Women as Objects in A Woman on a Roof Essay

The most ostentatious of the group, Stanley is a flawed man that is forced into the role of husband and father by the women around him. Stanley enjoys avoiding his real life and problems by socializing with his other equally macho friends playing poker and drinking excessive amounts of alcohol which in turn makes him stereotypically violent towards his wife. Stanley’s actions to Blanche as well are possessive and domineering as he looks through her things and criticizes the gifts she has garnered from the various suitors she had. “After Stanley's rummaging around in the trunk, Blanche exclaims: "It looks like my trunk has exploded" (38). When he violates that space - "Stanley crosses to the trunk, shoves it roughly open, and begins to open compartments" (41) - he betrays Blanche's intimacy. Rapaciously investigating the love letters, "He rips off the ribbon and starts to examine them, Blanche snatches them from him, and they cascade to the floor." Furious, she shouts: "Now that you've touched them, I'll burn them" and then starts scooping "the floor, gathering

(146) In order to emphasize his humility and goodness, Tom has been cast as a ?one-arm jackleg? (as he so eloquently puts it). He is a carpenter, ably fixing up the Crater property. He performs the miracles of reviving Mrs. Crater?s long-dead Ford (the religious connection reinforced by O?Connor?s characterization of his expression ?as if he had just raised the dead? [151]) and teaching deaf and mute daughter Lucynell to say the word ?bird?. He eschews modern man?s obsession with money and claims that he has a ?moral intelligence? despite his physical shortcomings. By emphasizing his focus on the spiritual nature of life, Tom succeeds in marrying the daughter and receiving money from Mrs. Crater.

Trifles by Susan Glaspell and “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman are two bodies of work that follow specific events in women’s lives. These particular conflicts highlight the gap in treatment and understanding between men and women in the earlier twentieth century. Within both stories the authors convey the gender roles expected of them and how they are treated when they are seen as stepping out of those roles by speaking out or acting differently.

Stanley is the antagonist, he is violent and an enemy to the Protagonist, Blanche. “He acts like an animal, has an animal’s habits! Eats like one, moves like one, talks like one!”(scene 4) He hits Stella, and rapes Blanche. “We’ve had this date with each other from the beginning!” (scene10). It is also found that Stanley also reveals “the survival of the fittest,” in

Stanley overhears these comments as they are ‘unaware of his presence’ (S4:pg.164*; and wants to dispose of Blanche to protect his marriage as Blanche has a hysterical determination to urge Stella to leave Stanley. Stanley refuses to accept Blanches’ conduct as she had no right to intervene and arbitrate as a guest in Stanley’s home supporting the idea that Stanley was preparing her downfall all along.

For decades women have been belittled by men. However, history shows that men ain’t sh*t. . Who stripped women of their rights? Men. Who degraded women for centuries? Men. Who did not want women’s rights? Women. Who continue to objectify women based on how many people they are involved with? Women. The objectification of woman has been proven to not be one sided but come from women themselves also. Kurt Vonnegut's short story of “Miss. Temptation” displays the life of a ravishing young woman named Susanna. Men desire her; Woman despise her. She is portrayed as a loose promiscuous woman. Despite the fact that these individuals know nothing of her personal life. Showing how easy people

Streetcar Named Desire” it would be safe to assume Stanley was aggressive towards his wife

During the early 1800’s, the rights of men were still deemed more important than the rights of women. This issue was finally brought into discussion in the late 1800’s, where women now started to fight for their rights. This time period also brought around the start of feminism. The fact that Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s story, “The Yellow Wallpaper,” is a feminine story to make a statement about men controlling women is shown through three main points: what the woman sees in the yellow wallpaper, how the husband treats the woman, and also through the narrator herself.

Stanley is the epitome of machismo, interested in only the basic pleasures, which are parallel to what a simple animal enjoys. Stella, Stanley’s wife, is the mediator between Blanche and Stanley, though she ultimately fails in preventing these two from verbal or, later, physical violence. Essentially, Blanche instigates the “fight” by entering the apartment and trying to usurp Stanley’s reign, which is partly comprised of Stella’s love and attention. Without even seeing Stanley, Stella immediately sizes him up and subscribes to the idea that the Polish are“ not so-high-brow” (23). There is a dialogue between Stanley and Stella about Stanley, stating:

The thump of Lila landing on the floor had startled Tom momentarily and slightly brought him back to his sense. However, not fully. The character he'd inhabited on the journey home was still in control, but the noise and the look in the woman's eyes, caused her name, and her relationship to flash into his mind, and also why he'd thrown her to the floor as he had. Because she wanted it, it was her fantasy, and he was here to provide it to her. In as realistic fashion as possible.

Tom refusing to go to the movies with Clare and the ludicrous amount of free time he has put towards work indicate that Tom is giving up positive parts of his life to do unnecessary work. When Tom climbs out of the window to retrieve his sheet of research, the great danger he puts himself into and fear he receives because of the danger is exemplified. The sight of miles of the city many stories below finally makes Tom realize the incredible danger he is in while on the side of the building and strikes an intense fear into him. The danger and fear Tom bring upon himself point out the immense risk he is willing to take to advance in his workplace. While on the ledge, Tom finally recognizes that he needs to stop revolving his life around work, and needs to experience life to its full potential.

This quote from Blanche’s sister, Stella, shows how she feels about her marriage with Stanley. Despite being abused by her husband, Stella always takes him back because of the love they’ve created through sexual attraction. Although Blanche hates him for putting his hands on her, Stella continues to make excuses for him, like it’s acceptable to hit her if he’s drunk, angry, or stressed. Of course Stella gets upset with Stanley, but she forgets about all their problems when they have sex.

Nonetheless, the author includes it to provoke the reader to look at the situation from both Mrs. Hale’s and Mrs. Peters’ points of view. It’s meant to make the reader as frustrated and uncomfortable as the women are, for it’s an unfair judgment to make. By assuming that women only care about nominal aspects, it shows a downright disrespect for women, and proves that these men think nothing of the women’s intellect. Yet in everyday life, this kind of thing still happens. Our society is still

Behind the men in a subservient position are two ladies. One is Mrs. Hale, the neighbor's wife who is large and "comfortable looking" and Mrs. Peters, the Sheriff's wife, who is "thin and wiry with a thin, nervous face". Mrs. Peters enters ahead of Mrs. Hale, but both women hang back near the door, while the men go directly to the stove and make a show of warming themselves. In these scene directions, Mrs. Glaspell has already made the reader see a cheerless place to live, cold weather and a culture of women in the background.

The vigilant attribute which many women obtain is often criticized and perceived to be a sign of weakness. This notion is depicted when the man in To Build A Fire begins reflecting on the advice given to him before entering the cold. London writes, “He remembered the advice of the old man on Sulphur Creek, and smiled. The man had been very serious when he said that no man should travel alone in that country after 50 below zero. Well, here he was; he had had the accident; he was alone; and he had saved himself” (72). In this instance, the man in the story finds himself to be complete without a companion. This thought represents a viewpoint on the role of women in the life of men. In many cases, females aren’t recognized to be of value other