There are many themes that appear in literature. One theme is women in a male driven society. This theme is showen in “Of Mice and Men”, “The Purple Rose of Cairo”, and “Adam’s Rib”.
In “Of Mice and Men”, Curly’s wife, doesn’t even have a proper name and is the only woman on the ranch. Curly’s Wife is often called a “tramp” and the workers think she tries to flirt with them. Cecilia, in “The Purple Rose of Cairo”, is controlled by her abusive husband, Monk, and has to work for her to take care of him like she was his mother. In “Adam’s Rib”, Adam thinks Doris is guilty for being upset about her husband’s affair, even though she shot him in the shoulder, her husband treating her poorly in general. These women get treated poorly just because the men think they’re all high and mighty and are “in charge”.
The men in each story expect a lot from the women but then put them down with telling them they can’t do something. In “The Purple Rose of Cairo” Cecilia worked hard, during the Great Depression, while her husband was drinking and gambling. They also think the women are there to take care of them, such as make them dinner and clean up after them, like what Cecilia was doing for Monk. Men also get offended when the women in the stories do something better than them, such as when one of the female witnesses picked up Adam in “Adam’s Rib” during the court session.
In “Of Mice and Men”, Curly’s wife, doesn’t even have a proper name and is the only woman on the ranch. Curly’s Wife is often called a “tramp” and the workers think she tries to flirt with them. Cecilia, in “The Purple Rose of Cairo”, is controlled by her abusive husband, Monk, and has to work for her to take care of him like she was his mother. In “Adam’s Rib”, Adam thinks Doris is guilty for being upset about her husband’s affair, even though she shot him in the shoulder, her husband treating her poorly in general. These women get treated poorly just because the men think they’re all high and mighty and are “in charge”.
The men in each story expect a lot from the women but then put them down with telling them they can’t do something. In “The Purple Rose of Cairo” Cecilia worked hard, during the Great Depression, while her husband was drinking and gambling. They also think the women are there to take care of them, such as make them dinner and clean up after them, like what Cecilia was doing for Monk. Men also get offended when the women in the stories do something better than them, such as when one of the female witnesses picked up Adam in “Adam’s Rib” during the court session.