The Role Of Feminism In Lisa Sandlin's The Do Right

The Do right is a novel written by Lisa Sandlin who enhances the societal depiction of gender roles. Sandlin allows room for those same characters to challenge the stereotypes within their singular character arcs. Sandlin provides examples of women siphoning the power from the male-dominated culture of the time and setting. The feminist theory was created to shed light on the oppressive state of women in society. Theorist based their claims on the overt power of men and their domination of central societal structures. Male dominance causes oppression of women and it's the job of the women to push past the oppression in order to create equity. Another key factor in the theory of feminism is the patriarchy. The patriarchy is a central obstacle for the female characters in this novel and their arcs develop in order to erode the concept. A patriarchy can be defined as, “a cardinal concept of the radical second-wave feminists, who define it as a system of social structures, and practices in which men dominate, oppress and exploit women” (qtd in Wilson pg 1493). In the novel, Sandlin gives examples of women who challenge the patriarchy, oppression, and phallocentrism. A woman emasculates her brother, …show more content…
A small percentage of women hold these roles and others strive to achieve a significant level of success. In the novel, Mrs. Robbins doesn't technically move into a position of power but surely challenges the positions that exist. After the death of her husband and the uncovering of corporate backstabbing; she takes matters of revenge into her own hands. She dismantles stability within the company and destroys their office space by way of arson. The company, Daughtry Petrochemical represents a form of social and economic structure dominated by men. Mrs. Robbins acts to undermine and unravel the solidity of the structure further represents the power women hold against the patriarchy, despite stereotypical