca-Cola label on the bright red cooler. This ad appeals to the psychological
need to be refreshed
and have a drink of something delicious.
After another two
decades Coca-Cola’s ads continue to become simpler and finite, were
the company doesn’t have to strife for the top placement any longer.
The ad is taken from the 1960s era so
the ad displays vivid coloring, mostly red. The ad shows a
cutting board with several juicy hot dogs laid
out on the board. Beside the board is a glass being filled by a
woman tipping a Coca-Cola bottle. In the
top corner in a light blue script is a completely different slogan
then from previous years. “Be really
refreshed….around the clock.” Now Coca-Cola has drifted away
from its aggressive approach of
having it's product pushed the viewers face to a more calming feel. So the
consumer can enjoy a glass of
refreshing coke at any time of day and feel rejuvenated. Over the pass forty
years the company itself has
switched its logo around but it has always kept the word "refreshed" in its
slogan. Again this particular ad
appeals to the psychological need becausethe ads displays food and drink and everyone
needs food
when hungry. This ad really gets the appeal across to the
consumer because of it's display of food and
beverage. Coca-Cola company smoothly flowed from this style to a new look in
twenty years.
In these paragraphs that I fixed and tweaked around my common error is grammar and my lack of more descriptive words. I really need to work on grammar and academic writing level.
The story that we worked on in class to begin our feminist criticism was “Pagan Night”. We worked briefly on this story but were able to identify some elements that would be interesting when using feminist criticism. Those were Sunny’s dependance on Dalton for support or security and her fear of leaving him. The other element was Sunny’s conflicting feelings about her child and the burden that the child puts on her simply because of her gender. She feels guilty because she is unable live up her idea of what a mother should be. Sunny didn’t necessarily fit into any of the stereotypical characterizations of women in literature, but “Pagan Night” seemed like a great story for feminist analysis.
The story “The Storm” was full of elements to consider when using feminist criticism. One element that I picked up on was that Calixta seems to play the role of damsel in distress. She is very much a stereotype, she seems weak and easily frightened. She also has blond hair, blue eyes and she is portrayed as beautiful. I think another thing that would be noticed using feminist criticism is that the author is a woman and the story was written during the end of the 1800s. Also I think that the portrayal of the men in this story is noteworthy, they are strong and seemingly fearless. They are definitely portrayed as the protectors with one heading out into the rain and one staying behind at home. I felt that “The Storm” is an interesting choice for feminist criticism.
I chose the read “Girl” as my final text for feminist analysis. This short story is written by a women, Jamaica Kincaid, and first appeared in 1978. It is a very powerful short story about all the things that go through a girls mind during her day or week. It is essentially the do’s and don’ts that society impresses on this young women, or at least what she feels is being impressed on her. She feels like she needs to do these things to avoid becoming being perceived as a slut, or a thief. I think that the obvious critique here is that the nature of all of things this girl has going through her head are homemaker type worries. They are things like walking and singing in church, sewing, and washing. The fact that she is worried about these mundane tasks as well as not appearing as a slut gives the impression that she is destined for a domestic lifestyle. A feminist critique could also argue that by these worries consuming her she is not thinking about her own needs as a woman, what she wants, or her own future.
The story "The Storm" is a story written by a woman through the woman's perspective. The role of the main character in this story is the "cheating wife". She is portrayed as a helpless woman whom needs a guy for her safety. This women character "Calixta" acts lovingly toward her spouse yet has an affair. The reasons behind affairs are different because in the story "The Room" the main character knew her husband had an affair and decided to have one herself. In "The Storm", the husband goes off into a storm while the wife is left at home with an old boyfriend, she ends up giving into temptation in the arms of a man. The wife goes on as if nothing had happened, this is similar in the story "The Room" although they were written by different sexes the endings seem to be some what similar. In both stories women are viewed as "needy" in the sense that they need a man by their side to be considered whole. Many might still view woman this way in today's society. Although these stories were written in different time frames the cultural aspect remains the same. Some feminist critics might analyze "The Storm" differently because it was written by a woman and its more understanding of how woman think and how they feel in the given situation.
The poem I chose to read was "The Lady in the Pink Mustang". It is a poem about a lady who travels around in her pink mustang. This woman may come across as either some type of prostitute or whore because she travels without any stability and "doesn't sell for nothing less"(133). I found it amusing how a woman wrote this and through the woman perspective because she paints such a vivid picture of this lady. Although the poem was written in the 1980s this is how women might still describe and perceive whores even though the time period is different. I would find it interesting how different the poem would be if written by a man.
In "The Storm" a woman gets caught in a time of desperation. Societies opinion of women is that they need a man to feel protected and safe. And in this story the woman, Calixta, ends up in the situation where a man stays at her house through a scary storm. Calixa is a housewife who was too busy to even realize that a storm was coming and finally when it did she was caught off guard. Then when a man comes in they both end up get close to each other. They created a stereotypical scenario when she got close to him in the rough moment of the storm. The consequences of those actions went deeper when they were so close neither of them could resist one another. Even though they were both wrong with their actions, typically the woman is the one to be blamed. These descriptions show how feminism takes place in this particular story.
In another story portraying feminism I read "Night Waitress". An image includes a woman who is working late at night with men all around her. "They look as if they never had mothers" proves that the linguists of feminism is true through the fact that some men can be pigs, which is also patriarchal view. The girl wishes she could be somewhere else, but the fact that she doesn't have a choice at that moment makes her feel like she just has to deal with the annoying men, Her words saying, "I would not stop him if he touched me" makes her seem as if she has given up. It makes the societal view of how woman should be below men come to life. This woman is represented through men as just another ass to grab and she lets it happen because men are stereotypical like that.
Words/phrases: “he keeps crying”; “has one rash or another”;
Particularly visual images: (or tactile, auditory, etc. images):
“coughs”; “seems to shudder and choke”; a twisted face turning colors” (542) Sunny puts suntan lotion on the baby’s sores, massage oil, whatever is left in her suitcase from the other life . . .” (543); “She would always be a bad girl” (544);
[The above is but a very small sliver of what I might look at; this is just a representation of what I write about below)
I’ve already mentioned that readers’ reactions to Sunny’s perceived weaknesses or failures as a woman would be of interest to me in a feminist analysis (generally speaking, whether or not fictional characters embody and perform culturally proscribed models of femininity or womanhood is of large interest to feminist critics. The very ideas of what is “feminine” or which qualities and features comprise “womanhood” are just that – ideas.Some ideas are more popular/more valuable than others. In our time and place the most “feminine” of women has certain characteristics (and of course, we’re operating here on the assumption that being feminine is vitally important – this assumption, too, is often questioned by feminists and feminist critics). Think for a minute about what’s typically considered feminine or what you think the “ultimate” woman is like (not what you think, but what you think the majority values). We’ll probably all be on the same page. Feminist critics are interested in deconstruction these idealizations of women and quick to point out that few real women ultimately measure up but are culturally compelled to keep trying to avoid social judgment, attract a mate, have friends, to fit in. It’s like middle school all over again, on a giant scale. The identity “mother” is a touchy one – and a very, very important one. I think no one is judged more harshly than a mother who causes harm to her child (or is simply indifferent to/dislikes the child). A feminist critic might suggest a few things about this identity category: 1) since women are supposed to want to be mothers and so much of our culture revolves around motherhood, babies, families, etc. it’s tricky to step outside this boundary and to opt out. Social and familial judgment abounds in such circumstances . . . but why?2) Are women so compelled to bear children that they often do without being sure or even desiring them in the first place? Are these women to be judged or pitied? What’s responsible for undesired parentage – the cultural juggernaut that enforces childbearing and raising as the ultimate marker of feminine womanhood – or the individual women who choose it and botch it? Are they victims or monsters? 3) Statistically speaking, motherhood makes women more vulnerable on all fronts (subject of another discussion, but the statistics are real). Many feminist critics have examined texts in which motherhood is used to control and suppress women (even if individual women want children and mother them well).Is today’s motherhood empowering or limiting? Both? How do more modern literary texts represent motherhood? 4) One of the newer cultural models is, of course, the career mom – she has a professional career (not just a “job”), a good marriage or partnership, and well-rounded, happy children. Of course, this mother is both admired and despised by various groups – she’s a bad mom if she’s devoted to her job; she’s a bad employee if she’s too devoted to her children; conversely she’s admired, sold to ambitious young women as being very realistic; holds up under the scrutiny of women who “just” stay home and “don’t do anything” besides mother. Perhaps she’s damned if she does and damned if she doesn’t (many feminist critics would suggest this paradox is very, if unfortunately, true). All this said . . . what on earth does the feminist critic do with Sunny?
Jumping to the text, immediately we learn that the baby is having a hard time and perhaps isn’t well cared for (“he keeps crying”, “has one rash after another”, “coughs” . . . “it is a baby of spasms” (542)). Quickly following, we’re told that “Dalton never wanted the baby” and . . . “Neither did she” (542). The average reader is probably going to assume that since the as of yet unnamed woman takes poor care of her baby since she didn’t want him – and she will likely be instantly hated or criticized. Our cultural bent is still toward woman-as-mother – that is, the majority assume, to recap, that a) women naturally want to be mothers; b) are uniquely equipped to and have a greater duty to care well for their offspring, even to their own detriment, and, I think, c) should be mothers, in the sense that it’s a biological imperative, divine right, natural, and good. Largely, I think we’re still at the point that we often question a complete lack of desire for motherhood in a woman as suspect, or at least weird, sometimes off putting. To not want to the baby you’ve created and then to bear it and not take care of it is monstrous in our culture (if you have it, you should either love it wholeheartedly and take care of it OR give it up for adoption). On the surface, Sunny is a failure on a number of fronts – she’s poor, uneducated, and ill equipped to care for a child (read: irresponsible, stupid, a drain to society). She doesn’t really want the child and doesn’t take care of it properly despite efforts here and there (read: callous, cold, emotionally damaged . . . something must be wrong with her to not want it once it comes, right?). She does nothing to better or situation or get out of it (read: pitiful, again – stupid, lazy, passive) . . .and she daydreams about “getting rid of” the baby (monstrous, despicable). These things can be true and false, of course.Ultimately, this line is likely to incite readers: ““The baby was just something that happened and there didn’t seem to be the time to make it not happen” (542). This appears to be the height of irresponsibility – we all know babies don’t “just” happen and then just “happen” to be carried to term. A feminist critic looking to get beyond hating and dismissing Sunny might examine other things: if Sunny has been sexually or otherwise abused, it’s possible she has not received the help she needs and thus is truly incapable of making good decisions as a sexual woman and poor, young mother.Whether she stays with Dalton or leaves him, it’s quite likely her life – and thus the baby’s – is going to be one of very poor quality. She clearly doesn’t have a supportive, available family. We know Dalton’s not supportive or available. Before we get high and mighty and start with the “she could have made totally different decisions and beat the odds and yadda yadda yadda”, we should at least consider the fact that family dynamics, abuse, lack of care, lack of encouragement toward getting an education or teaching about the importance of education, geographic and general social environment (we’re heading toward social class) DO affect people. Do social class and early individual circumstances determine one’s consciousness and reality? Many, if not most, feminist critics think they do to some extend; Marxist critics maintain that an individual cannot help but be a product of his/her environment and that rising far above the social class into which one is born is only marginally possible (and that this phenomenon is so celebrated by the media, etc. that such a meteoric rise from the ashes to fame and success is perceived as far more common than it really is. Of course, we could say lots of things about “Pagan Night” that I haven’t, so what say you?
One of the things that most interests me about “Pagan Night” is how readers often respond to Sunny. They either pity her or hate her – maybe a bit of both. She’s usually read as spineless, submissive, unintelligent, anti-feminist, etc. A feminist reading that utilizes reader response criticism, particularly reception theory, intrigues me. After all, our current frameworks for understanding feminism are going to influence individual readings of texts; mass responses to texts are going to influence the kind of reputation a given text develops. Reader response principles and feminism thus often work together. I believe, were Sunny written some time ago (minus the elements that make the story modern), readers would perhaps sympathize with her as stuck rather than dislike her or condemn her as That is, they might see her as a product of her(older, old-fashioned, etc.) culture and has not been trained or bred to be self-sufficient or to see herself as successfully independent. As such, she doesn’t have the agency to enact the change readers nearly universally want for Sunny – for her to leave Dalton in the dust and raise her baby.Reception theory closely mirrors Marxist criticism in the sense that both keenly emphasize the monopolizing effect of one’s circumstances. Both theories suggest that the culture into which one is born and raised greatly influences the individual – in reception theory, we acknowledge this influence on our reading process; in Marxist criticism we acknowledge the influence on ourselves as people (as readers, too) and on characters.For the Marxist critic, circumstances = consciousness; that is, you are a product of your environment. You do not determine who you are; society does (largely through economic position, your work, and other elements that define one’s social class).
Above, I start tying reception theory, feminist criticism, and Marxist criticism together. You’re probably noting how natural it is to begin mixing elements of different schools of theory together. While I think it’s best to concentrate on one at a time as you’re learning, you’ll probably find that some “mixing” will become natural for you, too. In the next few posts, I will deal with several texts solely using feminism. Up first? "Pagan Night".
In class, you started culling images, languages, elements of characterization, etc. that would be relevant to a feminist analysis of the text. In class, you worked briefly on a story/poem we’d already read, then moved on to either “The Storm” or “The Yellow Wallpaper” to do the same thing. Lastly, you need choose another text – anything that hasn’t been assigned – to work through.
In your post, you will transcribe what you did in class on the already-read text; what you came up with for “Storm”/”Wallpaper”, and what you’ve come up with for the text of your choosing. Remember that you need to reply to at least one peer post to get full credit.
***If you weren’t in class the day we worked on this, you can still complete the discussion. Take a look at other posts to get a sense of the work we did in class.
***I’m going to post one as an example shortly.
Due Date: Wed, 3/28/12
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
The author of "Night Waitress" is female so she knows what a woman thinks and hopes for which is what the waitress in the poem does. She contemplates thoughts and hopes for better things than this job that is not too enjoyable. The text is also narrated by the woman being a waitress in this gloomy restaurant. The woman plays the role of the server to the men in the cafe where she works at she gets attention from the men so her role is an attractive woman kind of stuck working the night shift who longs to get out of her position she is in. The female in the story is the protagonist because the story really revolves around visions and thoughts she keeps to herself. A stereotype is presented when the woman mentions her mother about her mother washing the floor under the "Black Madonna" about praying to her god of sorrows and visions. Also when the men all stare at her "as if they'd never had mothers" a stereotype of men always staring a woman down like dogs as soon as a woman enters the room. Attitudes towards woman from men are typical, such as them staring at her and the man who plays jukebox music to attract women. To me it is as if the men look down on the waitress as her being the exhibit in a zoo or something.
The room is a story of a woman name Katherine whom stumbles onto a party and comes to a conclusion of having an affair. After having had a few drinks and deep intimate conversations, she ponders the idea of how her husband, whom had also had an affair nine years before, had felt after the affair. While the superego favored her feelings for her husband, and how she unconsciously loves him and may regret the affair in the future. While her id is what drove her to have the affair, and the ego giving her the ideas of having to move on with her husband which eventually leads her to leave him. Because of which, she was finally able to forget about the 9 year ordeal she had occurred because of her husbands infidelities.
The room is about a women named Katherine who finds herself having an affair with a man she meets at a party. The reason for this affair is due to the fact that 9 years earlier her husband Phair also had an affair with a women that later was found dead because someone had suffocated her. In the first realization she says, “The room was finished with. This afternoon, she had felt that, even if it had not been said” (702). This line could be explained by using the id/ego/superego model because the id in her has had the affair and the ego which is shown in this line states that she came to the understand that she could no longer keep going with the affair and that she had to move on with her life and make a decision in terms of her marriage. I think that the superego is her knowing that having the affair was not right and it would ultimately lead her nowhere. In the second realization she also states,
“It
wouldn’t be a shock, nor even a surprise. He expected no more of her
than what she’d given him, and she would choose her moment to say that
she must go. He would understand; she would not have to tell him. The
best that love could do was not enough, and he would know that also”
(702)." This i believe parallels with the idea of the "return of the repressed" because in this line she finally makes the decision to leave her husband because for 9 years she had repressed the memory of her husband having an affair and she finally realized that she couldn't do it anymore. Sure she still might have had a little love for him but at the end the damage was done and the marriage was broken.
In the story Katherine is at a party where she meets the man
she will ultimately have an affair with. They are dancing , flirting with each other,
and learning about one another as two people do when they are trying to find
out if they are interested in someone. The conversation starts to get personal,
and during the man’s attempt to court her, he starts to talk about how his marriage
is on the rocks, and how they are splitting up. Then the conversation turns to
Katherine. Katherine’s husband had cheated on her 9 years earlier with a woman
he was also accused of murdering. Since then, Katherine has been trying to suppress
and forget about that time in her life, but the combination of her having a few
drinks, this guy opening up to her, and Katherine being asked the right
question triggers the return of the repressed memory of her husband’s affair
and murder and she tells the man about the woman and how her husband was
accused of murdering her. When Katherine is getting dressed after she has the
affair with the guy she just meet, the return of the repressed is then further
triggered, because she feels as though she is deceiving her husband, and it
makes her think of Phair. “What it had felt like for Phair”, she said. In reference to how her husband felt after he
had cheated on her 9 years earlier, the memories further began to return. The
man continues to press the matter throughout the story and Katherine is faced
with confronting her problems. Katherine tried to suppress these memories by never talking about it to anyone which is revealed in the story when it says," she had never, to anyone else, told anything at all, or talked about what had happened to people who had knew.
