Roles Of Men And Women In The Gilded Age

Renzo Gardini
ENC1102
Prof. Duasso
March 15, 2015 The Victorian Era was a time of firm roles for both women and men. Women’s tent stay home there whole life, while men supported the family and stay outside working all day. During the evil day, men were tempted by other women, alcohol, sex, and other evil that present. The women’s were vulnerable to their men, having food on the table, and give men hope during the evil days. Victorian women always knew how to make his husband come home with relief and happiness. Women’s where thought to learn the Cult of Domesticity since they are young. Women were thought to cook, cleaning, sewing, decorating, and playing the piano. With all of this skill, this can bring the man home quick and with
excitement. Fresh food and with the excitement of sexual pleasure which makes the men please there pleasure because at home he was the ruler.
The sexuality in the Victorian Era was obvious men had erections, and women only did it to please their men. Even though the men are sexual, the women are always there to please him to relief his stress and to get his mind of the evil day. The image of the Victorian Era was seeing of full of riches that the historians called the Gilded Age. The Gilded age is a perfect luxury for people to live in, filled with perfect pleasure by paintings, all over their furniture. The new place of Jerusalem looked gorgeous and magical: the streets were paved in gold, the metal was in gold, and every single thing was gold, for them this was Godly for them, like a dream come true. Kate Chopin was one of those writers who scratched and scratched the gold paint off the wood to expose the
hypocrisy of gender roles in her short story,” The Storm”.
“The storm” is about two storms that collided that has impacted the view of the Victorian era.
This story is about hard storm that hasn’t happen in two years, Banbit and his son Bibi where at the Friedheimer store, when they have notice a huge dark cloud going over their heads, with a huge rumble from the distance. The father and his son decide to wait for the storm to pass. Bibi was really concern about Calixta he thought she is going to be freighting of the storm since she is alone. But calixta isn’t worried at all. While Calixta is closing the windows, and the doors, she went outside to get the clothes while she is outside she sees Alcee. Alcee ask him if he can come in the house for shelter till the storm passes. While the storm is passing Alcee and Calixta begin to have having feelings for each other and had sex. After the storm passes Alcee leaves the house with a smile, and then her husband and his son Bibi came back home thinking that Calixta will be mad since they are filled with mud but she didn’t care because she was just filled with joy to see them again. There are two types of storms happening in the story, the first storm is describe as dark cloud, winds, rain, and lighting, and then there is the other storm that we can’t see which is the storm of passion, pleasure, and love. Chopin gave the storm passion by saying “They did not heed the crashing torrents, and the roar of the elements made her laugh as she lay in his arms.” (Chopen) Which symbolizes that they
did not care about the affects their affairs would have on their marriage. The storm can either be good or bad. But the way Cholpin describe was like a temptation that Calixta wanted and need, thinking how she didn’t stop to think about her family and the wrong things she is going to make she wasn’t happy with his husband; she must be missing something in the relationship that made her continue her actions. When Chopin said “...her firm, elastic flesh that was knowing for the first time its birthright...” (Chopen) she was describing the vigana as a beautiful, soft, and firm part of the female body. The three kisses where mysterious, with full of assumption. In the story “the storm” Alcee said, "Do you rememberin Assumption, Calixta?" he asked in a low voice broken by passion. Oh! she remembered; for in Assumption he had kissed her and kissed and kissed her; until his senses would well nigh fail, and to save her he would resort to a desperate flight.” (Cholpen) this is describing how each kiss made Calixta more tempted to be with Alcee and her passion grew stronger and started build up her feeling and behavior. After reading and understanding the story “The storm” I did not like the message that Cholpin gave out. Coming from a Peruvian background and Christine religion being unfaithful towards your love one was a true sin. The Peruvian culture is really strict when it comes to marriage. Both men and women have to loyal to each other, they both should be treated equally, there no king of the house, and if any reason they feel like they are being lie to or cheated on they have the right get a divorce without a problem. But if you don’t live the person that you are with right now don’t go behind their back and hurt them instead end it and tell them how you actually feel, then you should have to lie or be with the wrong person. I think of Cholen adultress in the story was a good way to describe the human part, and the passion that they had for each other. The birthright is an amazing thing that a woman has, it’s a man’s pleasure, and it gives new beautiful life. When the bird is out of its cage they always know how to come back home because they know that home is the only place they will be protect and life. In my past experience I have been cheated on in the past I have to admit it was really painful, I didn’t know what to do, I started thinking what I did wrong and how I can’t let this happen again. When I confronted her she just denied it but she didn’t know that I saw her in front of my eyes. The last thing I told her before I left her was “Don’t tell someone that you have feeling for them, when the whole time it was all fake and empty” and after that I have really change and I saw thing differently and felt hopeless until I meet my girlfriend Samantha and she has made me feel like I have hope again in my life. People shouldn’t be faking feeling or showing fake love towards someone because at the end the only one that is getting hurt is you because you are filled with guilt and lies.