The Awakening

Within Helena Turners picture The Bird Cage we can see a woman holding a bird cage in front of an open door. Here the bird is trapped within a cage, which is more of a physical trap. This can also go on to represent the fact that women within pieces of literature in the 19th century were portrayed as having feelings of being restrained within their personal and social lives. The fact that the woman that is holding onto the cage is also standing in front of an open door which is showing her…

The progressive era in the late 1800s and early 1900s served as a turning point for women regarding the role they play in society. The traditional woman was domesticated and obligated to suppress opinions, both of which resulted in a lack of freedom. Some women and organizations wanted change. They worked to obtain the right to vote, as well as gain economic, political and social equality. In the novels The Great Gatsby and Dracula, the differences of a traditional woman and today's modern woman…

The nineteenth century was a large feminist movement as women pushed against their “roles in society.” Women were beginning to act contrary to “expected” beliefs and actions. To expose and respond to this social inequality, many women took to writing- novels, letters, pamphlets, and speeches. Overall, literature during this time often focused on the conflict between women and society. Henry James was an American author often regarded as an important figure in the literary culture of the…

emphasized a woman’s obedience to her husband. Ibsen acknowledges the fact that in 19th century life the role of the woman was to take care of the house duties by raising the children and attending to her husband as the protagonist of the play Nora Helmer does. During the play Nora rebels against these cultural norms, she abandons herself from her husband and her children when she finally finds herself as an individual. Throughout the play Nora Helmer’s character presents an inauthentic identity…

Kate Chopin's short story, Desiree's Baby, is a work that explores multiple themes commonly considered taboo for late 19th century discussion. Most writers of the time rarely elucidated on such themes; and least of all female writers. To fully appreciate the work in its entirety, one must first understand the social critique of the times and then formulate an idea of just how impactful a story such as this one could be. This was an era in which the majority of creative literature focused on…

I decided to do Clarissa from the Dancer and Chris from Lifeguard for a compare and contrast. Clarissa is a confused girl trying to discover her identity and culture; by finding it in Dance.She Chris is a dedicated swimmer and does not focus on anything else, however he learns the true meaning of friendship. When an individual has a rough time in life, they discover something that had been missing in their life, results in compassion and happiness. The connection between Clarissa…

Swimming to Antarctica by Lynne Cox is a fascinating and inspiring story. It contains writing that will make you feel the emotions that the author experiences in the moments she describes. The detailed imagery used makes it as if you are the one being exposed to her challenges. Lynne takes you through the pain and dedication needed to achieve big goals. She’s blunt and tells that it wasn’t easy. The book provides the message that in order to achieve big things, it takes an unimaginable amount…

In Yukio Mishima’s novel The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea, Mishima’s political ideologies leak through the text. Mishima’s political stance is centered around traditional Japanese ideologies of keeping ports closed to stop westernization while keeping production and trade within Japan, and the overall traditional status of women. His opinion on the western world and women seem to be centered around one character, Fusako. Fusako owns an upscale western shop, her house is a collection…

Mercè Rodoreda is a prevalent and noteworthy Catalan author. Authoring many works, she is quite well known for her writing in Catalonia. In fact, it is her Catalonian heritage that can be looked toward as her inspiration in The Time of the Doves. The novel's internal focus could be viewed as part of Rodoreda’s personal experience put to page, especially in reference to the war. The attempted assimilation of Catalonian language and culture can also be seen as a driving force in Rodoreda’s writing…

There’s no escaping the fairy tale in popular culture; a woman trapped under duress, awaiting for a man to rescue her. It’s an archetype that transcends time and continent, but whether it’s approach to gender roles is outdated is an entirely different question. Louise Bourgeois was fascinated with this concept, due to her parents tumultuous relationship and the trauma surrounding identity that pursued her throughout her life. One of the pieces that highlighted the existence of gender roles in…