Strength Of Women In Hannah Kent's Burial Rites

Strength is defined as the capacity to withstand great force or pressure, and in the novel Burial Rites, it is both the men and the woman who are strong. Hannah Kent’s novel tells the story of Agnes Magnusdottir, the last person executed in the barren country of Iceland in 1830. The story is told from many points of view allowing many different characters to express their own views and values of both Agnes and her conviction. Iceland was very much a male dominated society during the era of the book, exacerbated by the physical and domineering strength in which males possessed. Kent does, however, allow (show) females to present a different kind of strength to the males, which help them survive their harsh lives. It is clear throughout the …show more content…
Yet she still finds the strength to wake up every morning and attend to the farm and those who own it as if she were a member of the family. Agnes is left wondering if she is “not already dead” when she is left in her own excrement and filth in Stora-Borg before she is acquainted with the humanity of the Jonsson family. Agnes does not sit and cry, but rather imagines a life where “the sun warms the bones of the earth”. Agnes progressively becomes more of a strength for Margret, helping around the house and making “jelly” to ease Margret’s coughing. Agnes shows incredible strength when recounting watching the man she loved, Natan, force himself on her best friend Sigga. Agnes also shows bravery when putting the knife in Natan to end his pain, despite being struck by fear and upset. Agnes holds her own with the men, picking up a scythe and helping with the harvest, she also read Natans medical books helping deliver both human and animal life, despite her looming death. Agnes is the epitome of strength in the story of her own death, showing a combination of physical, mental and emotional