Category: Gender Roles

Introduction to Janie Crawford’s Marital Journey

Zora Neale Hurston’s novel Their Eyes Were Watching God tells the story of Janie Crawford, with Janie ultimately serving as her own narrators. Her story begins with a flashback to her life as a young girl and traces her path through three different marriages. Throughout the various pages, the book is perhaps most salient in Janie’s reflections on marriage in terms of how it deviates from her own expectations. The resultant tale serves as somewhat of a path through which Janie attempts to attain her vision of an ideal marriage while simultaneously developing as an independent woman. Her three husbands—Logan Killicks, Joe Starks, and Tea Cake Woods—each provide important lessons for Janie as she moves through the course of her life. Ultimately, Hurston’s novel serves as an illustrative inquiry of the complex relationship between marriage and gender roles within society, showing the various issues that women must navigate when attempting to define their singular identities while also pursuing a joint relationship.

In order to properly understand the context of this story, it is important to examine Janie’s three marriages separately—and chronologically. She is initially married at a rather young age. Despite being uninterested in marriage, she agrees due to the desire to please her Nanny, who views marriage not in the context of love but rather in the context of stability. Nanny believes that marriage is essential for Janie’s economic and physical safety. Thus, Nanny’s views can be seen as largely steeped in traditional gender roles where a woman submits to a man’s protection, viewing marriage as a necessity for survival rather than a relationship that prioritizes aspects such as love or romanticism.

Janie’s First Marriage: Traditional Gender Roles and Expectations

This is distinctly at conflict with Janie’s personal view of marriage, which is represented by the metaphor of the pear tree. This is a reoccurring symbol throughout the work. According to Janie, “Ah want things sweet wid mah marriage lak when you sit under a pear tree and think” (Hurston 23). Here, Janie can be seen romanticizing the notion of marriage, focusing on things like love, kindness, and caring, which are typically viewed as contemporary purposes of marriage. She views the interworking of the pear tree with the pollination of the bees as symbolic of the natural state of marriage. For Janie, marriage should be a state of mutual care and compassion for one another. Thus, Janie and Nanny both view marriage as important; however, Nanny views it in more transactional terms while Janie views it in more transformational terms.

The Pear Tree Metaphor: Janie’s Vision of Ideal Marriage

Janie is quickly dismayed in her relationship with Logan as she comes to the realization that his view of marriage is not that of the pear tree but rather that of a protectionary contract aligned with the view of her Nanny. Logan sees Janie as another set of hands to help out on the farm, constantly pushing her to work harder and do more. He treats her not as a wife but rather as an employee, pushing her and acting condescendingly towards her. This relationship can be constructed as severely one-sided, restricting Janie to a life somewhat reminiscent of the life of slavery into which Nanny was born. Thus, this relationship constructs marriage as a patriarchy which nearly completely diminishes the rights of Janie as an individual. Within this arrangement, she is defined solely as a wife and has virtually no independent identity, succumbing to a gender role thrust upon her. This is much in line with what Seguin noted as “characters that are sometimes undercut by ambivalent and troubling depictions of gender submissiveness” (230).

Janie’s Marriage to Joe Starks: Status, Control, and Gender Dynamics

Janie’s relationship with Logan is perhaps the least complex of her three marriages. After understandably fleeing this situation, she becomes married to Joe Starks. Together, they live in the town of Eatonville, Florida, where Joe becomes a successful businessman and mayor. Janie’s relationship with Joe is much more complex than was her relationship with Logan; however, many similar themes reoccur. She is once again viewed largely as property other than a person. To Joe, her primary identity is that of his wife. While Logan viewed the marital relationship as a provision of labor, Joe views it as a provision of status. He sees Janie much as something to be showed off to others. This is exhibited in Joes remarks, “Thank yuh fuh yo’ compliments, but mah wife don’t know nothin’ ‘bout no speech-makin’ … Ah never married her for nothin’ lak dat. She’s uh woman and her place is in de home” (Hurston, 40-41). While this represents a distinct focus, it still can ultimately be considered that of possession.

In fact, one might even be pressed to make the argument that the marital relationship with Joe reduces Janie to a more restrictive gender role than did the one with Logan. With Logan, Janie is seen as having value in terms of her ability to do things; however, with Joe, her value is seen almost exclusively in her looks and the status that having a wife confers. This is noted in the thinking that women are much like children and livestock in that someone must think for them because “they sho don’t think none theirselves” (Hurston 67). In fact, the primary reason through which Janie’s relationship with Joe is more positive than that of Logan is due to the fact that she has learned to advocate her herself and embraced a greater sense of independence in spite of Joe’s attempt to prescribe her to a certain gender role. However, her efforts to partake in social conversations and counter Joe’s controlling nature results in her falling victim to increasing domestic violence, another method for exerting control and maintaining a traditional gender role in the marriage.

After the death of Joe, Janie suddenly finds herself empowered. However, this is not the result of a recognition of her own talents and abilities by society but rather as the result of her inheritance of Joe’s estate. She recognizes this and ultimately turns down a bevy of suitors with the realization that they are not truly interested in her character but rather her possessions. Once again, the concept of marriage is portrayed in terms of possessions and contracts rather than the pear tree allegory of love that Janie desires. Janie’s recognition of this illustrates that she has further grown into her own independence and created a gender role in which she is more empowered, resisting how others want to proscribe her.

Janie’s Third Marriage to Tea Cake Woods: Love, Equality, and Challenges

It is her third marriage, to Tea Cake Woods, that is perhaps most rife for examination and analysis. In this marriage, Janie ultimately falls in love and believes that she has finally attained her idealize marriage. She and Tea Cake leave Eatonville and travel to Jacksonville. Here, she notes that “I was not Zora of Orange County any more, I was now a little colored girl” (Hurston 152). While this is descriptive of moving from a small town where she was an important person to a large city, it is also potentially a metaphor for losing part of her identity once again through entering marriage, a concept noted by Burrows in his analysis where he attributes marriage to “loss of personal identity” (438).

The reader will realize that Janie and Tea Cake’s relationship is fraught with many of the ups and downs of typical relationships; however, it is a much more level relationship than others. There is no doubt that this marriage allows for Janie to keep her own identity to a much greater extent than the others. However, the reality of gender roles does prove to continue to be noted in some ways. Specifically, jealousy becomes a frequent aspect of the marriage, ultimately turning into domestic violence. At one point, “he had whipped Janie. Not because her behavior justified his jealousy, but it relieved that awful fear inside him. Being able to whip her reassured him in possession” (Hurston 140). Thus, even Tea Cake, who largely treated Janie as an equal, ultimately needed to feel as if she was something that only he possessed rather than an individual. This further cements the juxtaposition of gender roles and marriage in the work. While Tea Cake avoids the views of past husbands, he ultimately allows his jealous views to cloud his judgment and treat Janie as property in order to calm his inner misgivings. While it does seem that he truly loves Janie, as evidenced by many things such as risking his life to save her during the hurricane, even he is not above subjecting her to an inferior gender role.

Despite the problems within Janie’s relationship with Tea Cake, she looks back upon it primarily fondly, thinking that she did attain the pear tree vision of marriage. According to Bealer, “Though Janie does not criticize Tea Cake’s unwarranted mistrust, and consciously constructs a fantasy of her dead husband that excises the abuse and retains only the love, Their Eyes insists upon including such flaws in Tea Cake in order to simultaneously endorse love’s liberatory power while also implying that even a great and selfless love does not guarantee permanent liberation from social hierarchies” (312). In other words, even in Janie’s most satisfying moment of love, she is still not free from the oppressive aspects of marriage, forcing her to navigate the aspects of the institution of marriage that serve to oppress women.

Conclusion: Janie’s Growth and the Interplay of Marriage and Gender Roles

Throughout the course of Their Eyes Were Watching God, the protagonist grows into an independent woman that eschews the gender roles that are enforced upon her throughout her life. However, the course of her journey serves as an interesting discourse on gender roles, particularly in the nature of the marital relationship. Janie experiences three vastly different marriages, all of which result in her being viewed—either wholly or partly—as property rather than person. This serves as commentary on the often problematic nature of the marital relationship for women, who must strive to balance the desire for the pear tree-like relationship envisioned in the novel with an institution that historically infringes upon their individuality and is rooted in themes of possession.

Shakespeare as well as other renowned writers during the Elizabethan time profusely explore the theme of controlling natures of men towards women in their works to highlight the strict patriarchal values of Jacobean society. Desdemona’s subservience acts as a signifier of the control men had over women.

The concept of men controlling women can be seen and encouraged through women’s internalised societal expectations during the Elizabethan Era wherein their sole duty was to serve as a dutiful wife. Desdemona says her “ heart [has been] subdued… [to her] Lord”. The phrase used here, ‘subdued’ suggests she is not in control and rather is controlled by her husband who is notably referred to as her ‘Lord’. She addresses him as ‘Lord’ to display the upmost respect to him, almost as if she worships him, representing Othello ultimate control. The phrase ‘subdued’ also has associations with war, with Othello being a military officer, in this sense the Turks are almost ‘subdued’. The abrupt political and geographical shift portrayed after the kiss scene shows the impact public display of affection Shakespeare attempts to communicate. The Turk defeat additionally implies Othello’s military authority, the wellspring of his masculinity, is no longer required which ultimately leads to his own defeat during the denouement of the play. This ruin is foreshadowed when Othello says, “ that not another comfort like this/succeeds in unknown fate”, which denotes a dull tone and communicates the possibility that perhaps the future will not take a dark turn from the present. Desdemona, contrastingly exclaims, “ out loves and comforts should increase,/even as our days do grow”. The contradicting opinion of the two characters suggest the idea of control and programming Desdemona is encountering, forcing her neglect Othello’s unpopular point of view out of choice. Specifically, the words ‘should increase’ utilized by Desdemona reinforces this feeling of dependability and assurance due to the control she is accustomed to. It very well may be contended that Othello communicates his sentiments about ‘unknown fate’ to achieve a sense of consolation from Desdemona; a procedure shrewdly used to inspect the control he has over her.

As the extract is from an early stage in the tragic arc, this enables the audience to compare the seemingly perfect but deteriorating relationship of Desdemona and Othello. The shift in Othello ‘kissing’ his better half can be compared to act 4 where he becomes enraged to find Desdemona denying his accusation, “ ..be double damned: Swear thou art honest”. Shakespeare uses the alliteration of “double damned” to convey aspects of religion to alienate and control Desdemona. He takes the concept of punishment into his own hands in a society where adultery is seen as an act that transgresses Gods commandments. However, in other points of view such as Emilia and Cassio, Desdemona is presented as an extraordinary character that is far from male control. We can interpret through Cassio’s dialogue that he believes Othello has “ achiev’d a maid/ That paragons description” and Desdemona “excels the quirks of blazoning pens”. Cassio can be compared to Othello in the sense that he acknowledges Desdemona’s individuality presenting the idea that not all males control women in love literature. Her status is further emphasised by the context in which the play was written where women were considered lower class citizens. Shakespeare uses Cassio, in his moderately elite status to praise a woman and language to additionally demonstrate this. He uses words related with excellence and likewise terms to portray this for example, Desdemona is not simply just attractive, she ‘paragons’ and “excels” his expectations. Nevertheless, it can be argued Cassio’s saying that Othello ‘achiev’d a maid’ limits Desdemona in her role, indicating that she is only valued for her duties. These duties are forced upon to her despite her ‘paragons’ and ‘excels’ in Othello’s bid to control her. Desdemona being depicted as nothing more than a wife is made noticeably clear by Cassio’s ‘achiev’d a maid’, essentially women were nothing more than just a wife. For a modern audience, attitudes like such shape an understanding that women portrayed in Othello as well as those during the 17th century were considered second class citizens. Shakespeare presents these ideas as an accurate representation of the realities of Jacobean society. The context of the play essentially reinforces the idea that men control women by allowing them to do in a backwards Elizabethan society.

Notwithstanding, it may be argued that Shakespeare sabotages the typical portrayal of patriarchal relationships but rather presents equal relationships in its place. This can be seen through the contemporary audiences’ point of view who may perhaps envision Desdemona to be submissive though this can be contrasted to her being put in a similar situation as her significant other toward the start of the extract. The phrases “ My dear Othello” and “O my fair warrior” are employed by Shakespeare to show both characters have a mutual love for one another, rather than it being one sided like modern audiences would assume. The shared lines between both characters particularly reflect their harmony as prominent contemporary analysis in the Willow Scene and traditional point of view imply that women are not always subservient to husbands, supporting the idea that perhaps Othello and Desdemona nurture a healthy and equal relationship. The possessive pronoun and monosyllabic “O” however suggest a form of ownership, presenting a conflicting perspective. Nevertheless, the two characters address each other using complimentary expressions to admire one another, demonstrating they have maintained a loving relationship, control clearly not being an issue.

Iago is argued to be a key character Shakespeare uses to exert dominance and control over women as well as men. Iago interrupts the harmony between Othello and Desdemona through his aside, a verse form used by Shakespeare to mirror the true feelings of characters. Essentially Iago notices that Othello is ‘ well tuned’, though he will ‘set down the pegs’. Shakespeare uses the remark of “well tuned” as a metaphor of harmonic music which presents the harmony of Othello and Desdemona’s marriage. Shakespeare, again uses an extended musical metaphor “discord .. tun’d .. pegs ..” to convey that Iago will disrupt the ‘harmony’ of the couple by causing dissent. However, the comment is then followed by Iago’s vow “to set down the pegs” which portray his purpose to control and interrupt the harmony between Othello and Desdemona. Iago is also said to use women against men in his ploy to control them. He uses his prejudices against women to his advantage, by manipulating Othello which can be foreshadowed in the extract when he cynically interprets Desdemona and Cassio’s body language as evidence for adultery. Within his soliloquy, a dramatic device used to express the ‘reality,’ of Cassio taking Desdemona’s hand, to spin an illusion that they are both having an affair. Actions as such present Iago as, ‘advocatus diaboli’, where phrases are used judiciously against Othello in a ploy to control and corrupt his mind from controlling to being controlled. The way in which Shakespeare presents Iago as controlling and manipulative rather than ‘honest’ is by skilfully using a break in rhythm, from poetry to prose and prose to poetry to communicate a change in mood with Iago switching from the playful tone of rhythm couplets in colloquy to serious prose in the aside. Effectively, the prose allows Iago to adopt his persuasive and repetitive imagery to control Roderigo’s perception of Desdemona. Roderigo’s extended silence, lack of speech and overall sentence structure of the conversation implies that he is being controlled by Iago as he intended. For example, the repeated imperatives of, “Come hither”, “Lay thy finger thus” and “let thy soul be instructed” are effective instructions used to portray Iago’s controlling nature which Roderigo accepts. This is further emphasised as Iago uses a circular dialogue structure by dismissing the conversation as he had started it, “watch you tonight for the command”. The use of the possessive phrase “command” here conveys that Iago is someone to be obeyed. His overall speech underpins his control over Roderigo, emphasising that men control men as well as women in literature of love

The concept of men controlling women has always been a central feature in literary narrative from the beginning of creative writing. Shakespeare utilises this theme within a range of his works; in particular, Othello wherein many if not all male characters exercise their control over their female counterparts. While it can be reasoned by critics that females are unconventional in this play in the sense that Desdemona is equal to Othello and Emilia holds negative attitudes towards men; however ultimately, they are both controlled by their male counterparts.

Male to female relationships is a common topic in literature. The women were known as supporting the men in their positions of higher authority and taking care of their family. Othello by Shakespeare is a great example of relationships. In the play, it shows the acts of love and hate for one another in the examples of Othello and Desdemona, Iago and Emilia, and Cassio and Bianca. The play “Othello” represents how women are treated in the Elizabethan Era. Women are treated poorly and used as objects and we learn this in these examples of love to hate relationships.

Desdemona was treated poorly by Othello. Othello accuses Desdemona of lying about Cassio and gets angry and upset when she says she really cares for him. Othello expresses his feelings by calling her “O devil, devil! If that the earth could teem with women’s tears, each drop she falls would prove a crocodile. Out of my sight.” (Shakespeare 4.1.273-276) He treats her bad because he uses physical violence by hitting her. He also yells at her and tells her to get out of his face. Othello also treats Desdemona poorly by accusing her of cheating with Cassio and he is being rude to her because he does not believe her. Desdemona is upset “His unkindness may defeat my life, but never taint my love.” (Shakespeare 4.2.189-190) Desdemona is explaining to Emilia and Iago on how she will stay faithful and loving to Othello even though he keeps accusing her. Desdemona is so in love with Othello that she swears she would love him even if he was responsible for her death. Lastly, Othello treats Desdemona poorly by convincing himself to kill her despite his love for her because he feels as if she will cheat on him with more men. Othello doesn’t want to kill her “It is the cause, it is the cause, my soul. Let me not name it to you, your chaste stars. It is the cause yet I`ll not shed her blood, nor scar that whiter skin of hers than snow. Yet she must die, else she`ll betray more men…” (Shakespeare 5.2.1-7) Othello convinces himself over and over to kill her because of his reasons in his mind. Othello feels, if he can’t be with her then no other man should. Overall, Othello treated Desdemona poorly and accused her of many things.

Emilia was used and treated poorly by Iago. Iago uses Emilia’s close friendship with Desdemona to gain access to her and steal Desdemona’s handkerchief. Emilia claims she doesn’t know “what he will do with it, heaven knows, not I. I nothing but to please his fantasy.” (Shakespeare 3.3.341-343) Emilia does not know what her husband is plotting, and she prefers not to know. She does whatever she can to make her husband happy. Iago also treats Emilia poorly by using verbal abuse towards her when he doesn’t get his way. Iago gets angry “to have a foolish wife.” (Shakespeare 3.3.348) He snapped on Emilia when he saw that she was alone and started to call her names but then when Emilia said she has the handkerchief for him he started being nice to her. Finally, Iago kills Emilia by stabbing her to death. He does this because Emilia was telling Othello the truth about the handkerchief. Iago watched “The woman falls! Sure, he hath killed his wife!” (Shakespeare 5.2.283) Othello wanted to kill Iago for lying about how Cassio had the handkerchief. Iago ruined Othello and Desdemona’s relationship. So, Iago killed Emilia at his first opportunity, because she got Iago in big trouble. Overall, Iago used and treated Emilia poorly which ended innocent lives.

Cassio treats Bianca poorly. Cassio and Bianca are an example of a physical male to female relationship. Bianca is a prostitute, so Cassio only uses her for sexual pleasure. Many people stare and “now will question Cassio of Bianca a huswife that by selling her desires buys herself bread and clothes.” (Shakespeare 4.1.110-112) Since she is a prostitute, Cassio doesn’t care about her feelings for him, since she also gives sexual pleasure to other males. Cassio makes Bianca feel worthless because he cares more about his reputation and promotions, more then he cares about her. He is always telling her to stop following him and to leave him alone when “I do attend here on the general and think it no addition, nor my wish, to have him see me womaned.” (Shakespeare 3.4.221-223) He tells Bianca to leave when he sees Othello coming because he does not want Othello to see him with a woman, especially a prostitute. He also doesn’t want Othello to know the depths of their relationship. Lastly, Cassio treats Bianca poorly by leading her on and only having their love being one sided. Bianca gets scared and expresses her feelings, “O Cassio, whence came this? This is some token from a newer friend! To the felt absence, now I feel a cause.” (Shakespeare 3.4.205-207) Cassio gave Bianca the handkerchief, not intending for it to be a present but as a way of getting rid of her. It makes her think that while Cassio was away, he was cheating on her. Overall Bianca truly love Cassio and Cassio did not feel the same way.

Male to female relationships is a common genre in literature. Women are treated poorly and used as objects and we learn this in these love to hate relationships. In the play, it showed the acts of who truly loved and who showed dislike and hate in the examples of Othello and Desdemona, Iago and Emilia, and Cassio and Bianca. The play “Othello” shows how poorly women were treated during the time period of the Elizabethan era.

Since the beginning of time, gender and gender norms has been a constant tug of war battle. Because I am a woman, I deserve this right. Because I am a man, I have the authority to tell women what they can and cannot do, etc. In the previous few decades, gender norms have not been prevalent in society, however gender roles and expectations have been seen in some of the oldest literature. In this essay, I will argue that women have been used as objects and sexual servants for years while men take what they want when they want it because they can.

In The Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh, king of Uruk, who was two thirds god and one third man, had the mindset of pure power. Because of his two thirds god side and title in Uruk, he believed nothing could stop him from doing what he wanted. He did not have a care in the world for who he hurt in his path and focused only on what would make him happiest not matter the cost. So much so, that he would have sex with newlywed women before they could be with their husbands because he believed he deserved it. The citizens of Uruk knew of nothing to stop Gilgamesh from creating chaos and destruction so they prayed to Aruru, Mother Goddess, stating, “Like a wild bull, he makes himself mighty, head raised (over others). There is no rival who can raise his weapon against him”(Tablet I, pg 8). Because of the complaints, Aruru created an equal for Gilgamesh by the name of Enkidu. Enkidu, created from clay, was one with nature and a trapper went to Gilgamesh for help when Enkidu continued to interfere with his traps. Gilgamesh’s solution was to bring Enkidu a harlot by the name of Shamhat to tame Enkidu into civilization. The trapper stated, “This is he, Shamhat! Release your clenched arms, expose your sex so he can take in your voluptuousness. Do not be restrained— take his energy” (Tablet I, pg 11). This is one example of how gender roles were in the Sumarian culture. Why is it that the first thing Gilgamesh thought of to deal with someone else’s issue was to use a woman? Women are simply supposed to do as men say in this culture and be there as sexual servants when needed be. Some are forced against their will and some choose to do it because they believe it is their duty, and it was socially constructed that way. On the other hand, the creation of Enkidu was strictly done to either challenge or domesticate Gilgamesh. When they quarrelled, Gilgamesh’s manhood and authority was challenged significantly. However, Gilgamesh realized that Enkidu was the only one who debilitated him and they ended the fight with a hug. This was when Gilgamesh realized that he was only acting so cruel and inhumane because he was trying to fill the void that he assumed only a woman could fulfill. This occurrence challenged the gender expectations because Enkidu was practically Gilgamesh’s first love and true companion. Later in the VII tablet, when Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh had experienced his first encounter with heartbreak, showing that he genuinely cared for someone other than himself, which was something that was not the case at the beginning of the epic. So much so that after after Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh realized he could die as well and went back to his selfish ways and wanted to search for someone that could give him immortality.

On the other hand, in “The Story of the Grandmother”, one of many versions of the classic fairy tale “Little Red Riding Hood,” reflects how girls/women are prey to men. They are looked at as helpless and easy to take advantage of in this version of the late tale. The beginning of this tale instantly shows the superiority men believe they have over female figures. As the little girl begins her journey to deliver milk and bread to her grandmother, she crosses paths with “the big bad wolf.” The wolf simply questions which path the little red riding hood would take in order to arrive at her grandmothers. The wolf chooses to take the opposite and shorter path than the little girl in order to kill her grandmother before the little girl arrives. Upon arrival, the wolf proclaims, “Take your clothes off, my child, and come into bed with me… throw it into the fire, my child, you won’t be needing it anymore” and repeated this instruction multiple times as a form of manipulation to get the child into the bed (The Story of the Grandmother, pg 10). This instruction by the wolf symbolizes the sexual innuendos included in this story. The wolf repeats his order of the girl to throw her belongings in the fire in hopes of manipulating her to get into bed with him. Per lecture videos, on the “Little Red Riding Hood”, this version is one of the most vulgar and disturbing stories told and in both versions the girl is responsible for what happens to her in the end. Luckily, by the end of this story, the little girl manages to escape from the manipulative hold of the wolf. The escape of the little red riding hood projects the strength red riding hood had despite the gender norm of women being perceived as weak. My argument for this is that, even as a child, Little Red Riding Hood was blamed for her curiosity and used for the wolfs pleasure because she was portrayed as impotent and defenseless. Even the author of Little Red Riding Hood stated, “Little Red Riding Hood was my first love. I felt that if I could have married Little Red Riding Hood, I should have known perfect bliss”(Carey). This brings me to my next point that this fairy tale played as a fantasy for most men because the authors of most of the versions are male and the protagonist is almost always a pretty little girl (Little Red Riding Hood lecture). Because Red Riding Hood always serves as an innocent little girl, it portrays the idea that women are naive and can be taken advantage of by any man that chooses to manipulate someone “inferior” to them.

The gender roles and sexuality seen in both “The Epic of Gilgamesh” and “The Story of the Grandmother” includes similarities as well as differences between the two. In the story of Gilgamesh, the men hold more power over women excluding Shamhat considering she domesticated Enkidu and made him feel lost with nature as well as his masculinity. In “The Story of the Grandmother,” the wolf killing the grandmother and the attempt to reel the Red Riding Hood into her bed supports the thought of men gaining more power over women or female figures. The little Red Riding Hood escaping from the wolf at the end of the tale depicts the popular feeling of women having less strength or courage than a man. Taking both of these texts into consideration, it is clear that, though women are perceived to have no important role in the societies that they are in, they are still heavily depended on, not respected or appreciated in the slightest and do not get the praise and recognition that they so truly deserve. Though these texts were written long ago, the same standards still hold true to this day. Women have come such a long way to gain the respect of those who consider themselves superior and better than the opposite gender . We fight a never ending fight and we always end up being the ones that are looked over and underestimated. In conclusion, both texts provide a clear understanding of the stereotypical characteristics that both women and men are expected to uphold in their society.

Female characters in gothic texts both challenge and reinforce prevailing standards of gender difference within the patriarchal society at the time that they were written. In Macbeth and Medea, both Shakespeare and Euripides portray women as a symbol of defiance, challenging the gender constructions and the male-dominant system by appropriating traits then-known to be masculine.

Whether we talk about the Athenian audience or the Jacobean audience, both expected women to act elegant and stay calm and collected but the main characters of the two texts have broken this stereotype at every turn of the play. Euripides and Shakespeare have portrayed their female characters as frightening and powerful women. Appropriating the masculine traits, the two characters desire to be unassociated with their femininity. Although in the start of the play Medea welcomes the audience with her feminine side, we later see how Medea yearns to get rid of her femininity. She says, “Away with women’s fears!”. During that period of time, women were completely dependent on men, a women couldn’t ask for divorce from her husband. So when Jason leaves Medea and she gets banished by Creon, she has practically nowhere to go, she has no protection from her husband. This desperation makes her wish “if only she were a man” because that is the only way for her to survive as she would be someone with power. Lady Macbeth is also represented as an uncharitable individual who prays to the dark spirits to be made masculine in order to finish off Duncan herself. She says “unsex me” which clarifies her intensions to forsake her femininity for a mere murder which would later haunt her to her death.

The two texts portray women as manipulative and vindictive in contrary to what society expects of them. In order to thrive in the society they are in, they must manipulate men in order to get what they want. When Macbeth hesitates to kill Duncan, Lady Macbeth exploits the very well known Achilles heel of any man- his masculinity. She pushes Macbeth to kill the King by accusing him of cowardice. She says: “What beast was’t then,…more the man” Act 1 Scene 7 Page2. She doesn’t subordinate but takes a stand and points her finger directly at her husband. We see a gender reversal after the deed is carried out, Lady Macbeth is calm whereas Macbeth is frightened and full of guilt. She says ‘A little water clears us of this deed’. This is opposite of how a female character would normally respond—hysterically. Whereas Medea plays along Jason’s chauvinism by sympathizing with him and ends up manipulating him to gain her confidence. She says, “First I’ll send a slave …soft talk”Line 774-75. She subordinates herself as a weakling and plays the pity card to manipulate Creon into giving her one more day to plot her revenge on Jason and her new wife. She says, “As a suppliant, I …innocent children down”Line 712-714. In a similar fashion she tricks Glauce with gifts that causes her and her father Creon’s death. We see many times in Medea, Euripides tries to make a statement about women in general. His intricate portrayal of the main character Medea suggests both positive and negative aspects of a woman. On one hand he presents her as clever and powerful but not the other hand he portrays her as manipulative and dangerous. It almost diminishes the line between the two aspects, meaning a woman can only be clever because she manipulates and powerful because she is dangerous. There is no in between which is not the case with men. Although both Shakespeare and Euripides highlight women’s power in the patriarchal society that doesn’t offer much of it to them, we find a difference in the way Shakespeare and Euripides portrayed women in their plays. Here one side we see Medea being straight up manipulative and brutal while Lady Macbeth being more of an authoritative figure. The plays bring upon the rebellious trait of women that was repressed during that age of time.

One of the many repercussions of these women being such forceful and self-assertive characters is the rejection of motherhood. While contemplating her children’s murder, Medea says, “Children are sweet as the buds in spring..trouble all their lives”. On the other hand Lady Macbeth didn’t kill he children because she didn’t have any, however blinded by ambition she denounces the role of motherhood and idea of children. Her words are poignant and insensitive, she says, “I have given suck, …sworn as you. Have done to this.” She is the mastermind of the murder of King Duncan but we never see her kill anyone herself.

In Act 1 Scene 1 of Macbeth, Shakespeare while introducing us to the supernatural realm through the Weird Sisters also disrupts the notion of femininity by physically portraying them as masculine with Banquo going so far as to say, “You should be women,/ And yet your beards forbid me to interpret/ That you are so”. These witches are also depicted as powerful and evil which is the trait we find in Medea and Lady Macbeth— a trait women were not associated with during that time. Medea is often associated with the dark world. She is known as the “sorceress” and calls upon Hecate and other dark spirits. She says, “If you dwell in …..witness your divine power”. We have also seen Lady Macbeth’s association with the spirits, she however may not be a sorceress but she definitely plunges out of the norm. When Lady Macbeth reads Macbeth’s letter enclosing the witches prophecy, she worries that her husband is “is too full o’ the milk of human kindness” and calls upon the spirits “that tend upon mortal thoughts….thick my blood”. Furthermore requesting them to “Stop up the access and passage to remorse” suggests that she can only succeed in fulfilling the ambition by giving up or by altering her feminine qualities. This undermines women’s capabilities to fulfill their ambitions and raises questions about Shakespeare’s views about the gender norms in the 17th century.

This theme seems to be consistent across all the women in both of the plays. Many other female characters can be examined with regard to this theme. For example, Lady Macduff, who is fierce, outspoken and questions her husband’s actions and loyalty. She furiously says, ‘He loves us not” and ‘His flight was madness.” ‘What had he done to make him fly the land?” However, unlike Medea and Lady Macbeth she is a protective mother and is not a controlling figure as her husband just abandoned her and her children without her counsel. Also the in Medea, the chorus is just the embodiment of the society more so the female counterpart which help Euripides in gaining the empathy from readers for a woman who killed her children.

Gender roles are the structural foundation of both the plays however the similarities end when we try to understand Euripides decision to keep Medea in the spotlight emphasizing the powerful presence. In contrast to Medea, other characters like the Chorus of Corinthian women as well as the nurse are unnamed. This emphasizes the lack of significance. This is not the case in Macbeth, all of the female characters hold significance in the flow of the play. Shakespeare decision to not name the witches just adds to the mystery emphasizing the unpredictable power that lies being the supernatural door. Another major difference is the fate of the leading female characters. Medea despite being the cold blooded killer she was gets to escape on her chariot whereas Lady Macbeth, haunted by the guilt and horror of the murder succumbs to her conscience and dies of remorse. This is not the case with Medea she doesn’t fall prey to her conscience, her wickedness remains constant throughout the play. Lady Macbeth was conniving from the beginning but her end leads us to sympathize with her but in Medea’s case we sympathized with her at the start of the play when we come to know about her husband’s betrayal and her banishment, however as the play progresses that sympathy starts to vanish.

Despite everything both Medea and Lady Macbeth believe in the power of marriage and love their husbands dearly. And this devotion helps in building their character and fuel their respective stories. They play the dirty role for the men and are responsible for their husbands success which the men don’t appreciate them for. Throughout the play, Lady Macbeth is loyal to her husband. Macbeth’s letter portrays her as his “dearest partner of greatness”. It is her love and ambition for Macbeth that drives her down the evil path. Her willingness to commit heinous crimes so that her husband can be crowned king makes her character credible as a human being. Medea is also presented as the faithful one in her marriage with Jason. She helped Jason get the Golden Fleece. Her passionate love towards Jason and his betrayal drives her from being suicidal to homicidal in the course of this play. In all, both plays remain successful in establishing the fact that female characters broke the social conventions of the respective eras in which they were written. This defiance lays the foundation for most if not the entire edifice of Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Euripides Medea.

People constantly think about whether they are attractive enough or not this ends up hurting people because they think that they are not good enough. People will take drastic measures in order to prove to people that they can be beautiful. However changing the way you look can cost you and not just money but also your life that is the lesson that Marge Piercy expresses in the poem “Barbie Doll”. On the other, hand Jamaica Kincaid in “Girl” talks about how women should only worry about just sitting there and looking pretty. In the poem “Barbie Doll” by Marge Piercy, they use diction, imagery, and symbolism to show that the only thing that men look at is the physical appearance of women and how many women get plastic surgery in order to make them look pretty no matter the cost even if they end up dying. On the other hand, the short story “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid uses diction, symbolism and simile to express how many women suffered because of what society thinks that they can or cannot do. It discusses women and gender roles and how many people believe it should stay like that. Both authors use these literary devices to express how women suffer a lot because of society and gender roles.

In the Poem “Barbie Doll”, the author uses symbolism by comparing the girl to a Barbie doll because she does everything to become beautiful and perfect and that is what Barbie dolls are known for to be the perfect girl. In Piercy’s poem “Barbie Doll” she says “a turned-up putty nose, dressed in a pink and white nightie” (Lines 21-22). In this line, the author uses symbolism by comparing the putty nose to the perfect nose. Woman often do things to change their appearance so that they can be accepted by society and not pushed aside. He also uses the colors of her dress for symbolism white symbolizes purity and pink symbolizes femininity. Throughout the years society has been known to limit woman clothing style and colors. Woman are often judge by what they wear and how they wear it.

Not only does the poem “Barbie Doll” have symbolism but it also has imagery. Imagery is very dominant in this poem. Piercy uses very strong words and sentences that are very descriptive. For example, the words she uses in the first couple of lines. “And presented dolls that did pee-pee and miniature GE stoves and irons and wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy.” (Lines 2-3). It is common how people start children to start thinking what their role is in society by giving them toys that will sculpt their future. Piercy also uses great imagery to show the girls experiences with detail. Her imagery is especially shines through in (Lines 17-25), throughout these lines, Piercy compares the young girl to a Barbie doll. However, in the end the girl couldn’t handle all of the surgery’s she had done so she dies. When she dies people start to admire her and say that she was pretty because she changed for them but in reality that’s not even her natural self. “Doesn’t she look pretty? Everyone said. Consummation at last to every woman a happy ending.” (23-25). Piercy used imagery to show that woman often get influenced to do things that other people do just so that they could get accepted by society even if it cost, even if its death itself.

“By using similes, and a fairy tale-like tone, the author creates a cosmos starring a suicidal young lady instead of Barbie, the glamorous sex symbol the girl is compared to throughout the poem.” Throughout the poem, Piercy compares a Barbie doll to a young girl through figurative language. An example would be lines 15-16. “Her good nature wore out/like a fan belt.” She is describing the girls nature is diminishing, just like a fan belt. This is an example of a simile in the poem. Piercy uses figurative language so that we can see how many woman are so worried that they wont be accepted by society that they start to change for everyone.

In the short story “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid, she uses symbolism by referring to a slut as dirty clothes. She discusses how women who do not take care of their house is the same thing as not caring for themselves, according to her mother. In the story, the mother describes a “slut” as someone who does not follow the rules of Lady like behavior. Traditionally a slut is a woman who has had many sexual encounters however according to the mother a “slut” is women who does not fit in to a social setting. The mother describes how a “slut” is not just someone who has may sexual encounters with different men but someone who does not follow the rules on lady like behavior such as not wearing the proper clothes, not speaking correctly , not walking properly and not behaving properly in front of men. In (Lines 7-8), the mother tells her daughter that she should walk like a Lady and not like a “slut”. “On Sundays try to walk like a lady and not like the slut you are so bent on becoming”.

In the story the author also uses diction to express how woman had to do several things to be this ideal wife and for them to do the same thing over every day, that there should not be change for them. In the story the authors uses “This how you” at the beginning of most sentences this makes me think that according to society this is the proper way a Lady should act and it’s what a woman should do throughout their whole life. An example where they use the words “This how you” to express how woman should be able to do all of the chores would be in (Lines 11-14). “This is how to sew on a button; this is how to make a buttonhole for the button you have just sewed on; this is how to hem a dress when you see the hem coming down and so to prevent yourself from looking like the slut I know you are so bent on becoming”.

In both stories, the authors use the symbolism in order to address the fact women are constantly judge by society because of what they can and cannot do. In Piercy poem “Barbie Doll”, she compares the girl to a Barbie doll because of her wanting to become perfect so that society can accept her. In Kincaid’s short story “Girl”, they address the same issue they try to do everything they can so that they can be accepted by society and so everyone can like them. In “Girl”, the mother constantly tells her that she has to do everything she is told because if she does not follow the rules she would be labeled as a “Slut”. Both authors talk about women change everything about them like their appearance, their personality and their beliefs just so they can be accepted by society. However, in “Barbie doll” the authors discusses the appearance of a woman while in “Girl” they discuss the role a woman plays in the house. Both authors also share the same audience, which would be young girls and society. It shows that woman should no longer follow or believe anything that society has told them . For example woman should not be told how to sit , talk, or what they can or cant do because they should be treated equally no matter what.

Overall, both authors Marge Piercy and Jamaica Kincaid share the same ideas on how woman have tried so much to prove themselves and have tried to always be accepted by society. Although both authors use symbolism to express how woman are seen as just objects they also share their difference.

Dark times for Gatsby women

American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald was born in St. Paul Minnesota grew up in good fortune. Fitzgerald quit Princeton University and joined the military. The earliest success of his first book was This side of paradise (1920). Fitzgerald rose to eminence as an archivist which made him a prompt celebrity. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald writes about gender roles in a kind of conservative route. throughout this novel, the men work to pocket money for the women to spend carelessly on themselves. Gatsby is in love with Daisy and tries to win her love by showing that he has become prosperous although no matter how rich he becomes, or how many large parties he throws, he still isn’t winning over Daisy. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald illustrates how women are negatively portrayed often objectified by men.

In the novel, the author shows gender roles in a dark light. It exemplifies through Daisy’s cynicism, tom’s aggressive masculinity, Jordan, and Daisy being described as being balloons. Chapter 2 shows when toms make a passive-aggressive statement to everyone but directly to Jordan. “How you ever get anything done is beyond me” (Fitzgerald 10). Too Elaborate, In tom’s mind, he believes women are just luxury items that are owned by men and should always be appreciative of the wealth they supply, therefore tom thinks it’s a joke how Jordan is rich and independent without needing a man. The damaging gender roles have implemented when Daisy confesses that for a girl to survive she needs to be beautiful and stupid. ‘I’m glad it’s a girl. And I hope she’ll be a fool- that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool” (Fitzgerald 17). According to Daisy, having beauty and being a fool is how you thrive in the world, she notes the social values of her time, but she does not seem to oppose or challenge them. This shows how Fitzgerald illustrates how women are negatively influenced and frequently objectified by men.

Tom’s physical appearance is resonated in his cognitive inflexibility and single-minded way of thinking about women as objects and dependent on a man. As a result, Tom speaks his sexist biased opinion of women, “By God, I may be old-fashioned in my ideas, but women run around too much these days to suit me. They meet all kinds of crazy fish” (Fitzgerald 103). Correspondingly, Tom’s remark very is ironic because it reveals so blatantly the double standard he believes. It is a notch example of the hypocrisy of his views about women found in his behavior and expectations of Myrtle. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald shows how women are adversely presented and commonly objectified by men.

More negative thinking of women is presented through Nick’s and Jordan’s relationship. Jordan depicts a new path for women Whereas Daisy is the object of men’s vision and cynicism. Jordan displays a cold-hearted pragmatism that, for Nick, he connects her more forcefully to the real world. Another essential point is Nick is half in love with her and a bit revolted by Jordan because he can’t deal with the fact that she doesn’t depend on a man. This is interpreted in chapter 1 “At any rate, Miss Baker’s lips fluttered, she nodded at me almost imperceptibly, and then quickly tipped her head back again—the object she was balancing had obviously tottered a little and given her something of a fright. Again a sort of apology arose to my lips. Almost any exhibition of complete self-sufficiency draws a stunned tribute from me.” (Fitzgerald 32 ). Jordan is self-sufficient and doesn’t need a man to sweep her off her feet.

The continued issue focused on how women are portrayed women are negatively presented and frequently objectified by men. Furthermore, Tom Buchanan’s strong masculinity is shown through how he shuts the rear window, additionally how Nick compares Daisy and Jordan as objects. “Two young women buoyed up as though upon an anchored balloon. They were both in white, and their dresses were rippling and fluttering as if they had just been blown back in after a short flight around the house …Then there was a boom as Tom Buchanan shut the rear windows and caught wind died out about the room…And the two young women ballooned slowly to the floor.” ( Fitzgerald 8). Tom’s entrance is described as His presence bringing a cease to the moving winds and giving a hard and somber permanence to the predicament of being in the room. It is as if the ladies have been confined and there is an intensity when Tom is around. Also how Nick contrasts them as floating objects, women are in white and white is a color that symbolizes innocence, When Tom shuts the window he is in control and everything is stopped.

In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald illustrates in detail how women are negatively portrayed as immoral and cynical often objectified by men. Tom’s views are molded in him due to his time in the 1920s when women were treated lower than men and as objects. He won’t change his views and will continue to treat Myrtle and Daisy poorly. As a result, Daisy’s cynicism comes to the light, and she won’t change her views nor oppose them. Gatsby is a rich perplexing man who throws luxurious parties, learning about his background, a child from meek origins. Gatsby was desperate to win back their love Daisy and loses everything in his last strive to win Daisy over. The moral lesson is, Money can’t buy women nor happiness and love, Women are not objects you cant woo over money and luxurious items, complementary to this it was the opposite in Myrtle’s case, due to the time and the society’s views. In the novel, Women are illustrated as cynical and amoral and in Men’s views women are treated as objects, men’s masculinity is very apparent and enforced on women.

In our world today, women and men are moving towards equal representation in many areas, from working outside the home and childcare to small household responsibilities like cleaning and cooking. Marriage is a partnership that in order to work successfully needs compromise and consistency, and if the couple splits the household responsibilities and keeps true to their promise they can easily create a stress free home environment. Through an interview with my mother Laureen, I was able to hear first hand about marriage and division of labor in the household and evolution of roles in the family over the years. This insight into married life and household responsibilities brings light to topics such as emotion work, parenting styles, and time management for a stay at home mother.

Laureen is a 49 year old, mother of four children. She has been happily married for 25 years to her husband Ivan, age 54. They all live together in a house in Massachusetts, and currently both her and her husband have jobs. She is currently employed in a small Catholic school as a preschool teacher assistant for 10 months out of the year, 3 days a week. She is a devote Catholic, and values family and tradition strongly. Her family is the most important thing in her life and her first priority before herself and her own work. Through an interview with Laureen, I was able to get more information about the division of labor within her current household and the everyday responsibilities that her and her husband divide.

One unique aspect of Laureen’s home life, is that her husband works out of the country for six months out of the year. This causes her work load to increase during the six months she is alone with her children. The questions asked not only covered when Ivan was home but also her experiences when he is working; this shows a perspective of marriage not normally seen in today’s society. While Ivan is away from the home he is working as a pansion owner in Croatia. Laureen has been handling the responsibilities at home for over 23 years, while Ivan makes the majority of the family’s income. After asking her what an ideal division of labor was to her compared to her current situation, she didn’t have much to say. She believes that every couple is different and right now her and her husband are splitting responsibilities equally even though he is not home as much as she wishes. When Ivan is home, he takes the children to school, offers to go grocery shopping and household responsibilities, and makes sure that Laureen has time for herself.

Overtime, parenting styles have evolved and have involved a larger financial contribution in order to support the child in the most beneficial way. With a steady income, Laureen and her family are able to live comfortably within the middle social class. Laureen has made it a point to put her children’s needs before her own and to make sure they are supplying with the best quality support educationally and recreationally. Each of her four children have attended a Catholic school, have engaged in exrta-curricular activities, and have been able to buy the tools needed for success in school (tutoring sessions, supplies, etc.). With this said, we can say that Laureen’s style of parenting is intensive and this is why she supports her husband while he is away because she knows that the money he earns will support their children. In Chapter 5 of Love, Money, and

Parenting, Doepke says that “our economic theory of parenting suggests that parents use an intensive parenting style to increase their children’s chances of success later in life. One way to measure success and social mobility is to look at children’s educational achievement”(Doepke, 2019). The chart below breaks down the educational achievement of children by the education of the parents and parenting style, for couples where both parents have the same parenting style.

In Laureen’s circumstance, her parenting is helping her children reach higher education which will then lead to a more successful future. All of the sacrifices she makes for her children because she wants them to be successful and live comfortably like how her and her husband are currently.

Living comfortably financially does not mean that the household labor is any less difficult in Laureen’s home. There are three factors that impact the division of labor within Laureen’s household. One of the more obvious reasons being that Ivan is out of the home for a majority of the year, which was probably more difficult at the beginning but became a routine that she is adapted to. This is a familial factor because it is something that has become a part of her life and impacts her in both a positive and negative way. Ivan is able to support the family with the money he earns in the six months he is gone, but Laureen now has to take control of all of the responsibilities of the house as well as take care of her children and give them the support that they need. The second social factor is the way that she grew up and the social class she has been in for most of her life. Coming from a lower middle class, she learned to live frugally and to not spend money extravagantly. Ivan came from an even lower class than Laureen, and worked on a farm most of his life earning little to no money. These factors have impacted how they spend money in their lives today and how they save and value the work and opportunities that they are given. The last factor is the difference in nationalities. Ivan is from a small town in Croatia, speaking a foreign language that was not familiar to Laureen nor her family. Ivan had to move to a different country, become a citizen, and build a family without any prior knowledge of this new place he would call home. He must go back and forth from the United States and Croatia speaking two languages and adapting to time zones and cultures quickly in order to get his work done. This factor impacts Ivan directly but Laureen indirectly because of the stress it puts on her when he is away.

Not only is Laureen in charge of the household labor but also the emotion work of the family. She supports every one of her children, as well as her husband when he is home and away. She does not have much time to herself other than while she is working in the preschool classroom at her job. She does not have the support of her husband to share her emotions with, because he is never home, which leads to stress in her own life. Laureen said in the interview, “times have changed and there are more opportunities for children to get involved and experience new activities. When I was young I didn’t get a chance to pursue my interests and for this reason I arrange my schedule so my children get to.” Her schedule does not create time for her to express her emotions so in the end she has her hands full with more she can emotionally and physically carry. Most mothers today put too much one their plate in order to make everyone in the family happy and healthy. They do not receive enough credit and appreciation for the work they do everyday.

A concept that Laureen emphasized within her interview is time. There is a lot of time in the day but with all of the responsibilities she has to do, especially when her children were younger, there is no time to do it all. To have everyone sit down at a table for dinner or just for any meal was rare. With activities and homework, the children were always busy or late to the table. In Feeding the Family, they said, “those I interviewed reported that they tried to make meal time ‘a calm time’, ‘a very social thing’, or ‘an important getting together time’. Such goals can only be accomplished through attention to the meal, and to orchestrate the event”(DeVault, 1994). When Laureen is making dinner she has the intention that it will be a time to breathe and talk as a family and get away from the household responsibilities. Instead, she orchestrates this meal and the whole family is scattered around the house eating at different places or not home and getting takeout. This time that can be used for emotion work with her family is now disorganized and not beneficial. This idea of time was not always as complex and complicated as it is now. When the children were growing up and did not have as many responsibilities as they do right now, Laureen said that she was able to focus on herself, her children, and marriage easier. In the book, Stay-At-Home Mothers: Dialogues and Debates, they discuss the idea of time and being a stay at home mother in a similar point of view. Rubin says,

“ ‘Time’ is the most common word women use when talking about the upsides of staying home (Rubin and Wooten 2007:340). The time that becomes available allows for what I consider the three “Fs” of stay at home mothering: freedom, flexibility, and focus. Women describe being free to volunteer at their children’s schools, do projects with their children, or run errands that they struggled to take care of when working. Flexibility is often described as being able to take something to school at the last minute or stay home with a sick child. The ability to focus also enables them to take care of and respond to the needs of their children and influence their development on a daily basis”(Rubin, 2014).

In order to focus on her child, Laureen needed the focus, flexibility, and freedom from being a stay at home mother. The time it gave her allowed more attention towards her children and the ability to make sure they were educated and cared for appropriately.

When getting married, Laureen knew that her role within the family would be a stay at home mother to care for her children. With Ivan away most of the year, she took the responsibilities of both roles. When asked if gender plays a role within marriage, she responded with a quick “no”. Depending on personalities, the husband and the wife can take different roles and responsibilities. Some men enjoy cooking or cleaning more than women, and women can go out and work while the father stays at home with the children. Father’s tend to fall into the stereotype that involve more of the manly household work such as fixing and building. While women do most of the cleaning, cooking, and caretaking. Laureen is classified as a stereotypical mother who enjoys taking care of the children, cooking and cleaning. With that said, she believes that mothers should always put their children first and stay at home because it helps children feel loved and cared for, especially in their early years of life.

In conclusion, we can see that Laureen’s marriage is very equal because of her circumstance. When home, Ivan does the work and responsibilities that Laureen has been doing on her own; while he is away, he also is supporting the family and making enough money to keep them financially stable and comfortable. What Ivan makes in a week is what Laureen is making within a month of working at the preschool, so when he is away Laureen is flexible and knows that his role in the family is just as valuable and hard as hers is at home. The interview revealed that marriage and the division of labor is something that is different depending on the circumstances of the partners. Laureen and Ivan may have to raise their family in different places but they play an equal part in their marriage and responsibilities. Her choice to become a stay at home mother and take care of her children before she continued her job as a teacher was beneficial to herself, her husband, and children. She is able to balance her life at home while Ivan is away in Croatia, and still have an equal division of labor. When he is home and away he contributes immensely, and helps make the family live comfortably. I believe that their marriage is a perfect model for those who do long distance relationships, or for people who travel for work. They are able to make their children a priority, provide them with the tools they need to succeed, and in the end help each other divide the household labor equally.

Works Cited

1. Doepke, M., & Zilibotti, F. (2019). Inequality, Parenting Style, and Parenting Traps. In Love, Money, and Parenting: How Economics Explains the Way We Raise Our Kids (pp. 131). Princeton; Oxford: Princeton University Press. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvc77fr1.8
2. DeVault, M. L. (1994). Feeding the family: the social organization of caring as gendered work. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. (pp. 49)
3. RUBIN, S. (2014). So, What Do You Do?: An Exploration of the Experience of Highly Educated Stay-at-Home Mothers. In Boyd E. & Letherby G. (Eds.), Stay-At-Home Mothers: Dialogues and Debates (pp. 19-30). Bradford, ON: Demeter Press. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1rrd80z.6

Japan continues to face demographic issues of declining fertility rates and an aging population, as a result the government has implemented strategies to ease the decline with the overall goal of increasing the fertility rate and women’s participation in the workforce. One big factor influencing demographic problems is the state of contemporary Japanese families and the strict societal expectations for each gender in the household and workplace. To address the issue directly, the government has been targeting Japanese men and women and the societal roles they hold both at home and in the office. I argue that the changes addressing work-life balance can be improved but are ultimately good for Japanese middle-class families because they address normalized, yet confining gender roles that have forced both men and women to choose between work and family.

Before diving into the government’s policies towards the role of men and women, we need to first look at the traditional gender roles that are still prevalent in modern day Japan, and please note that I focus mainly on middle-class families. Generally, in a middle class Japanese family, the man is expected to take on the role of the daikokubashira, which literally means the “central supporting pillar of a house”, and is refers to “the male breadwinner ‘supporting’ the household” (as cited in Dasgupta, 2005, p. 168). On the other hand, women are often times expected to be sengyō shufu, or full-time housewives, who are in charge of all household duties including family finances, maintaining the house, and childrearing (Dasgupta, 2005, p. 172). Because these societal expectations create such a strict division between men and women, painting the man as the sole supporter and the woman as the dependent, men in particular are under extremely high pressure to devote basically all their time to work in order to completely support their family. As a result, the idealized career path for men is the route of the salaryman, which provides men with a steady salary, and also “permanent lifetime employment, seniority-based promotions, and company unionism” (as cited in Charlebois, 2014, p. 2). However, this trend has decreased noticeably due to Japan’s economic recession and changing attitudes. Nevertheless, many employers and older employees still expect “absolute loyalty, diligence, steadfast dedication, and self-sacrifice” to and for the company (Charlebois, 2014, p. 2). This expectation of extreme devotion to work makes it very hard for men to even consider juggling fatherhood and employment. Not to mention, these same strict expectations of workers creates a gendered divide in work and actually bar women from joining the workforce in the same capacity as men. So even if women wish to leave their role as housewife and dependent, the structural aspects of work life in Japan make it very difficult and generally push women to opt out of the workforce.

In an article discussing mens’ roles, Gordon Mathews looks into the Japanese term ikigai which means ‘that which most makes life worth living’ (as cited in Mathews, 2003, p. 109). He notes that in the past, many men saw their ikigai as work mostly because of their role as the daikokubashira, and their intense devotion to work was meant to convey their dedication and care for their families. In a news article, 41-year old father Akiyama, reflected on his own relationship with his family and stated “I was surprised when my wife handed me divorce papers…At the time, I thought my dedication to work was proof of dedication to my family” (Osumi, 2018). Akiyama’s perspective conveys the discrepancy between what dedication to family looks like to men and what it means to women. Japanese women are increasingly experiencing a dissatisfaction with their marriages relating to an increased desire for a husband who is more involved with family matters and duties. Fortunately, more men do actually want to place their family as their ikigai and be included in childrearing, but despite their desire to live for their families, “the weight of work in their lives make an ikigai beyond work difficult to pursue” (Mathews, 2003, p. 109).

This sentiment of weighty work taking away time for personal or family life, is likewise applicable to women. While men are expected to be ideal workers who show full commitment to work at the expense of family, women who choose to enter the work pool are expected to be equally ideal workers on top of maintaining their role as caretaker (Nemoto, 2013, p. 513). In her article on the corporate divide in Japan, Nemoto argues that the unreasonably long working hours expected of employees bolsters workplace masculinity, reinforces the belief in a gendered devision and legitimizes gender barriers in Japanese corporations. Those who do not or cannot show complete devotion to work through accepting long working hours or those who are primarily seen as caretakers (primarily women), are negatively affected through workplace stereotyping that views these people as incompetent and uncommitted (Nemoto, 2013, p. 514). In addition, family-oriented views in the office are often interpreted as a “withdrawal form the competition for power” and can lead to workers being removed from decision-making positions and promotion penalties, and this applies to both men and women (Nemoto, 2013, p. 514). Yet women who choose to pursue the masculine career path are often seen as having lost their femininity and are scrutinized for that as well. As a result, expectations from employers and colleagues ultimately force women to choose between adapting to workplace masculinity or opting out of the workforce entirely and pursuing family life instead (Nemoto, 2013, p. 513).

In 1985, the government actually proposed an Equal Employment Opportunity Law but until its revision in 1997, it did not actually prohibit discrimination based on gender in the workplace, it simply required companies to make a “good-faith effort” (as cited in Nemoto, 2013, p.516). The 1999 Basic Law for a Gender-Equal Society stressed the government and citizens’ responsibilities to pursue a gender-equal society where everyone has “equal opportunities to participate in social activities without being constrained by the stereotyped notion of men at work and women at home” (as cited in Yamamoto & Ran, 2014, p.921). The goal was to encourage women to join the work pool and as a result, hopefully even out the responsibility of “breadwinner”. If men and women could both contribute to the household income, there would be less stress on fathers to work endlessly and less need for mothers to take care of children alone. Ideally, more women in the workplace would lead to more fluidity in work and family roles for both parents. Fathers could have more of an option to help out in childrearing and mothers could have the opportunity to pursue a career instead of being cornered into choosing between work and family. This could ultimately encourage couples to consider having a family and raising children. However, it is important to note that despite what may appear to be a step forward, since the 1970s, the government been providing tax and pension benefits to families where the man is the main breadwinner and the woman remains as a caretaker working, at most, only part time (as cited in Nemoto; Fuwa; Ishiguro, 2013). This therefore undercuts the Equal Employment Opportunity Law and perpetuates and encourages men and women to pursue traditional gender roles at home. Even so, I still believe the Equal Employment Opportunity Law is at least a step in the right direction and should not be entirely discredited, especially since “55.1% of the public expressed disagreement on a conventional gender-based division of labor that men work outside and women care for the home and family” which has increased from 37.8% in 1997 (Yamamoto & Ran, 2014, p. 921). Hopefully, it is simply a matter of time before the tax and pension policy gets amended.

Another relevant law regarding work-life balance is the Child Care and Family Care Leave Law. The law provides both parents the right to take one year off, and can be paid 40% of previous earnings. It also limits overtime work and late night work for parents who are looking after pre-school-age children (Nemoto, 2013, p. 516). The law also requires employers to allow “flexitime” work, which says employees must work between 10:00am and 3:00pm but can choose to work the additional three hours either before 10:00am or after 3:00pm (Ishii-Kuntz, 2003, p. 208). However, even with the help of these laws which aim to allow parents to take more time off for child care, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare reported that still only 3% of men take advantage of their paternity leave (Shoji, 2018). On top of this, in a survey of working men, only 69% actually knew of the Child Care and Family Care Leave Law (Shoji, 2018). So why exactly is it that still so few men take advantage of paternity leave? The Cabinet Office’s 2006 White Paper on the National Lifestyle showed “36.0 percent of surveyed men — with and without children — said they would take parental leave if possible but that doing so was ‘unrealistic’” (Kamiya, 2007).

Fathers who engage in childrearing, referred to as ikumen, are very often heavily stigmatized against and criticized in the workplace. Child care is considered specifically womens job and the workplace is seen as only for men; so the mixing of the two in the form of ikumen is very unacceptable to many. A survey released by the Japanese Trade Union Confederation showed “more than 1 in 10 working men have experienced ‘paternity harassment,’ in which they have been barred from taking child care leave or subjected to harassment for even applying” (Otake, 2014). Some companies even go so far as to reduce salaries when workers take parental leave (Nemoto, 2013, p. 522). Furthermore, 5.5% of men who had requested leave had their request rejected, 3.8% were explicitly told by their boss or manager that taking child care leave would negatively affect their career and 65.5% stated that they simply gave up on taking leave without consulting anyone (Otake, 2014). This shows that, even though the government is encouraging more family-friendly work environments, in reality the workplace is very different and still hinders fathers from being involved at home and with children. An important note is that, a part of the revised Child Care and Family Care Leave Law actually plans to create a system to quickly settle any workplace disputes regarding parental leave and also a system to “publish the names of violators of the law” as a means of holding employers accountable (Japan, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare). So, while there are still workplace and societal barriers for fathers, the government and advocacy groups are slowly working to improve the situation for fathers and promote more male involvement at home.

The government’s implementation of laws to give men and women more flexibility with work and more time at home is helping to address the country’s long standing restrictive gender roles and is slowly trying to open opportunities for couples to consider both pursuing a career and raising a family at the same time. Japan’s strict gender roles determine how both men and women function in the workplace and at home, and if these traditional roles continue, Japan will not be able to pull itself out of its continued demographic crisis. The government has recognized this and is slowly working to ease work obligations for its people and is attempting to dismantle the gender stereotypes that shape workplace culture. This encourages men’s participation in housework and childrearing and at the same time encourages women to join the workforce and raise children. Easing work expectations and childcare pressures will ultimately make raising a family less stressful for both men and women in the long run.

Key mortal female characters described in The Aeneid heavily influence his journey, and Goddesses who hold positions of power and influence within the world the poem is set in. Although it is common to have Goddesses play roles in such literature, Virgil’s makes the decision to divert from mortal female stereotypes and the expected roles of Roman women at the time, this being a domestic role in raising a family. Instead by placing mortal female characters in positions of power and influence along with the Goddesses, it allows for Virgil to critique his female characters. This leads to Virgil constructing and exploring the idea that ultimately female characters prove themselves to be problematic, even when holding positions of great power, as a result of their inability to control their own emotions. The lack of control over emotions from key female characters negatively impacts on Aeneas, the protagonist of the poem, and his peoples’ journey.

Goddesses play a major role within the epic poem, and are heavily involved in manipulating the events that occur to the mortals in the story. Juno is presented as Aeneas’ major antagonist from the beginning as a result of two main factors. Firstly, her love of Carthage as it is heard that the city of Carthage is fated to be destroyed by a race of men descended from Trojans. Secondly, her own personal history with them, as a Trojan prince once picked Venus over Juno in a competition over who is the most beautiful Goddess, and then her own husband Jupitar previously having left her for a Trojan shepherd. This directly places Aeneas against Juno and results in Juno carrying out a series of acts to try to stop Aeneas in his quest. Juno’s reasoning for the anger shown towards Aeneas is questionable, as it comes from a place of jealousy and a lack of self confidence rather than anything that Aeneas has particularly done. Juno labelling Aeneas and his people as ‘a people hateful to me’, strengthens the idea that Juno’s hatred for Aeneas is trivial and which reflects poorly on the character of the Goddess. Juno asks Aeolus, the god of wind, to ‘hurl fury into your winds, sink and overwhelm the ships, or drive the men asunder and scatter their bodies on the deep’ (analyse this quote and cut out the bits where u are just telling the story, say how this quote perhaps shows her persuasive nature and power as a women, defying the submissive stereotype of the time? And then say the following quote confirms this). Aeolus agrees to this under the terms that Juno promises Deiopea and to ‘will link to you in wedlock, making her yours for ever’. Furthermore, it can be used as evidence to support that idea that Virgil to showing his female characters to prove to be problematic and a hindrance to Aeneas quest. Venus is the mother of Aeneas and therefore allows Aeneas to be characterized in the usual ‘hero’ manner as it provides him with a link to the Gods. Venus provides guidance and help to her son on his quest so initially it can be argued that she provides a completely positive impact on the events of the epic poem. However, Venus’ actions can be categorized as harmful when her actions involving Dido are analysed. Venus, out of fear of Juno’s potential actions and distrusting of the people of Carthage, sends Cupid in a disguise in order to make Dido fall for Aeneas and states that she must ‘outwit the queen with guile and encircle her with love’s flame’. By influencing Dido’s feelings on Aeneas and then the eventual tragic demise of Dido as a result of such feelings, it can be argued that the meddling nature of Venus proves to be problematic. Venus being a potential cause of such tragedy, as a result of her emotions regarding her son’s safety, within the Aeneid reinforces the idea of the female characters proving themselves to have a negative impact in the epic poem due to the lack of control over emotions they exhibit.

Upon Dido’s initial introduction, she is portrayed as a strong, independent and powerful leader who is loved by her people. This is shown when Dido ‘moved amid her people, cheering on the toil of a kingdom in the making’ (1.682-685). This quote can be used to show two key points in regard to Dido and her reign; firstly, that there is a loving relationship between the Dido and her people as she is able to move freely through the crowds, and secondly that the city of Carthage is experiencing great levels of development which tells us she is an effective leader. Dido can also draw parallels to the protagonist, Aeneas, as she is also ruling over a group of exiled people as a result of her husband Sychaeus being murdered by her own brother Pygmalion, king of Tyre. Virgil writing Dido’s back story, which is one of adversity and her having to prevail through this shows levels of heroism; this is another example of Virgil giving a female character a role and backstory that is usually placed upon male characters. Dido being given a role that is traditionally reserved for men in other pieces of literature of the time period, it is an example of Virgil discussing gender politics within the poem. Dido also receives aid and advice from her sister Anna who highlights potential added incentives to Dido for marrying Aeneas. The idea of political opportunism is not one that would have been typically associated with women during the time period. This is due to how Ancient Roman societal and governmental frameworks were constructed to favor patriarchy in politics. Within the epic poem, Anna states ‘Think what a city you will see, my sister, what a kingdom rising high if you marry such a man! With a Trojan army marching at our side, think how the glory of Carthage will tower to the clouds’. The idea of marriage for political gain and the consolidation in the power of the city of Carthage, exhibits such political opportunism that challenges the gender stereotypes of the time period.

The initial impressions of Dido are those of a loving leader and someone who exhibits virtues such heroism and strength, both of which are more typically aligned with male characters in Ancient Rome. However, these impressions created by Virgil through his writing begin to collapse. Dido allowing herself to fall for Aeneas comes at the cost of her once thriving ‘Tower’ which are now ‘half-built, rose no farther’. Dido’s inability to manage her growing city whilst falling in love with Aeneas exemplifies Virgil’s idea that female characters are unable to control their emotions, even when in great positions of power like Dido. This idea is then exacerbated when Aeneas fails to reciprocate the love shown by Dido and decides to turn his back on the Queen of Carthage. The decisions taken by Dido and Aeneas show that Virgil is further critiquing women as it shows that the female characters are willing and comfortable with jeopardizing their people’s future when it comes their own love interests, a potentially selfish action. Conversely, the male character Aeneas puts his people first ahead of his own emotions to ensure their safety and well-being. Dido’s reaction to Aeneas rejecting her is one of fury and the regal demeanour that was first presented by Dido is lost. Instead Dido is presented as a desperate woman who as a result of her being unable to put her city’s future ahead of her own feelings has led to her own city being in disarray. This is evidenced by the Dido quote of ‘because of you, Libyans and nomad kings detest me, my own Tyrians are hostile. Because of you, I lost my integrity’. Her eventual suicide, as a result of Aeneas leaving Carthage, reinforces the selfish and erratic nature of the former Queen as although her heartache may be traumatic, to leave her city without a leader in such a fashion in undoubtedly irresponsible and selfish; an inability as a female character to control her emotions and thus is portrayed in a negative light.

To conclude, female characters in the Aeneid are ultimately proved to be problematic and to some degree disruptive to Aeneas and his quest. Characters such as Dido who showed an irrational and selfish reaction to being rejected by Aeneas help to prove this thesis as it shows that female characters, even when in positions of power, succumbed to their emotions.