Awakening Eyes
With few exceptions, our male dominated society has traditionally feared, repressed, and stymied the growth of women. As exemplified in history, man has always enjoyed a superior position. According to Genesis in the Old Testament, the fact that man was created first has led to the perception that man should rule. However, since woman was created from man's rib, there is a strong argument that woman was meant to work along side with man as an equal partner. As James Weldon Johnson's poem, "Behold de Rib," clearly illustrates, if God had intended for woman to be dominated, then she would have been created from a bone in the foot, but "he took de bone out of his side/ So dat places de woman beside us" (qtd. in Wall 378). Still, men have continued to make women submissive to them while usurping their identities in the process: "[s]elf-determination is a mark of adulthood for American males; for American females of the nineteenth and part of the twentieth century, self-determination was neither expected nor encouraged" (Leder 104). However, not all women were intimidated by the stereotypical expectations imposed by the social norms of their era. Defying their traditional roles, Kate Chopin and Zora Neale Hu
Edna does not need death to free her from the role of a wife of a prosperous man and uses her own initiative to finally sever her relationship with Leonce. He is described as Despite the apparent success of their latest relationships, Edna and Janie are ultimately doomed by too much dependence on a love that does not last. Edna loses herself in "her dreams about Robert, for dreams are the place, the only place, where romance can exist" (Dyer 79). She continues to fantasize and reflects on tender memories when apart; the distance between her and Robert only makes her heart grow fonder. Dyer suggests, "Edna has momentarily forgotten the lesson she learned at Madame Antoine's: an awakening can not be brought about by another, but only by oneself" (80). No matter how much desire she feels for Robert, only he can direct the course of his emotions. Dyer goes on to imply that "the dream can no longer be so easily re-created; it can be recalled only in 'a sort of stupor.' And the conclusion of the dream is cynicism, not hope and joy and exultation. Edna is coming to know, of course, that romance can only be dreamed, not lived" (81). In spite of the truth, Edna goes on to believe in her ideal man and romantic love. Romance only offers her temporary dependency, which is supported by the imagery of Edna and Robert "leaning toward each other as the water oaks bent from the sea. There was not a particle of earth beneath their feet" (Chopin 37). There is no stability or foundation in their relationship, which indirectly leads to her undoing. Unrealistically, "the sensitive but conventional Robert Leburn becomes for Edna the embodiment of ideal and romantic love, her 'beloved one'" (74). He is a vision that evokes in her the belief that she is living for something. Fleischmann, Fritz, ed. American novelists Revisited: Essays in feminist Criticism. Boston: Hall, 1982. Similarly, Janie attempts to become more independent in her second marriage to Joe, but she finds that this relationship affords her less freedom than anticipated. Joe only "offers Janie an escape from her loveless marriage" (Wall 385). He represents her aspirations for a future that will allow her to move away and change her life. Seeking adventure, she leaves Logan to explore a new world with Joe. Although "he did not represent sun-up and pollen and blooming trees, but he spoke for far horizon. He spoke for change and chance," which Janie hoped would lead to self-sufficiency (Hurston 28). Talking of exotic places and living a life Janie only thought imaginable, Joe urges her to join his hand as they walk together. Janie is moving on, not only emotionally, but also physically; she walks in a new direction. What Janie thinks is releasing her from traditional domestic life, in reality, causes her to digress towards the female role model she sought to escape. Joe "forcibly installs her as Queen of the Porch and cuts her off from any real contact with their community. She becomes his showpiece, his property" (Christian 58). The first indications of emancipation are evidenced by Edna and Janie's first marriages. Edna weds Leonce Pontellier, a Creole, to retaliate against her father and sister. In defiance, Edna marries, not for love, but to punish her family for their disapproval. Edna's first marriage is her initial attempt towards self-determination. Janie, on the other hand, in her initial attempt towards self-determination, rejects the idea of marriage, but is forced into a loveless union to Logan Killicks because of her grandmother's persistence. Janie had always believed in marrying for love, not security-a virtue her grandmother adamantly preached. Ironically, these oppressive marriages make these women stronger. Initially, these women are looked upon as possessions, and, thus, their identities are degraded. Leonce treats Edna as a belonging and looks upon her "as one looks at a valuable piece of personal property which has su
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 3955
Approximate Pages = 16 (250 words per page double spaced)
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