StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

WOMEN AND GENDER ROLE IN MY ANTONIA BY WILLA CATHER - Thesis Example

Cite this document
Summary
Willa Cather in her novel my Antonia makes a firm stance regarding the ‘Modern Woman’ by using their powerful natures and their boldfaced sexuality of the female characters in the novel. This novel was written a year before women were allowed to vote in the United States…
Download free paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER92.2% of users find it useful
WOMEN AND GENDER ROLE IN MY ANTONIA BY WILLA CATHER
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "WOMEN AND GENDER ROLE IN MY ANTONIA BY WILLA CATHER"

Thesis ment on Gender Roles in Antonia by Willa Cather Willa Cather in her novel my Antonia makes a firm stance regarding the ‘Modern Woman’ by using their powerful natures and their boldfaced sexuality of the female characters in the novel. This novel was written a year before women were allowed to vote in the United States. And it comes to show us that the power of women does not only lie within being able to voting rights but it extends beyond it, they are capable of much more and they should take a stand against the societal stereotypes and make new roles for themselves in all walks of life.

Willa Cather was a progressive feminist and she has highlighted issues in the novel which are under the media limelight in the present world. Written in 1918 this novel can be very relatable in the present century as compared to the time it was written. This comes to show us how far behind we are in the movement towards reaching equality within genders. Through her narrative she has given us examples of women who didn’t abide by the societies typical roles set for women and did what they believed in.

She has also given us an insight to what atrocities these women face by the common public, women included and especially the patriarchs of our society when they decide to stand for themselves and their principles. She has given us examples of Antonia and how she was condemned by the people in her neighborhood for working on the fields, and how Antonia had to raise her child as a single mother without Jim’s support. Then secondly, she has also discussed one of the most eminent issues of even the present generation.

The rape of women and sexual and physical assault by men who believe they have the right to treat women in any way possible because they are the superior to women. Ironically, throughout the narrative it’s the women who have been shown to have strong and powerful personalities to have broken norms and stood for their purposes where as men such as Jim have been shown to be weak, who despite wanting and believing in certain things didn’t follow through because of the fear of breaking the societal norms and therefore conformed to them.

Roles in genders are an instrument made by society to create suitable restrictions and standards for the different sexes to conform to. However, the start of the twentieth century as a consequence of the twentieth amendment, these lines got blurred and a new set of gender roles began to form where by the women joined the workforce, and started to become more independent and less dependent on their male counterparts. My Antonia is a symbol of this movement and consists of stories about females with strong ideals.

Every character in the story displays a dominant personality who didn’t fear to push themselves to new challenges and take risks to eventually become successful in their chosen career paths. Moreover, another interesting element about this story is stark contrast from the reality where the women are portrayed as resilient, energetic and agile and the men are ‘passive and weak’, a move towards breaking gender stereotypes. Interestingly though, Antonia itself is written through the eyes of a male narrator by a female writer.

Antonia caters the message of feminism in a very humble way. The main character Antonia is shown to be a girl with strong ideals since childhood. She was ambitious but also considerate of her responsibilities. As a child she is keen to learn English and adjusted to her new environment. After her father’s demise, she preferred working on the fields with her elder brother instead of playing at home to divide his responsibility. She didn’t fear what the people had to say about her taking the role of a man, while working on the fields.

However, by the end, as a grown woman she was a wonderful mother and wife. She was happy and satisfied with all she had accomplished in life. Even though it was very different, compared to the success of other women in the novel, she is shown as the perfect embodiment of a woman with feminist principles who achieves a ‘positive compromise’ in all acts of life. Lastly, the writer explores the elements of assault and masculinity and through it portrays the failure of the misogynistic patriarchal roles of the society.

The argument can be augmented by four episodes. Firstly, the condemnation of Antonia when she was working in the field. Secondly, Lena’s enabling presence in the development of male subjectivity, the rape and sexual assault of Antonia by Wick Cutter and lastly the bride that was fed to the wolves by Pavel. Reference:Cather, Willa. My Ántonia. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006. From Everton, Kristina Anne, "Willa Cather: Male Roles and Self-Definition in My Antonia, The Professors House, and "Neighbor Rosicky"" (2006).

 All Theses and Dissertations. Paper 821. From Giglio, Elizabeth. "Feminism in My Antonia." Agor Journal. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.  Lair, David. "WILLA CATHERS WOMEN GENDER, PLACE, AND NARRATIVITY IN 0 PIONEERS! AND MY ANTONIA ." University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. N.p., 1 Jan. 1992. Web. 28 Oct. 2014. .

Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“WOMEN AND GENDER ROLE IN MY ANTONIA BY WILLA CATHER Thesis”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/literature/1662521-women-and-gender-role-in-my-antonia-by-willa-cather
(WOMEN AND GENDER ROLE IN MY ANTONIA BY WILLA CATHER Thesis)
https://studentshare.org/literature/1662521-women-and-gender-role-in-my-antonia-by-willa-cather.
“WOMEN AND GENDER ROLE IN MY ANTONIA BY WILLA CATHER Thesis”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/literature/1662521-women-and-gender-role-in-my-antonia-by-willa-cather.
  • Cited: 2 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF WOMEN AND GENDER ROLE IN MY ANTONIA BY WILLA CATHER

Women and Gender in Islam

To better understand the role of women in a culture such as this, as well as to assess how the cultural aspect plays into such a societal standing, the two pieces of work to look at are "women and gender in Islam: Historical Roots of a Modern Debate" by Leila Ahmed and "Believing Women" in Islam: Unreading Patriarchal Interpretations of the Quran by Asma Barlas.... As she begins her work, Ahmed brings up the first of many points regarding women and marriage....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Bless Me, Ultima As an Educational Novel

Antonio and the reader get lessons on the role of family and religion, culture, and gender, death, and grief in the life of humans.... The sons must leave the sides of their mothers,' she said almost sternly and pulled my mother gently”.... women teach him to forgive and love, to seek for harmony and good....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay

Understanding the Root of the Gender War in Communication

The author of the essay "Understanding the Root of the gender War in Communication" states that Much of the conflicts arising from interpersonal relationships are rooted in communication problems.... nbsp;… Men and women may be wired differently in terms of communication and may come from opposite poles, but when they come together and agree to be on the same side, even for just certain situations, then there is hope that the gender war will eventually subside....
8 Pages (2000 words) Essay

Britomart and the Duchess: the Reflection of Patriarchal Society

Indeed Adam Polgar more… When Britomart chooses to safeguard herself with the armor of chastity, it is evident that the Duchess goes against another gender construct that is the loyalty to the decision of Britomart, the central character Book III of in Spencer's “Faerie Queen” is assigned with the role of a sophisticated representative of the Elizabethan patriarchal society, the eponymous heroine in the “Duchess of Malfi” appears to be the projection of a freewill feminine zeal against the patriarchal authority of the Jacobean Era (Roider)....
10 Pages (2500 words) Essay

Feminist Consciousness in Latin America

As Jehenson describes: Latin American literature, which has almost defined the second half of the twentieth… ury (Caillois) with a plethora of critically acclaimed Latin American authored books, plays, short stories, and poetry is noted by post-modern critics – Michael Collins, Ihab Hassan, and Linda Hutcheon – an embodiment of post-modern experimentation, and is epitomized by However, what makes American literature during this period remarkable are those written by Latin women authors, who have crossed bravely the boundaries of a well-established masculine culture not only by engaging into the literary world believed worthy only for men, but more so for what they write – “....
7 Pages (1750 words) Term Paper

Shakespearean Drama in Historical Context

This essay explores Shakespeare's play that reveals both the typical Elizabethan anti-Semitic view or the view of ignorance as there were so few Jews in England in the 16th century.... Shakespeare takes both sides but one has to take Shylock in the context of the terrible losses.... hellip; Jews were banished from Elizabethan England until approximately 1655....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay

The Poryatal of Women in Like Water for Chocolate

The depiction of women and their treatment in the society is one of the more important theme of this novel.... As my youngest daughter, Tita will care for me until the day I die.... The very start of this story portrays how women were treated in Mexico; when Tita's lover, Pedro, come to her family to ask for her hand in marriage, the family rejects Pedro, not because he is not a suitable match, because Tita is the youngest of the family and it is the duty of the youngest daughter, to take care of her mother, till she dies....
8 Pages (2000 words) Research Paper

Sense of the Radical Instability of Gender in Shakespeare's Winters Tale and Twelfth Night

He does so via cross-dressing and gender reversal in a profound way, by challenging accepted norms.... women and men are equal in every way.... The book review "Sense of the Radical Instability of gender in Shakespeare's Winters Tale and Twelfth Night" states that Shakespeare uses cross-dressing to further the underlying tones of gender instability prevalent among Elizabethan audiences and society in general.... hellip; By crafting women like Hermoine and Viola Shakespeare crosses gender barriers....
7 Pages (1750 words) Book Report/Review
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us