In both The Kite Runner and Madame Bovary, the authors show feminism. The Kite Runner authored by Khaled Hosseini, is very clear in demonstrating the varied amounts of power possessed by women and men. It was shown that in Afghanistan men have much power in nearly every way and women are treated with less respect in some ways. Madame Bovary authored by Gustave Flaubert, on the other hand, gives the realistic view of the French way of life for a woman at this time period with a feministic approach. It is encouraging social, political, legal, and economic right for women equal to men. It demonstrates that women had to depend on men’s decisions and were assumed to play their traditional roles: the wife, mother, and housekeeper. Eventually, the …show more content…
In The Kite Runner, Rape Culture commonly happen in the novel, is a culture that society blamed on the victims of sexual assault and stabilizes male sexual violence. Usually, the rape of the victims are women, at this point, women are objectified as a payment to let the bus which Baba, Karim, Amir and other passengers rode pass the checkpoints where the Russian and Afghan soldiers work, which was shown “It’s his price for letting us pass.” (Hosseini 115) We can take another example of powerlessness of a woman in The Kite Runner is from When Soraya and her cousin both committed the same crime, but no one disregard his crime, “[Men] go out to nightclubs looking for meat and get their girlfriends pregnant, they have kids out wedlock and no one says a goddamn thing.” (Hosseini 179), whereas after she did something dishonored, “[Her] father showed up with a gun that night” (Hosseini 179) and “handed [her] a pair of scissors and calmly told [her] to cut off all [her] hair.” (Hosseini 179) The cutting of all her hair is to eradicate her sin but people can’t forget her sin and gossip her “nang” and “namoos”. (Hosseini 179) In this passage that we know how significant is honor to General Taheri. In Madame Bovary, on the other hand, Emma is well aware of the inferior status in which women find themselves in the fictional society. When Emma was pregnant, she wants her child to be son which is to take revenge on her powerlessness and revolt to the society. Undoubtedly Emma describing the sexual discrimination of the day: “A man, at least, is free: he can leaf through loves and lands and pass through obstacles, have a taste for the most remote joys.” (Flaubert 84) while “a woman is continually impeded” (Flaubert 84) and “Inert and pliant at the same time, against [Emma’s] she has the weakness of flesh and law’s subjections.” (Flaubert 84-85) Another example of powerlessness of a woman in Madame Bovary is women don’t have the rights to
“Her domain was the household, the garden, and the henhouse, and her days were spent processing the raw materials her husband produced into usable items such as food, clothing, candles, and soap (page6).” As known by many, women during the 17th century were to maintain their households for their husbands. By the 18th century they were expected to not only maintain a household, but to take care of their families and be proper women. Then by the late 18th century women's roles changed completely to having to be a surrogate father, and main provider. The roles of women during this time period changed drastically in such short periods of times.
Women are expected to take care of their children, keep the house and do only as they are told. The author of this story suggests otherwise. The author implies that women can do a lot more and combined with men can contribute to
They say every piece of literature is written from at least one of three analytical approaches, Marxist, Freudian (psychoanalytical), or, lastly the one used in the stories I will be discussing today, feminist. Feminist writing begins with the assumption that society is and always has been patriarchal. Through out the years writers have portrayed major problems in society through their writing. The four pieces of literature discussed today were all originally composed in a time ranging from 1604 to 1966. Meaning this has been a continuous problem throughout many centuries.
This reflects a unique aspect of American Life where women were treated as lesser than their male counterparts even though they were very important to society. They played a large part in keeping their society going, but did not get any recognition in the form of power or respect. Women served as housewives, cooking, cleaning, and doing anything else necessary to take care of their husbands, children, and houses. Ulrich discusses how housewives “demonstrated the old proverb, ‘A man works from sun to sun, but a woman’s work is never done’ “ (Ulrich 67). Housewives play an essential role in the functioning of their family, but the sons of the family inherit the land instead of the
This theme of forced gender roles in relationships carries over into other works such as "I Want A Wife" by Judy Brady. Readers are not meant to think that she truly wants a wife but to know that she is talking about the concept of a wife in a marriage. Brady writes from her perspective as a wife and expresses her desire to be cared for in the same way wives are often told to care for their husbands. Women in the time that she wrote this piece were expected to stay home, cook for their husbands, clean for their husbands, and take care of children on top of everything else.
Emma presents the concerns of the social status and values in society “Although very little to distress or vex her” demonstrates foreshadowing to convey tribulation or
Jane Austen characterises Emma as a woman with a lack of self-awareness due to her own privilege throughout the book. Suggested from the beginning of the novel, “Emma Woodhouse, handsome, clever, and rich, with a comfortable home and happy disposition, seemed to unite some of the best blessings of existence”, Austen foreshadows Emma’s character by criticising her as an intelligent but also spoiled, meddlesome and self-deluded woman. Emma’s foolishness is shown throughout the book through her interest in match-making and meddling in other characters’ business. By Emma acknowledging “The first error and the worst lay at her door. It was foolish, it was wrong, to take so active a part in bringing any two people together.”
Lastly, at the Marquis’s ball, Emma’s dissatisfaction with her middle class lifestyle is apparent when she sees the candelabra, silver dishes, fine linen, and delicacies. It is at this ball that Emma first begins to long for a new life among the wealthy, romantic nobility. All of these instances in Flaubert’s novel prove Emma’s dissatisfaction with her life and Charles’s
The Unnamed Woman Up until the 1900’s woman had few rights, thus they relied heavily on men. Women could not vote, they could not own their own property, and very few worked. Women’s jobs were solely to care for children and take care of the home. Women during this time, typically accepted their roles in society and the economy ( “Progressive Era to New Era, 1900-1909”).
Emma associates Knightley with any thoughts of amiable, respectable, well-mannered gentlemen. In every recollection of hers of the past, he is the first one in her thoughts – what he was doing and saying, where he sat or stood, and how gentleman-like his behavior was. An example of a situation that demonstrates Emma's incessant preoccupation with Knightley is when her friend Harriet tries to remind her of the time when Mr. Elton left his pencil at Hartfield. Emma doesn’t manage to recall the day according to Harriet's description.
The work is not yet complete, and is evident by looking at the domination of women throughout the centuries, specifically the 19th and 20th century, which was the height of the women’s rights movement. By analyzing two literary works from two different eras, “The Yellow Wallpaper” written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman in the late 19th century and “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers” written by Adrienne Rich in the mid-20th century, one can conclude that while there have been improvements to women’s rights, there is still discrimination prevalent. Although set in two different time periods, the main
Genre/ Literary Time Period: Gustave Flaubert wrote Madame Bovary during the Realism period, which focused on details and attempted to replicate the true reality of nature through literature (Rahn). Writers of this literary time period did not rely on profound events to propel the story forward; instead, they wrote about the nuances of one’s daily life (Rahn). For this reason, most of Madame Bovary lacks excitement; it relies on the portrayal of everyday events to develop the plot. Madame Bovary belongs in the genre of realistic fiction; thus, it embraces the idea that people were neither completely good or completely bad (Rahn). This allows Flaubert to develop Emma Bovary in such a way that makes readers sympathize with her situation despite
How does this all relate to modern day issues? While the aforementioned essay within her book was not necessarily written all too long ago, feminism has changed and adapted to fit in with younger generations. As of right now feminism is currently quite the hot topic throughout the media in both western regions as well as more conservative regions. Oppression continues to remain hidden within “chivalrous” behaviors and ideals as presented by male dominated institutions that attempt to make decisions on behalf of women. Take for example, the war on Planned Parenthood and female healthcare.
Although Emilia does not ever say these powerful words out loud, she is still willing to not follow her husbands commands despite his strong character. Emilia proves again that she has powerful thoughts when she stated that,”Let husbands know, Their wives have sense like them; they see and smell, And have their palates both for sweet and sour As husbands have’ (Othello IV.3.92-5) Emilia contends that women are physically the same to men,they both get distraught and have issues that trouble each other, they should treat each other similarly. Women can still analyze literature about the inequality and rights for women through many of the injustices that are modern today.
During the 1890’s until today, the roles of women and their rights have severely changed. They have been inferior, submissive, and trapped by their marriage. Women have slowly evolved into individuals that have rights and can represent “feminine individuality”. The fact that they be intended to be house-caring women has changed.