Feminism By Willa Cather Analysis

The book I chose to read for this review was Intimate Frontiers: Sex, Gender, and Culture in Old California by Albers L. Hurtado, one of a series of volumes on the American Frontier. He takes an unconventional angle on the topic, however and discusses issues of sex, power struggles, and cultural conflicts that occurred from the initial settlement of California through the gold rush. He does this through the stories of historical figures such as Amelia Kuschinsky rather than relying on sweeping generalizations, allowing the reader a more intimate connection with those they are reading about. His focus, however, lay in the roles and rights of women, the conflicts among cultures due to sex, and how sex and marriage were used to accumulate power.

Women in the nineteenth century, for the most part, had to follow the common role presented to them by society. This role can be summed up by what historians call the “cult of domesticity”. The McGuffey Readers does a successful job at illustrating the women’s role in society. Women that took part in the overland trail as described in “Women’s Diaries of the Westward Journey” had to try to follow these roles while facing many challenges that made it very difficult to do so.

Perusing once more from nineteenth century working class sexual orientation parts, which consigned ladies solidly to the private universe of the home, students of history saw the white frontier lady's cooperation in a preindustrial family unit economy as empowering. A comparative propensity to romanticize the hard existence of Native American ladies differentiated their opportunity and impact with the patriarchal structure within which European ladies lived. Despite the fact that comparisons are perhaps unavoidable, they can cloud the complexities of ladies' lives both the assorted qualities that described them and the purposes of shared belief they shared. Such examinations likewise divert consideration from the historical changes that shaped these ladies' lives: the triumph of Native American, the importation and oppression of Africans, the monstrous relocation of European, and the financial and political developing of the British settlements. This period secured by the following section, the progressive time of 1750-1800, was likewise thick with changes that capably influenced the lives of

Abigail had worked the farm progress for four years, also being in control of gathering rents from many householders ad watching culture management. Abigail was short of labor and intense expansion made it a hard one. Four years late Abigail lightened her concern by leasing the farm (Virginia E

Although Alexandra was depicted as a “tall, strong girl,” (p.10) which is typically viewed as characteristics of a male, she was indeed a feminist in Willa Cather’s novel O Pioneers! In the introduction of the novel, an argument arises due to the differences of O Pioneers! in contrast to some of Cather’s other pieces as well as several other novels of that time period. Marilee Lindemann references that “law and custom in most (if not all) Western countries severely limited what are girl might ‘do’, in life as well as in literature (…) thus, in comparison to their male

As we take a look closer look at the struggles pioneer women faced during their migration it becomes clear the importance of woman during this historical event.

In the opening scene of Jane Martin’s “Rodeo,” there are many stereotypical props used to portray the beer-drinking, hard-working, cowboy image with the characteristic country music playing as an added touch. Most people are familiar with this type of scene in their minds, with a man as the character, but not this time – we find a tough, smart, opinionated woman with a distinctively country name of Lurlene, and the typical cowboy kind of nickname, Big Eight. The reader will dive deeper into the true character of this unusual woman and realize that she is no different from the average woman in today’s workforce. She is feeling the frustration of discrimination and the push out of the only lifestyle that she knows, by “Them” (1667).

Barton says, “She did not know what the frontier was like; she thought in terms of safe-and-secure Earth. Pretty girls were not jettisoned on Earth; there was a law against it. On Earth her plight would have filled the newscasts and a fast black Patrol ship would have been racing to her rescue. Everyone, everywhere, would have known of Marilyn Lee Cross and no effort would have been spared to save her life” (7). Feminism strikes again in this quote because the girl stowaway, Marilyn, thought that pretty girls like her would be safe on the frontier, and people would do anything in their power to save this young women from the cruelty of the outside world.

She, not one who had lived off the land followed her husband’s life choice of farming. Initially putting in many low-income hours, she learned the skills of livery, gardening, and cannery. Years pass, two more mouths are added to the family. Ultimately enough earnings

“Frontier Grit” by Marianne Mason, this book tells the true stories of twelve women that hear “the call” and want to settle in the west by starting up a journey to the East Coast. It describes the hardships they had to face to get to their destination. This story takes place during the women's suffrage movement and women rights in the 19th century .Many of these women endured many crusaders for social justice and women rights. Throughout their journey they faced hardships , overcame obstacles,broke barriers and changed the world for women. At the end of this life changing journey, all the women did extraordinary things one became a doctor, one turn into a gold rush hotel and restaurant entrepreneur, and one disguised as a men to become a stagecoach driver.

is competitive, speaks her mind, expresses her views - “act of terrorism” (Junger, 1999), shows physical aggression (traditional male traits that fit into male gender roles)

Feminism is a body of social theory and political movement primarily based on and motivated by the experiences of women. While generally providing a critique of social relations, many proponents of feminism also focus on analyzing gender inequality and the promotion of women's rights, interests, and issues.

Westerns connote images of dirt, dust, guns, horses, cowboys and heroes: physically strong, iron-willed, independent, resourceful, quick-witted men. Although the modern Western (the writings of Louise L’Amour, Zane Grey and the numerous films starring John Wayne, Roy Rodgers, Gene Autry) seems to focus on this ideal hero, the genre actually also provides women with strong, self-reliant, active roles. In fact, many texts that precede the typical modern Western had females as the main characters. However, the role of the heroine still differs from that of the hero; the role does not defeminize women but gives them depth as characters. These women still retain their femininity and domesticity, but they also rescue those around them, take care

Theses: women's voices and opinions being suppressed, men being able to hold females as property, the double standard of males and females.

"People who are liberal thinkers have been enslaved by these poseurs, these racketeers, people who are pretending to be liberal but who are in fact just naïve politically. I have been congratulated by women...who are so sick of being bullied by these sanctimonious puritans who call themselves feminists." --Camille Paglia