Zahar Alao
Professor Stewart
English 1102
14 February 2017
Feminism in Writing Feminism is a movement that has been evolving for centuries. From women disguising themselves as men in wars to bra burning to finally joining the workforce. Women throughout history have used many different forms of protesting traditional gender roles in their communities. Writing is has been one of the most popular and accessible forms of protest for women all over the world. The Storm by Kate Chopin is a short story that definitely challenged gender roles at the time it was published in 1893. Calixta, a housewife seems to be the one that plays the dominant role in the relationship with her husband, Bobint. She has an affair with an old flame while he is at …show more content…
She dreamed of a time when she was “single and free” (Shmoop). What she did was the complete opposite of what a woman’s role was portrayed to be, especially at that point in history. Because of that, it is very possible that this short story would have been seen as extremely racy and taboo. Especially because of the way Chopin decided to describe the affair. She described the was Calixta’s old flame, Alce touched her and kissed her: “- her lips seemed in a manner free to be tasted, as well as her round, white throat and her whiter breasts” (Chopin). That simply was not done during her time in the late 1800s . Especially not by female authors.
Similarly, the roles also switch in Zadie Smith’s The Girl With The Bangs. In a “Queer Theory” reading of the story, it is said that the narrator begins her first lesbian relationship. Rather than describing herself as a woman in a relationship with another woman, she notes that she is “the boy in her relationship” (Smith 1715). The boy, of course, is usually considered to be the dominant hand in every relationship. The fact that even in a same sex relationship, the gender roles still apply says a lot about how deeply ingrained these traditional roles are in …show more content…
I wouldn't have you do it if you didn't want to. But I know it's perfectly simple." "And you really want to?" 230 Short Fiction " I think it's the best thing to do. But I don't want you to do it if you don't really want to." (Hemingway). It is also important to note that he clearly “doesn’t want to marry Jig” (Shmoop), but nevertheless, he “claims he’s willing to do so” (Shmoop). In the 1920s, when this story was written, abortions were dangerous, illegal (in the United States), and very controversial. Even with all of those constraints, the American man was extremely eager to have the procedure done, if it meant making his life
Professor Stewart
English 1102
14 February 2017
Feminism in Writing Feminism is a movement that has been evolving for centuries. From women disguising themselves as men in wars to bra burning to finally joining the workforce. Women throughout history have used many different forms of protesting traditional gender roles in their communities. Writing is has been one of the most popular and accessible forms of protest for women all over the world. The Storm by Kate Chopin is a short story that definitely challenged gender roles at the time it was published in 1893. Calixta, a housewife seems to be the one that plays the dominant role in the relationship with her husband, Bobint. She has an affair with an old flame while he is at …show more content…
She dreamed of a time when she was “single and free” (Shmoop). What she did was the complete opposite of what a woman’s role was portrayed to be, especially at that point in history. Because of that, it is very possible that this short story would have been seen as extremely racy and taboo. Especially because of the way Chopin decided to describe the affair. She described the was Calixta’s old flame, Alce touched her and kissed her: “- her lips seemed in a manner free to be tasted, as well as her round, white throat and her whiter breasts” (Chopin). That simply was not done during her time in the late 1800s . Especially not by female authors.
Similarly, the roles also switch in Zadie Smith’s The Girl With The Bangs. In a “Queer Theory” reading of the story, it is said that the narrator begins her first lesbian relationship. Rather than describing herself as a woman in a relationship with another woman, she notes that she is “the boy in her relationship” (Smith 1715). The boy, of course, is usually considered to be the dominant hand in every relationship. The fact that even in a same sex relationship, the gender roles still apply says a lot about how deeply ingrained these traditional roles are in …show more content…
I wouldn't have you do it if you didn't want to. But I know it's perfectly simple." "And you really want to?" 230 Short Fiction " I think it's the best thing to do. But I don't want you to do it if you don't really want to." (Hemingway). It is also important to note that he clearly “doesn’t want to marry Jig” (Shmoop), but nevertheless, he “claims he’s willing to do so” (Shmoop). In the 1920s, when this story was written, abortions were dangerous, illegal (in the United States), and very controversial. Even with all of those constraints, the American man was extremely eager to have the procedure done, if it meant making his life