A Bird In The House
The Position of women in the 1930's and 1940's is an important part of understanding the story, "A bird in the house". Women made great strides in the twenties, gaining the right to vote, Among other statutory rights. This seemed to be the beginning of the idea that women were indeed afforded the same rights and priveliges as men1. Perhaps planting the first seeds of a liberated consciousness. Amelia Earhart became the first woman to complete the atlantic crossing single-handed. Feats of this magnitude opened the door for many other women to follow their dreams. The women in this novel represent three generations of Canadian women, In the 1930's to 40's. Their views all differ enormously. I will focus mainly on examples of their position, using the short story "A bird in the house" to demonstrate these differences. There are four women featured prominently in this particular story: Grandmother MacLeod, a staid woman, who is presented as being very traditional and "proper". Noreen, a young woman who at first seems very provincial and perhaps a little narrow minded. Beth, the mother of Vanessa, is a woman who seems on the cusp of self discovery, but who seems somehow muted due to the expectations of others. And finally, perha
ps most importantly, we come to Vanessa. Vanessa has the attributes of both her mother and grandmother. She is very inquisitive for her age and seems to inwardly question everything while outwardly, she presents a very independent demeanor. The story starts with Vanessa deciding to forgo the annual remembrance day parade. She harbors a contempt for it, which seems to be a result of part childhood tendency and part avoidance of a world of strange men she wishes not to be a part of. Her grandmother discovers her playing frivolously in the hallway, and reprimands her sternly. At this point, she realizes her grandmother is saddened by the memory of her son who was killed in the great war. This leads her to question whether avoiding the parade had been the respectful thing to do. After talking to her father she realizes there is something to be considered beyond the surface appearance of the occasion. The family has taken on Noreen, a young woman who has very fervent religious beliefs. She is there as a maid, or "hired girl"(Pg.97) while Vanessa's mother Beth, returns to her husband's practice to work as a nurse. Beth gently tries to explain to Noreen, that there are other things to consider at her age besides religion. This is an excellent example of the empowerment that women of the time were beginning to feel. Towards the end of the story, Vanessa's father becomes ill and shortly thereafter he dies. This sets off a chain of events which changes the dynamic of
Some common words found in the essay are:
Vanessa Vanessa, Grandmother MacLeod, Amelia Earhart, , Grandmother MacLeod's, Overall Laurence, bird house, Bird House, women 1930's, story bird house, grandmother macleod, noreen woman, canadian women, daughter vanessa, idea women, vanessa's father, story bird, position women,
Approximate Word count = 1003
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
