Down from Heaven by Colleen Wagner and Annabel by Kathleen Winter depict the ongoing battle that society faces with itself and the steps required to attain equity among all. Down from Heaven is about Laurel and her family who are being held captive by their gardener, Cheater in their basement during a time of plague. Annabel is the story of Wayne who is a perfect hermaphrodite being raised as a boy in Labrador the 1970s. Gender roles within the home are based upon the social expectation that women are subservient to their husbands. There exists a severe imbalance of power within the capitalist classes where socioeconomic status directly correlates with the sex of the individual therefore making one party involuntarily dependant on the other.
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Because the same ideals have continued to be passed on, women have been confined to being powerlessness and dependant on their male counterparts. Since birth, Laurel of Down from Heaven has relied on her father to provide for her in assets and wisdom; when he dies, she is left on her own and she is incapable of thinking for herself. “I’m so afraid, Mother. I’m so alone. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know who I am anymore…I need to be told what to do.” (Act I Scene VIII) It is clear that she has developed a very selfish attitude to the point where she is helpless without guidance from her father. Her mother even proves to be of no help because they both have been conditioned to rely on men for the entirety of their lives. The use of anaphora puts emphasis on Laurel’s focus on herself and that she has no regard for anyone but herself. Women are treated differently from the moment they are born, they are told to appreciate their working fathers and use their money to buy nice things. Essentially, men are investing money in their daughters and wives in order to impress others, also known as commodification and objectification. Because women are being conditioned to be reliant on men, it makes it extremely difficult for women to achieve independence. Furthermore, women have been taught to shun other women who disrupt the patriarchal ideals of …show more content…
Once again, the female sacrificing herself in order to please their male counterparts whilst men enjoy the view all the while staying comfortable and putting in minimal effort into their appearance. Wayne continues on with a metaphor which beautifully encapsulates the entire issue. Society likes tangible and definitive categories for everything, a clear sign of male dominance, which is why it classifies people as either male or female-two separate extremes. Each individual is a unique combination of both feminine and masculine attributes, however, once you categorize a person as either male or female, you lose the content and uniqueness of the individual. The moment society stops classifying people into gender roles will be the moment people free themselves and begin so see others as different, but
Because the same ideals have continued to be passed on, women have been confined to being powerlessness and dependant on their male counterparts. Since birth, Laurel of Down from Heaven has relied on her father to provide for her in assets and wisdom; when he dies, she is left on her own and she is incapable of thinking for herself. “I’m so afraid, Mother. I’m so alone. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know who I am anymore…I need to be told what to do.” (Act I Scene VIII) It is clear that she has developed a very selfish attitude to the point where she is helpless without guidance from her father. Her mother even proves to be of no help because they both have been conditioned to rely on men for the entirety of their lives. The use of anaphora puts emphasis on Laurel’s focus on herself and that she has no regard for anyone but herself. Women are treated differently from the moment they are born, they are told to appreciate their working fathers and use their money to buy nice things. Essentially, men are investing money in their daughters and wives in order to impress others, also known as commodification and objectification. Because women are being conditioned to be reliant on men, it makes it extremely difficult for women to achieve independence. Furthermore, women have been taught to shun other women who disrupt the patriarchal ideals of …show more content…
Once again, the female sacrificing herself in order to please their male counterparts whilst men enjoy the view all the while staying comfortable and putting in minimal effort into their appearance. Wayne continues on with a metaphor which beautifully encapsulates the entire issue. Society likes tangible and definitive categories for everything, a clear sign of male dominance, which is why it classifies people as either male or female-two separate extremes. Each individual is a unique combination of both feminine and masculine attributes, however, once you categorize a person as either male or female, you lose the content and uniqueness of the individual. The moment society stops classifying people into gender roles will be the moment people free themselves and begin so see others as different, but