The Characteristics Of Women In Literature

After months of staying in the privacy of the secret room Charrington graciously provided, Julia decides to indulge in more forbidden delights such as :“ ‘Real sugar,’ ” “ ‘real coffee,’ ” and “ paint[ing] her face” (Orwell 141-142). To some this may seem as just another rebellious act by Julia, however, by indulging in the simple delights such as exceptional coffee or sugar Orwell provides a shift in her beliefs. In the begging Julia would never have risked exposure to The Party for something as trivial as satisfying food and makeup, as she would prefer spending time in the room Carrington has provided. He has given Julia a space to experience real freedom which drives her to want more. No longer is Julia satisfied with only being able to carry out certain aspects of freedom, but she wants to truly indulge in all parts of it, not just the a couple of the significant privileges, but the ssimple indulgences as well. With this new desire for freedom her views on organized rebellion start to change as well. For instance, Julia starts to talk about “engaging in active rebellion” (Orwell 152). Earlier on in the book Julia couldn't understand why anyone would support an organization such as Big Brother because she just saw them as lost cause that were bound to fail. But due to Mr.Charrington allowing them to rent out the room, she

Literature is not simply a reflection of society; it is in actuality much more powerful. Literature draws upon society and creates its own meanings and images. It possesses the power to either nourish or discourage societal values and ideals. Hence, stereotypical views on gender relations in society are reinforced by literary depictions of men and women. The American literary canon is a collection of books that are widely accepted as influential in shaping Western culture. Stereotypes are evident throughout these texts, and often serve to justify the continuance of traditional roles. More specifically, women seem to be the target of cataloguing and other negative depictions. Classic books that are identified as part of the American literary canon tend to portray female characters in a way that emphasizes their inferiority. The depiction of females in classic American literature promotes a stereotypical view of women in American society.

Throughout American Literature, women have been depicted in many different ways. The portrayal of women in American Literature is often influenced by an author's personal experience or a frequent societal stereotype of women and their position. Often times, male authors interpret society’s views of women in a completely different nature than a female author would. While F. Scott Fitzgerald may represent his main female character as a victim in the 1920’s, Zora Neale Hurston portrays hers as a strong, free-spirited, and independent woman only a decade later in the 1930’s.

When a government controls every aspect of one’s life, people tend to rebel in order to fulfill their desires. Julia, a character in George Orwell’s novel 1984, was constantly rebelling against the government Party. Even though Julia did not resist the authority in a powerful manner, she went against the government in order to be able live her life at the fullest. While living in a totalitarian government in 1984, through Julia’s rebelliousness, egocentrism and cleverness, George Orwell is able to portray her version of rebellion which was affected by the government Party since it included acting against the authority.

By exploring settings societies governed by political and social patriarchies, both Arthur Miller’s the Crucible and Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaids Tale provide commentary on women’s role in society. Both texts are set against a backdrop in which women are seen as a ‘second class’ and are subject to male dominance. The similarities in the two texts lie within their separate discussions of gender roles in society, but they differ on the intricacies of this. From a theocratic standpoint, the play and the novel dissect the faults in an oppressive society, with Miller making it abundantly clear that it can in fact be challenged instead of conformed to. Atwood also somewhat entertains this concept, but both writers have different perceptions on identity and individuality in worlds that don’t seem much unlike our own.

Throughout literature women are often displayed as idealized characters. Women in the eyes of society are plagued with the stereotype of being kind, nurturing, and tender individuals while men are established as ambitious, assertive, and tough. However, when the time comes for women to possess the qualities of men and men of women, a turnaround of events can occur. Women were the individuals that then shape the males into their ending personna. Shakespeare's Macbeth, George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby demonstrated the reversal of gender roles through portraying women as the instigator of the male character’s ultimate demise.

Reading literature, at first, might seem like simple stories. However, in works like William Faulkner's “A Rose for Emily,” Katherine Mansfield's “Miss Brill,” and Kate Chopin's “The Storm,” the female protagonists are examples of how society has oppressive expectations of women simply because of their gender.

Some of the most influential women authors of all time lived in the 19th century. These women expressed their inner most thoughts and ideas through their writings. They helped to change society, perhaps without knowing it, through poetry, novels, and articles. Emily Dickinson, Harriet Jacobs, Kate Chopin, Louisa May Alcott, and Elizabeth Oakes Smith are the best-known controversial and expressive women authors of their time.

Women have played a significant role throughout time and this is portrayed in many works of literature, including Thousand and One Nights and the Canterbury Tales. In both of these works, women are shown to be very intelligent, experienced, manipulative, lovers, and fighters. Women since the beginning have been thought to be liars and both characters in Thousand and One Nights and the Canterbury Tales have all these characteristics and similar themes. The main characters are Shahrazad and the Wife of Bath, Shahrazad is fighting to live while the Wife of Bath is simply on a journey playing a story telling game. Although in very different situations they both have the same strengths and similar characteristics, and this adds up to show the

When analyzing a piece of literature, it is easy to simply take it at face value. However, when you read between the lines you can often find subtle hints that tell you an even greater story. The Importance of Being Earnest is applicable to Gender and Queer Theories because it addresses past gender inequality, portrays women in a certain way, and is about people feeling like they need to hide their true selves from society.

Women in gothic literature are presented as either evil or victims how far do you agree?

In most early British literature a woman is often presented as only one thing: an object. They can be objects of desire, objects of beauty, or merely objects to be owned, but it is rare that a woman is anything more than that. It is even more uncommon to find a female character in literature that is presented as an equal to the men around her. In William Congreve's The Way of the World he plays on the similarities of both his female and male characters to establish just how much of an issue gender really is because though their actions might be similar, the consequences are not.

Set in a totalitarian state and ruled by a government known as the Party, sexuality is heavily regulated. It is the goal of the Party “to remove all pleasure from the sexual act” (Orwell 58). Moreover, marriage only had one purpose, “to beget children for the service of the Party” (Orwell 58). Thus, both men and women found their sexuality being regulated and limited. In “Sexuality as Rebellion in George Orwell’s 1984” Paul Bail states that “the only legitimate purpose of sexuality is for reproduction” (215). Therefore, sex is not an act “in which to take personal pleasure” (Bail 215). Unlike, Edna who lived in a society where sex was no intended to be pleasurable for women, it applied to everyone in Orwell’s novel. However, one woman who this affects, in particular, is Julia. A young woman, Julia is a member of the Junior Anti-Sex League, an organization created by the Party to help educate its citizens on their standards regarding sex (Orwell 111). Due to her involvement in this group, Julia is perceived to what Bail’s refers to as a “puritanical anti-sex fanatic” because it is her job to remind her society that sex is an act for the Party and not pleasure (215). Yet, upon meeting the protagonist of the novel, Winston Smith, it is revealed that she rejects the same ideas that she

Feminism, if anything, has appeared majorly in the literature spectrum through all decades and forms. Feminism is the political, cultural, or economic movement aimed at establishing equality and protection for all women. No matter the time period or place feminism has always been a popular literary topic that has made a few works quite notorious, including Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen. Both works contain the scenarios in which the main characters are taken advantage of due to the apparent feminist society.

The role of women in the society is always questioned and for centuries, they have struggled to find their place in a world that is predominantly male oriented. The treatment of women was extremely negative; they were expected to stay home and fulfill domestic duties. Literature of that time embodies and mirrors social issues of women in society (Lecture on the Puritans). But, slowly and gradually, situation being changed: “During the first half of the 19th century, women 's roles in society evolved in the areas of occupational, moral, and social reform. Through efforts such as factory movements, social reform, and women 's rights, their aims were realized and foundations for further reform were established” (Lauter 1406). Feminist poets like Emily Dickinson and Anne Bradstreet talked substantially about feminism in different lights in the past two centuries. They were very vocal and assertive about their rights and the ‘rights for women’ in general. While they might have been successful at making a good attempt to obliterate gender biases but still there are lot of disparities between the two genders. Nevertheless, their poetry reflects a deep angst.