The representation of power and control between females in Affinity Essay Example

of Margaret's household, especially in the way Mrs Prior treats Margaret. After Margaret's father dies, Mrs Prior becomes the matriarch of the household and has control over Margaret's daily life, lifestyle, and decisions. This establishes her authority within the household. After Margaret tries to commit suicide, her social standing declines from being an upper-middle class woman to becoming a spinster who is expected to be domesticated. She is told, "'Your place is here!'" indicating that her place is not in the prison.

It is time for you to demonstrate your knowledge. Now that Priscilla is married, you must assume your proper responsibilities in the house. Your place is here, your place is here," stated her mother. This illustrates Margaret's confinement within the home by her mother, and also emphasizes that in order to change her status from being unmarried and independent, she must marry and fulfill household duties. Jenni Milbank, a critic, supports this viewpoint by arguing that Margaret's unmarried status makes her susceptible to pressure from her family and sexual suspicion from the prison matrons.

Margaret is devalued, monitored, and denied freedom as a sexual and social entity. The coding system in Milbank prison parallels Margaret's societal standing. Selina's role as a servant reflects Margaret's journey from the upper-middle class to spinsterhood, as Mrs. Prior later implies that Margaret is no longer a married woman, but rather just Miss Prior. Similarly, Margaret's position in society has declined, similar to Selina's status.

Waters' Affinity exemplifies the characteristics of the gothic genre through its exploration of incarceration and Victorian societal taboos as part of the Female Gothic. However, Margaret's identity is not solely defined by her mother and society.

Instead, Margaret discloses her alternate persona, "Aurora," to Selina. This revelation is open to interpretation, as Margaret assumes the identity of 'Aurora' as a means to potentially transcend her mother's perception and societal expectations. Notably, Margaret adopts this identity after her former lover Helen had identified her as such.

The authority women have over other women is partially represented in the novel through its structure. Power and Control among females is also portrayed through intertextuality in Affinity. This is shown in Margaret's diary entries about her visits to Milbank prison. Mrs Prior, Margaret's mother, disapproves of this and suggests that Margaret is not Mrs Browning and wishes she were. This is significant because it seems that Margaret's own emotions, thoughts, and feelings are suppressed.

However, it is important to contextualize Margaret's diary entries in relation to the censorship of written work in the 1990s. When Sarah Waters' novel 'Tipping the Velvet' was first published in 1998, it could not be easily categorized due to control and censorship. Mark Llewellyn, a critic, argues that there is a strong desire to categorize Waters' novel. Parallels can be drawn between Margaret Prior and Sarah Waters herself, rather than Margaret and Selina.

Margaret's diaries reflect Waters' own fiction and highlight the desire for self-expression in both their works. The presence of spiritualism in the novel further demonstrates the theme of female characters exerting control over one another. Selina, as a spiritualist-medium employed by Mrs. Brink, attracts people to her "dark circles," particularly Madeline Silvester. The identity of the character known as 'Ruth' also highlights power dynamics and control between female characters.

Throughout the novel, the character's identity remains uncertain. There is a "lesbian"

relationship between Margaret and Selina, but Ruth is introduced as a mediator behind the scenes. Margaret refers to Ruth as 'Vigers' in her diary entries, while Selina identifies her as 'Ruth' in her own diary. Despite being of lower social class and seemingly controlled by Margaret in her entries, Waters depicts Ruth's influence over Selina in Selina's own journal.

At the end of the novel, Selina suggests, "Remember, Ruth is saying, whose girl you are"15, which illustrates Ruth's possession of her. This ambiguity highlights the representation of power and control among females. Ruth appears mysterious and spectral, exerting more authority and influence than Margaret and Selina. Additionally, when Mrs Jelf, the matron, informs Margaret about Selina's disappearance and elopement with Ruth, Margaret expresses confusion and comments "Vigers."

I said then. My servant, I said. Vigers, my servant, Selina's maid. "16 The structure of Margaret's comment here not only suggests her confusion, however, Margaret realizes that, as a woman from a higher social status family, she has been deprived of her wealth and power by Ruth, a lower-class woman. However, although, Waters explores how power and control between females is represented, Waters also illustrates transgression, where women are able to escape from the dominance and influence of other women.

The theme of spiritualism in Water is exemplified when Selina states "they call me Dawes, here like a servant"17, but both Margaret and Selina develop new identities. Margaret refers to "Dawes"18 as "Selina"19, while Margaret reveals herself as "Aurora"20. This ambiguity not only goes beyond the prison's coding system, but also allows Selina and Margaret to envision their own humanity.

In Waters' novel, the exchange of power and control

among women is explored through Margaret's loss of wealth and authority as Selina and Ruth join forces and steal her money, tickets, and passports, leading Margaret to exclaim "I have been robbed, by my own servant!"21 Critic Sheryl Stevenson argues that Waters plays on her readers' tendency to overlook Margaret's servant, thus reinforcing the betrayal of sisterhood when class differences triumph over gender solidarity.22

This idea is supported by Selina and Ruth's escape, which demonstrates how women in the novel can break free from the influence and dominance of other women. Selina successfully escapes from prison, while Ruth manages to escape Margaret's control. In Affinity, the power dynamics between women are depicted through the panopticism of Margaret's standing in Victorian Society and Selina's position within the prison. However, Waters employs themes of spiritualism and lesbianism as vehicles for women to defy the dominance and influence imposed by other women in society.