Preview

Nada

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
5677 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Nada
Four Feminist Novels by Margaret
Atwood
Helge Normann Nilsen
University of Trondheim

Most of Margaret Atwood's early novels express a clearly feminist message.1 They fall under the category of fiction of protest, though this only rarely diminishes their artistic value. But, like other feminist writers,
Atwood is very much concerned to demonstrate that women are oppressed in Western society and their options severely restricted. There are four novels which deal with this theme successfully: The Edible
Woman (1969), Surfacing (1972), Lady Oracle (1976) and Bodily Harm
(1981).2 The Handmaid's Tale (1983) is the most explicit one in its protest against the mistreatment of women, but in this novel the political message is preached too overtly, reducing its power to persuade. Besides attacking male chauvinism, and modern capitalist society, these novels also describe a quest on the part of the heroines which is basically the same in all the cases. It involves a progress from the old sex role towards a new one, and the essential goal is to achieve self-definitian as a woman.
The Edible Woman describes a young heroine who feels caught in a sex role trap that she must break out of or risk losing her identity and self-respect. The title is significant, suggesting a view of women as objects for someone's pleasure. The protagonist, Marian McAlpin, is engaged to Peter, a young lawyer who expects her to become a conven1 Lecture presented at The Nordic Association for Canadian Studies, Turku, Finland, August 11-15, 1993.
2 Quotations, with page references, are from the following editions: The Edible Woman (London: Andre
Deutsch Ltd., 1969), Surfacing (London: Andre Deutsch Ltd. and Wildwood House, 1972), Lady Oracle (New
York: Avon Books, 1976), and Bodily Harm (London: Jonathan Cape, 1982).

\

tional wife. Marian goes along with this to begin with, but gradually realizes that the future that is being planned for her will force her into an

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Girl By Aaron Devoor

    • 177 Words
    • 1 Page

    In today’s society, people tend to group one and an another into different categories according to their own social identity. An individual’s gender identity refers to which group where one belongs to. The attributes assigned to both males and females are different because of gender differences. In “Becoming members of Society: Learning the Social Meanings of Gender” by Aaron Devor, the author argues that factors such as beliefs and behaviors help differentiate the sexual identity of a person. In addition, Devor views sex as an instrument of determining gender. It is believed that there are only two types of sexes that exist. Which are male and female. On the other hand, “Girl”, by Jamaica Kincaid, the mother tries to forces prescribe behavior,…

    • 177 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Psy 210 Appendix F Essay

    • 393 Words
    • 2 Pages

    | -Independence is sought after during this stage.-Learning how to express the changes or changing of their sexualities.…

    • 393 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Woman today would find themselves lost in the times of the mid-1900’s society. Through the novel The Bell Jar, the reader will experience society’s expectations of women, their relationships with men, and how they follow right along with what the main character’s beliefs. The reader will learn to understand that there are punishments of society when one does not do what they should. The search for her identity and the acceptance of her truth has inspired women in future generations. Through the character of Esther Greenwood, Sylvia Plath explores the oppression felt by women in the 1950’s in her semibiographical novel The Bell Jar.…

    • 1501 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Portrayal of the Plight of Women by the Author, In Their Particular Period of Time…

    • 695 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hsc Speeches

    • 1183 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Margret Atwood’s “Spotty-Handed Villainesses”, is an Epideictic speech on equality that creates enough integrity in regards to not only its technical features but also how it explores meaning and value to exceed its immediate context and maintain relevance in today’s society. Atwood’s speech was delivered in 1994 at the time when feminism and feminist views were a hot topic. A paradox in her speech is that she supports feminism however disapproves with extremist, feminist views.…

    • 1183 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    nada

    • 627 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Sean Berdy, one of the most multifaceted Deaf actors of his generation, has brought an astonishing array of characters to life on both film, television and stage.…

    • 627 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Feminism has always been an incredibly relevant issue in all societies and is still no exception in today’s day and age. One of the most highly acclaimed writers of today that tackles the plaguing issue of feminism and the unfortunate belittling of women is Margaret Atwood. Among her many successful novels, poems, and other works, her masterpiece of a novel The Handmaid’s Tale emphasizes the dangers of downplaying women and their roles in society. Set in a future dystopian society, Atwood’s novel is best understood and interpreted from a critical feminist viewpoint; if the reader adapts this perspective, the novel comes to life and its message to protect women’s rights is unmistakable.…

    • 2436 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Secondly in childhood, after infancy there is what seems to some real sex play. About half of all adults report that they did engage in some form of sex play as children (Psychosexual Development, pg. 61). Childhood role-playing interprets adult meaning and attributed to the behavior that is ill-formed. Some adults can recall that, at the time, they were concerned with being found out. Values (or feelings, or images) are of great importance that children pick up as being related to sex. The learning of sex roles, or sex identities, involves various things that are remote from actual sexual experience, or become involved with sexuality after puberty. Masculinity and femininity, their meaning and postures, are rehearsed before adolescence in many nonsexual ways (Psychosexual Development, pg. 62). The crucial period of childhood has significance not because of…

    • 762 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Rhetorical Analysis

    • 1481 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Atwood’s ‘Spotty Handed Villainesses’ celebrates literature in an entertaining and casual manner whilst integrating the topical themes of feminism and the role of literature reflecting reality. The image of the famous American wartime propaganda poster with me today provides a visual representation and support of Atwoods speech as it was later used to promote feminism in the 1980s. The woman in the poster ‘Rosie the Riveter’ breaks gender stereotypes by wearing manual work wear which is then supported by the caption ‘we can do it’ inspiring freedom from oppression and commencing the feminist movement. The speech resonates with a contemporary audience as the role of women in both literature and reality is an ongoing issue within modern society. Atwood’s speech achieves the enduring power to persuade and invoke a personal response from her audience due to its intellectual and artistic qualities. Her simple use of rhetorical techniques and utilising an unorthodox approach to addressing the themes, allows her to engage her audience, ensuring a speech of timeless relevance. Atwood uses a plethora of colloquialisms such as flogging a ‘few dead horses’, ‘bumped off’ and ‘juicy parts’ to further her argument and to entertain. Atwood successfully uses a series of humorous metaphors throughout her speech to draw it together cohesively.…

    • 1481 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Though it is rare to find literary works that empower women while still maintaining a scholarly tone, it is interesting that both The Awakening by Kate Chopin and Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston achieve this without coming across as confrontational to the reader or seeming like they are trying to indoctrinate the reader into a new set of beliefs. While they have their differences, both of these novels not only pursue a storyline that holds feminist ideals very highly, but they also subdue their feminist messages into small hints occasionally throughout their stories, thus making these books suitable for any demographic. In both of these books, similar story lines are pursued, feminist ideals are introduce and followed throughout the story, the characters develop in similar ways, and both authors are credible sources for this subject matter.…

    • 1835 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    sexuality in women. Women begin to think of themselves in other ways besides appealing to…

    • 1793 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The essay“ When We Dead Awaken: Writing as Re-Vision” written in 1971 by Adrienne Rich is composed of basic feminist ideals and beliefs. In that essay, Rich explores the theme of women’s roles in society, as she writes “ Historically, men and women have played very different parts… where women [have] been a luxury for man...but also as comforter, nurse, cook, bearer of his seed…man has played quite a different role for the female artist.” This reflects the culture of the time period in which women were placed in lower status as men, and were expected to take other forms of occupational work, such as childbearing and ultimately staying at home. The Scarlet Letter written by Nathaniel Hawthorne explores gender roles of both men and women through examples such as the goodwives, the magistrates, and Hester’s arrival to the colony.…

    • 604 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Atwood recounts the details and circumstances of women in the nineteenth century. She portrays these women through the eyes of her own experiences in the twentieth century, eyes that are attuned to the history of discrimination against women. Atwood has the advantage of hindsight and an education in feminism—things that the women in her novel were unaware of. So either wittingly or unconsciously, Atwood emphasizes the imbalance that is inherent in the patriarchal society of this earlier period of time, relating the events of this story with a somewhat accusing…

    • 91 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    There are many categories within the gender complex, in which different types of people fall under. These different categories consist of gender identity, sexual orientation, physical gender and gender roles. Identity’s can be changed dramatically depending how a person feels about themselves and who they are attracted to the same or opposite sex. Some play role because it is what they must do. Judith Butler has explained that we all “act” out our roles and try to perform it but we are born without roles. People categorize themselves depending what role they should play whether they like their role or not; like now most women…

    • 1223 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Ultimately, Atwood and Carter intriguingly critique on the place of women in society at the time through their feminist texts (1980s) where the second wave of feminism looks beyond the right to vote due to complications arising on managing the domestic sphere and the workplace but also allow women to take control of their bodies and sexuality through for example the oral contraceptive. A contemporary feminist concern would also hold female sexuality as a prominent aspect of feminism to challenge contemporary perspectives on the place of women by revealing the suffering and oppression of female bodies and sexuality that society inflicted. Both writers, take on an academic feminist perspective by using literature from various angles to comment…

    • 1731 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays