Women of the 19th Century

Well, we've finally made it here once again! After careful deliberation, I have decided to focus on the women of some of the texts that we've read. Here's what I am thinking and why.

Texts to be discussed:
-Margaret Fuller's "The Great Debate" (Transcendentalism)
-Freeman's "The Revolt of Mother" (Local Color and Regionalism)
-Jewett's "A White Heron" (Local Color and Regionalism)
-Henry James' Daisy Miller (Realism)
-Hawthorne's "The Birthmark" (Dark Romanticism)

Tentative thesis:
"Some women represented in the fictional works listed above are defined by the societal roles placed on the female sex, and are often victims of the stories because of this reality. However, the few women who represent independent thinking convey a positive message of individuality that actually encourages the women of the present society to embrace their womanhood, presenting a call to action for equality. Through the examples of these fictional women, female readers are encouraged to claim and fight for their individual identity, and coupled with women's non-fictional works such as Fuller's Essay "The Great Debate," the movement of women's suffrage was inevitable. Present day society would not be the same had texts like these not paved the way, illustrating that it was in fact possible for women to break the mold that had previously confined them."

Why I chose these works:

I chose Daisy Miller because at the time, she was considered the stereotype of American women. Her biggest concern was not her studies or a possible career, it was partying and fooling around until eventually a marriage to an upstanding gentleman presented itself. Because of the lack of convention and avenues for women to rise above preconditioned roles, the purpose of a woman's life was pretty much exemplified through Daisy's character. It was because she didn't have other options that she chose to act the way that she did- she was bored with her life, and all she cared about was looking pretty and flirting. Her tragic end in death only makes an example of her, showing that women who are confined by the stereotypes placed by men will search for happiness elsewhere, and that elsewhere just might include unconventional methods of man-hunting. She never got the chance to explore her options and discover who she really was.

I chose "The Birthmark" for similar reasons, only this story is more of a display of a husband's control over his wife. Georgiana had never been so mortified by her birthmark until she got married and her husband admitted his repulsion of it. Her feelings were so manipulated by him that it didn't even take much effort on his part to convince her to allow him to try and remove it. She is completely his property, and doesn't feel valued in her natural state- her identity is completely enveloped in being Aylmer's wife. Her fate ends in a tragic death also.

Things turn around a little bit for the the women in "The Revolt of Mother" and "A White Heron," as both women are able to make decisions for themselves that lead to freedom. In Freeman's text, Mother finally breaks free after 40 years of servitude to her family and of course, husband. She and her children might have been apprehensive or nervous about taking that final step and moving everything they owned to the barn, but Sarah stood her ground and didn't show any sign of weakness in her decision. Father completely gave in and didn't protest to her desires, and she was able to grasp everything she'd ever wanted in those 40 years- a new home.

In Jewett's "A White Heron," Sylvia encountered a specific moment in her youth in which she was able to make a choice that would change her life forever. She played host for a while, and yes she was indeed captivated by this new gentleman hunter, but in the end she was able to make her own moral decision about whether or not to tell him about the location of the white heron. She makes a choice that will later lead to other choices in her life, this incident was merely an avenue that would open thousands of doors down the road for her. Sylvia experienced a physical or intellectual awakening, which sadly some of the women in earlier texts never had the opportunity to have themselves. Though it was against common ideology for a woman to think solely for their own purposes, Sylvia embarks on a journey of self discovery here in this story.

The last text I would like to incorporate in my studies is Fuller's article "The Great Debate," simply because it was an extremely influential text of the time that addresses the very issues that the aforementioned texts present. She discusses women's constant dependence on men and how society has set it up specifically for women to be this way, and argues that marriage itself has presented this flaw in heterosexual relationships. She is clearly on the forefront or women's suffrage, and is in fact one of the first women to in fact pave the way for this entire movement. She argues that women are equally intelligent and capable of leading their own lives, which her own life exemplifies. I am going to end my paper discussing how each female character is either flawed because of a lack of independence from men or how they have benefited from this way of thinking, because her work is the only non-fiction work that we read addressing this topic, written with a beyond clear call to action that other texts might have hinted at, but non directly addressed.

So that's my proposal. Any other thoughts or ideas would be appreciated, as well as possible sources to support my work. Thank you!

In Muir's Footsteps. . .

"Azure skies and crystal waters find loving recognition, and few there be who would welcome the axe among mountain pines, or would care to apply any correction to the tones and costumes of mountain waterfalls."- John Muir, Wild Wool.

Girls in a Tree.

Muir inspired examining effects of humans on Mother Nature.

The serene landscape that we encountered upon our voyage through the wilderness.

The creek that flowest along the forest floor.

The watery depths don't appear as scary as they did when we walked over them.

Thug life.

Stuck in the snow. . .

Stephanie and her Elk call. . . you can totally see them milling around in the background.

Communing with nature. . .

John Muir would have been proud.

Girls in the woods, following in Muir's footsteps.

Daisy Miller Meets. . . .Girls Gone Wild?

I just have to say for all of you people who finished The Coquette earlier this week, are these two stories not eerily similar???

Moving on. I can see how Americans might have been offended back in the day for the flirtatious Daisy Miller being the supposed representative for the typical American girl, loose and unrefined. Back then, world travel wasn't as accessible of an endeavour as it is today, and anything read in print was a big deal and were taken seriously.

But come on!!! Just because one little book says it's so does not make it the truth- and Daisy Miller is a fictional work! Henry James is not claiming that all girls are like Miss Miller!(but if we find out on Tuesday that he really did think this, ignore the aforementioned statement.) Does anyone remember what happened when Borat made his way across America? Hello!!! He thought TONS of things were true about American girls because he had seen real live footage of drunk college chicas taking off their clothes in Girls Gone Wild videos! I mean seriously! The main point I'm trying to make here is that readers should always analyze the texts they are reading critically, and understand that the arguments being made may in fact be debatable.

I think the focal point of the story( and I guess we'll find out if I'm grasping at straws on Tuesday) is foreign relations and the fascination of other cultures. Winterbourne is constantly making pro-American statements such as "American girls are the best girls" and "American's candy's the best candy" (6). Well come on, you know it's true! And even Daisy makes comments here and there indicating that her main interest in any country or culture is its society: "The society's extremely select [in Rome]. There are all kinds- English, Germans, and Italians. I think I like the English the best. I like their style of conversation. But there are some lovely Americans. I never saw anything so hospitable" (39). Both Daisy and Winterbourne are infatuated with other cultures, and the entire novel illustrates how one is easily swept up in this idea of racial pride.

The most important thing that Daisy says, however, is in her heated response to Mrs. Walker's exclamations that she was ruining her reputation by taking long walks in the dark alone with a strange man (well, come on now, who are we kidding. . . she kind of was- no matter what society she was a part of). Nevertheless, she argues: "The young ladies of this country have a dreadfully poky time of it [entering relationships with members of the opposite sex], so far as I can learn; I don't see why I should change my habits for them" (49). She admits to being a flirt and attracted to men of foreign lands, and she refuses to abandon her "dating style" for the sake of reputation., to which her companion responds, "Flirting is purely and American custom; it doesn't exist here" (50).

So there you go. Daisy feels confined by all the rules of each society she tries to become a part of (though society is all that she lives for), yet she is unwilling to relinquish her now taboo act that we call "the flirt." Doesn't really matter what she decided to do or didn't decide to do, because in the end she DIES and so her flirtatious, dare I say, coquettish days are abruptly ended. (Again, similarities are presented between this and The Coquette). Henry James couldn't think of a better way to put an end to the dreadful flirting- he just had to off her in one page. ONE PAGE. She was so evil, wanting to be free from social pressures. I guess that flirtatious American bitch really got what she deserved.