A History of Submissive Women in Literature Essay Example

opportunity to grow into a mature woman. The townspeople in the story recalled how many young men her father had turned away, and understood that she would hold onto what little had been left to her, as is often the case.

Emily Grierson was one among the many women who challenged the societal norms imposed upon them based on their gender. The women in the pre-Civil War America were different from the ones who emerged after 1865. Alexis Girardin Brown stated that historians introduced a new concept to describe the women of the 1880s who gained strength and independence during and after the war, known as the "New Woman" (8). This concept eventually led to the rise of feminism and women's suffrage movement in America (Brown 8). Emily Grierson was undoubtedly one of these "new women."

According to Brown, during a certain period in history, women were forced to become providers and protectors due to circumstances beyond their control. This led some women to question the traditional role they had been assigned. Emily was one such woman who refused to accept her assigned role and rebelled against her father's expectations by finding a man at any cost. Similarly, Nora Helmer from Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House" also rejected the role of a compliant housewife.

In contrast to Emily Grierson, Nora's decision to leave her husband at the end of the play was a deliberate choice driven by her determined character. Unlike Emily and her father, Nora was not suffering from a mental condition that influenced her decision. Elizabeth Hardwick notes that Nora possesses an intrinsically independent and free-spirited personality from the beginning of the play (294).

Unni Langas also commented on Ibsen's drama and Nora's specific motivations, stating that when Nora takes on traditional male roles or distances herself from feminine practices, she contests their socially constructed gender labels, thus challenging their fixed status (157).

According to Langas, Nora's dissatisfaction and act of defiance did not start when she left her husband Trovald. The events that led to her departure were only the final catalysts. Ibsen's play supports this notion as Nora says "For eight years I have been patiently waiting" before leaving Trovald.

During the late nineteenth century, the idea of a defiant woman was not limited to post-Civil War America, as demonstrated by Nora Helmer's rebellion against societal ethical and moral standards in Northern Europe. Marilyn Yalom asserts that forsaking the role of a wife and mother, leaving one's family, and pursuing an independent life was perceived as an affront to society's most treasured values (263). The ending of the play sparked intense controversy in the conservative countries of Scandinavia and Germany, resulting in its modification for these audiences (Yalom 263). The release of "A Doll's House" led to shifts in gender roles during the time it was written.

According to Yalom (264), the changes that occurred in Scandinavia during the 1870s enabled Nora from "The Doll's House" to obtain a bank loan without her husband's awareness. This action surprised her confidante and reflects the emerging concept of financial independence for women in Europe and America. New laws were enacted, especially in Scandinavian nations, giving both married and unmarried women the right to own their earnings for the first time in history (Yalom 265). Consequently, it is plausible that these changes

influenced Ibsen's play and legitimized Nora's decision to leave her marriage and support herself financially.

John Steinbeck’s short story “The Chrysanthemums” is the final literature piece analyzed. The story features Elisa Allen as the woman protagonist, who differs from Nora Helmer and Emily Grierson. While Nora and Emily try to leave their submissive roles, Elisa chooses to continue being a frustrated housewife. The story highlights Elisa's unhappiness as a woman living in a male-dominated society, and Marilyn Mitchell and Harold Bloom note that she is trapped between society's definitions of masculinity and femininity. Elizabeth E. highlights Elisa's discontent from a different perspective.

According to McMahan, Elisa longs for acknowledgement and recognition as a woman (215). Her discontent as a woman is rooted in the treatment she receives from her husband and society, and she desires fulfillment in the same way a man would without facing social ostracism. Her fascination with the man in the wagon only intensifies her desire to leave in pursuit of greater things.

According to Marilyn L. Mitchell, Elisa has faith in her abilities and the chance for a more fulfilling life beyond the confines of her valley, despite having no knowledge of the world beyond it (224). Elisa yearns to break free from her spouse and enjoy unrestricted autonomy, but she fails to achieve her goal. Steinbeck's "The Chrysanthemums" takes place during a distinct time period than the previous two literary works, with different historical influences impacting the author compared to those of "A Doll's House" and "A Rose for Emily."

Despite living in a world where women had more rights and privileges, Elisa Allen did not abandon her submissive lifestyle. The onset and

effects of the Great Depression likely influenced her and other dissatisfied women from doing so. Eleanor Roosevelt's 1933 book, "It's Up to the Women," argued that women could save their families from the worst ravages of the Depression through self-sacrifice and creativity. This was a common idea of what a woman, especially a wife, should represent during desperate times according to historical references.

Elisa and other women of her time may have stayed with their partners due to financial reasons. During the Depression, jobs and money were scarce and were mostly reserved for men who were considered more productive (Orleck 5). As a result, women like Elisa had no means of earning an income and preferred to remain with their partners for financial "security". Orleck further states that poor wives and mothers approached their traditional responsibilities with heightened urgency during the Depression, validating these points (2). Though Emily Grierson, Nora Helmer, and Elisa Allen all lived subservient lives at some point, they each took different approaches to their unique circumstances.

Both Emily Grierson and Nora Helmer defied their oppression, whereas Elisa Allen did not. Despite the paths they each took, all three women ultimately showed strength (Brooks and Warren Short Story Criticism).

Laurie Lanzen Harris and Sheila Fitzgerald authored a volume titled Vol. 1, which was published by Gale Research Company in Detroit in 1988 and contains information on pages 158 to 159.

The Historian article titled "THE WOMEN LEFT BEHIND: TRANSFORMATION OF THE SOUTHERN BELLE, 1840-1880" was authored by Brown, Alexis Girardin and published in the Summer 2000 edition. It can be found in volume 62, issue 4 and the page number is 759. The text is enclosed

in HTML paragraph tags.The reference for History Reference Center can be found on EBSCO at EPCC in El Paso, TX on April 20, 2008. Visit the website at http://search.

Visit ebscohost.com/login.spx with direct=true and access the database khh with AN=3421431 on site ehost-live by Elizabeth Hardwick.

The text "Drama Criticism" is found in Volume 2 of the book edited by Lawrence J. Trudeau. This information is contained within HTML paragraph tags.

In 1992, Gale Research Inc., a company based in Detroit, released a publication authored by Kennedy, X.J. The work consists of pages 292-296.

The authors Kennedy, X.J. and Dana Gioia cite their book "Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing" (New York: Pearson Longman, 2007, pp. 208-216).The authors Kennedy, X.J. and Dana Gioia wrote a book entitled "Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing" in 2007. The book can be found under the publisher Pearson Longman and on pages 28-35.The piece of writing titled Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing was authored by X.J. Kennedy, Dana Gioia, and published by Pearson Longman in New York in 2007. The content of the publication spans from page 1054 to 1110.The article titled "Thinking Gender with A Doll's House" by Langas, Unni can be found in Ibsen Studies Volume 5, Issue 2 from 2005. The article is available through Literary Reference Center.The citation information for EBSCO at EPCC in El Paso, TX on April 20, 2008 is enclosed in a paragraph tag.The link to the article by Marilyn L. Mitchell in the LRC-Live site is: <http://search. ebscohost. com/login. aspx? direct=true&db=lfh&AN=19099012&site=lrc-live>.The volume titled "Short Story Criticism" edited by David Segal.

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Story Criticism" written by Marilyn L. Mitchell includes a section by Gale Research Inc. of Detroit in 1992 that spans pages 221-225.

The second volume of a publication, edited by David Segal and published in 1992 by Gale Research Inc. in Detroit. This information is enclosed within HTML paragraph tags.

In the short stories, "Steinbeck's Strong Women: Feminine Identity" is analyzed by Marilyn L. Mitchell and Harold Bloom under the reference number 14-217.

The citation for an article titled "Bloom's Modern Critical Views: John Steinbeck (1987): 91-101" can be found in the Literary Reference Center on EBSCO. This information was accessed on April 20th through EPCC located in El Paso, TX. The text is enclosed in a paragraph tag.The year 2008 can be found at http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lfh&AN=16380506&site=lrc-live within HTML paragraph tags.

Orleck, Annelise's article on "Militant housewives during the great depression" titled "`We are that mythical thing called the public'" was published in the Feminist Studies journal in the Spring of 1993 and can be found in issue 19.1 on page 147.

Literary Reference Center, an electronic resource by EBSCO located at EPCC in El Paso, TX as of April 20th.

The information concerning the year 2008 can be found at http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true=lfh=9307095047=lrc-live, including and their contents.

Scherting, Jack analyzed the motif, motive, and meaning of "A Rose for Emily" by Faulkner in his article titled "Emily Grierson's Oedipus Complex". The article was published in Studies in Short Fiction's fall 1980 edition, and can be found in the Literary Reference Center database.

On April 20, 2008, EBSCO in El Paso, TX was searched at http://search.

The website ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lfh&AN=7134648&site=lrc-live contains information about Marilyn Yalom's book "A History of the Wife." The

book was published by Harper Collins Publishers in 2001.I'm sorry, there is no text provided for me toand unify while keeping the and their contents. Please provide the necessary information for me to assist you better.