Transcendence In The Second Sex By Simone De Beauvoir

Within a few chapters in The Second Sex by Simone De Beauvoir, she uses the terms "immanence" and "transcendence". These two terms have very opposite meanings. Immanence is a term used to define women and transcendence is used to describe the male gender. These terms define the situations that men and women are involved in. In one of the chapters Beauvoir goes into depth about three kinds of illusions that women construct that demonstrate transcendence within the home or within their domestic activities. Beauvoir shows how these illusions are unsuccessful in bringing the woman true transcendence and she gives her ideas on an alternative to this illusion making. Every human being tries to figure out who they are and it sure is a battle. Women have a tougher battle of building the capacity of transcendence for themselves. …show more content…
The male gender is in this category. They are the subject of respect. Everything that is done by the women is for them. They are the "god" within the genders. One of the main ways men shows this transcendence is when they marry. "Boys marry; they take a wife. In marriage they seek an expansion, a confirmation of their existence but not the very right to exist; it is a charge they assume freely" (Beauvoir, 442). The first part of this quote “ they take a wife” shows extreme power and domination. Men don’t get a wife, they take one out of all the possibilities that they have. Once they take the wife they now get the power of the household. Everything that is done is done for them. Everything around the house will be taken care of by the women and it will be done the way they expect it to be done. Another thing transcendence gives the men is the open door for freedom. They have all the possibilities in the world. They aren’t stuck in the same cycle over and over again like women in immanence. Overall men hold the power in the relationship and can change anything with that