Gender Roles, Guerrilla Girls and Modern Art

Undeniably, one of the major points in The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood is the emphasis of the rigid structure of society and the importance of gender roles. Women and men alike each know their place in and the job they must fulfill, the only difference being that men have some level of social mobility (Guardians can be promoted to Angels).

The protagonist, Offred, is a handmaid, meaning her sole purpose in society is to have babies. After completing rigorous schooling and training she now lives with a Commander and his Wife, where she must keep a low profile and complete her job of getting pregnant. She describes the Wife's attitude towards her by saying, "I am a reproach to her; and a necessity," (Atwood, 23). She has been uprooted from her old life and stripped of her former name. In class we discussed the origin of the name "Offred" and I believe that the handmaids' names are composed of the word "of" plus the name of their Commander. This essentially leaves them with nothing of their own and nothing of their past life.

"My name isn't Offred, I have another name, which nobody uses now because it's forbidden. I tell myself it doesn't matter, your name is like your telephone number, useful only to others; but what I tell myself is wrong, it does matter. I keep the knowledge of this name like something hidden, some treasure I'll come back to dig up, one day," (Atwood, 94). 

In Gilead, where the story takes place, there are other positions that women can hold, of course, besides being child-bearers. Nonetheless, these roles are all subservient, and more equivalent with the duties of a Puritan housewife than a 21st century woman. Other than handmaids, there are also Wives, upper-class women who marry the Commanders; Marthas, who do the housework; Aunts, who educate the handmaids; and Econowives, who are the lowest class of women and who have a mix of responsibilities. Women are forbidden from holding important jobs, and a strong emphasis is placed on preserving their innocence.

So far, I am REALLY enjoying The Handmaid's Tale and I am finding that the story is resonating with me throughout my daily life. For example, the other day I went to the Tate Modern with a friend and as we meandered through the exhibits we stopped to examine a collection of posters and artwork by the Guerrilla Girls, a group of feminist artists who protest against the way women are treated in the art world. We looked at the different posters displayed for a while, each with a different glaring statistic or fact. Right next to the Guerilla Girls exhibit, there was a set of paintings by Linder, a different feminist artist, who portrays women (for the most part) with idealized bodies and distorted faces, doing various household tasks. Both exhibits of art reminded me of the defining gender roles portrayed in The Handmaid's Tale.




(photos from www.guerrillagirls.com and www.tate.org.uk)

Why I Want a Wife

It seems fitting to write this blog post during High School Spirit Week, on a day when my grade was assigned to dress up to fit the theme "midlife crisis." While the boys of my grade (all of whom are either seventeen or eighteen) took this as the opportunity to boast suits and ties and varying levels of business attire, the girls took a different approach, donning aprons, tracksuits and pearls and their best housewife apparel. One of my friends commented to another upon seeing her costume, "You'd make the best housewife!"

Therefore, while looking back though the text "Why I Want a Wife" by Judy Syfers, it instantly jumped out and appealed to me. Although it exaggerates (or maybe speaks the blatant truth, depending on what view you take) the role of the wife, it seems as though that stereotype of the overworked housewife is widely accepted as the truth in society. Or at least in my senior class, anyway.

In her piece as she examines the different things that wives must do for their husbands, Syfers decides that she too would like to have a wife. I mean, look at all of the things that wives do for their spouses. In addition to a wide variety of household chores (ranging from driving the children to school to filling guests' glasses at dinner parties) wives are expected to selflessly abandon their job should it conflict with their housework. Unfortunately, instead of being a massive dramatization, many wives are expected to adhere to those guidelines.

Perhaps one of the most interesting points that Syfers makes is her view on how wives are supposed to view sex.

"I want a wife who is sensitive to my sexual needs, a wife who makes love passionately and eagerly when I feel like it, a wife who makes sure that I am satisfied. And, of course, I want a wife who will not demand sexual attention when I am not in the mood for it," (Syfers). 

While sex is arguably one of the most intimate moments a husband and wife can share, a moment that should be characterized by mutual love, respect and passion, Syfers implies that it is also a wife's duty to fulfill her husbands desires. Additionally, while some of the above chores really are expectations husbands hold (grocery shopping, feeding children, hosting dinner parties etc.), the final task is that the wife must understand that her husband does not have to remain monogamous. She says,

"If, by chance, I find another person more suitable as a wife than the wife I already have, I want the liberty to replace my present wife with another one. Naturally, I will expect a fresh, new life; my wife will take the children and be solely responsible for them so that I am left free," (Syfers). 

That is never part of the original deal of marriage. 'Til death do us part - not 'til boredom do us abandon.

Above all, wives are expected to grin and bear their obligations. Syfers, after all, wants "a wife who will not bother me with rambling complaints about a wife's duties." And duties they are.

"A Jury of Her Peers" and the role of women

Today we started off class by journaling words we have heard used or seen used in literature to describe women. At first, the activity was slightly difficult - I didn't know where to start - but as my mind began to churn and as we began to discuss, my journal page quickly filled up with words ranging from timid and defenseless to passionate and confident. Other words included determined, nurturing, infantilized, flirtatious and gentle.

I was struck by how different all of these words were and by the fact that some of these adjectives completely contradicted each other. Part of this, I believe, is due to the versatility of women. In only a week of class we have read poems and stories featuring women as breadwinners, scientists, mistresses, and even murderers. Women have a flexibility in literature that allows them to be molded to whatever the writer desires - a flexibility that men do not necessarily possess.

The role of women in "A Jury of Her Peers" can be described as somewhat of a traditional role with the women acting passively and appearing nearly subservient to their husbands. For one, the women are rarely mentioned by first name, but instead are called Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters, emphasizing the importance of their husbands.

Marriage plays a defining role in this story, especially for the character of Minnie Foster Wright. The other women in the story remark on how Mrs. Wright (formerly known as Minnie Foster) has transformed since marrying Mr. Wright. Mrs. Hale notes,

"She -- come to think of it, she was kind of like a bird herself. Real sweet and pretty, but kind of timid and -- fluttery. How -- she -- did -- change," (Glaspell 13). 

Later, after discovering the dead bird that Mr. Wright strangled, Mrs. Hale states,

"...a thing that sang. She used to sing. He killed that too," (Glaspell 15). 

"A Jury of Her Peers" also brings up the theme of sisterhood and the common bond that women share. The men of this story group the women together. The women only accompany the men to the Wright's house to keep each other company and to prevent one another from growing uneasy or scared. They hang back as the men investigate. Nonetheless, the men make several sexist comments towards the women, grouping them together. The sheriff jokes, "Well, can you beat the women! Held for murder, and worrying about her preserves!" (Glaspell 6) and when Mrs. Hale tries to defend Mrs. Wright's dirty kitchen, the county attorney interjects, "Ah, loyal to your sex, I see," (Glaspell 7).
Although the women bicker throughout the story, after they begin to realize that Minnie Foster was potentially abused, their relationship changes. Although no words on the subject are exchanged, they are both under the agreement that it is not their responsibility to alert the men to what they have found, a sort of protective gesture to Minnie Foster. They share pity for the woman, and Mrs. Hale laments that she didn't make enough of an effort to form a relationship with Mrs. Wright.