Isolation in Bartleby :: essays research papers

Roles of the Sexes The submissive parting of the female in a marriage or relationship is a common problem in legion(predicate) societies, including our own American society. This role has become so common that in fact it is now expected of the female. This male dominance goes as far punt as the human race, to the beginning of relationships and marriage between the female and the male. Then, the physical prowess of the male led to his dominance in all situations and thus create these roles. Even presently, with all our advances in equal rights and womens advances in the work fields, this role of submission and passivity is still present among our society. Why do women conduct this role? Why hasnt it banished with the right to vote and her expansion into the male-dominated workplace? These roles are inbred into our society. The men are raised to lead and take charge. Women, on the other hand, are taught that their place is to keep peace, and in most scenarios that means conformin g. There are many reasons women accept or allow this role. For many women, they meet safety in allowing the male to dominate the relationship. The submissive role is familiar or so expected that the women fear changing the situation. Many authors illustrate this role of the sexes and portray some reasons and situations that are common in our society, such as Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette, in her story The Hand, and James Joyce, in Eveline. These two authors both, even though each describes a woman in a very different, yet remarkably similar, situation, discuss one of the major reasons women succumb to males. Colette was a significant womens rightist in the early 1900s when the womens right movement was in full swing. She fought for equal opportunities for women and proved it was possible when she was the first woman to be admitted to the Goncourt Academy. As a novelist, she used her writing to illustrate the assumed roles society has developed. The Compact Bedford Introduction to Lite rature remarks, Her professional life and three marriages helped to shape her keen insights into modern love and womens lives. (Compact Bedford, 196). Colette understood the expected submission role because she had lived the role of the wife several times. Also, as one of the few women in the workplace, she was subjected to even more male supremacy. She could write about the reasons why women comply because she understood and had been a victim herself.