The Effects Literature has on Female Empowerment and Movements
Olivia Young
Committee Members:
Mrs. Angie Billings
Mrs. Natalie Lemons
Mrs. Colleen Borgeson
Ms. Miranda Davis
20 April 2020
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Completing a paper of this magnitude would not have been possible without the support and creativity of my committee members, Ms. Davis, Mrs. Lemmons, Mrs. Borgeson, and Mrs.
Billings. Without their patience with me throughout the thesis process, I probably would've dropped out of the class by now, much less finished my thesis. Despite my inability to press
“reply all” and even my constant mess ups, every single one of my committee members continued to positively encouraged me to try new approaches and perspectives, not to get to the core meaning of my idea… which they also did, but because they cared about me as a person and wanted me to succeed. I’d also like to thank my family for helping me edit and giving me real world examples to incorporate into my paper. Lastly, I would like to acknowledge my classmates. Despite giving me a particularly hard time to my face, every single one in my class has my back. Whether it’s helping me understand a concept to giving me a ride, they were always there. I know those examples don’t concern “female characters in literature” but knowing
I have their constant support and relationship that I have been made in Ap Literature allowed me to remain motivated and excited to continue with my thesis.
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Table of Contents
Ch. 1 Introduction………………………………………….Page 4
Ch. 2 Negatives………………………………………….... Page 8
Ch. 3 Positives…………………………………………….. Page 12
Ch. 4 Epiphanies………………………………………….. Page 17
Ch. 5 Conclusion…………………………………………... Page 22
Thesis………………………………………………………. Page 26
Work Cited…………………………………………………. Page 27
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Introduction
The idea of Women’s Rights has drastically changed throughout time. Currently, these rights have exceeded what many would have ever thought it to be, yet past norms have been cemented into literature that has had enough significance to still be read. Literature has a power like no other and fortunately, in recent times, authors have used this power positively. Authors have cast their female characters in a strong and independent light, unlike a few characters of classic literature. Through these brave authors, society has seen a change in current women’s rights because women have taken a stand. While women have been portrayed both positively and negatively, all have epiphanies within their roles of influencing the plot to better themselves.
Therefore, past ideas are cemented into our culture by the influence of important Literature through brave authors who are changing the norm by incorporating these inspiring characters.
Through these ideas, the characters’ epiphanies support the present Women’s Rights Movement.
In current times, the Women’s Rights Movement has been soaring. With the right to vote, own property, and many others already being solidified into our culture for women, literature has reflected as well. Now with a larger challenge of equal pay and more plaguing women of the
20th century, the more literature around society mirrors this, the more influence it will have on the Women’s Right Movement. When literature challenges these new and budding ideas, it can slow the movement down greatly. It is fortunate for women that literature very rarely embodies this and has created a lasting idea for future generations.
The most glaring evidence of how women in classical literature are continuing to be perceived is embedded into literature our society reads everyday. By studying The Scarlet Letter, The Handmaid’s Tale, and The Help, we can see the way women were forced to be portrayed. Young 5
For The Scarlet Letter, the main character, Hester, is first shown being publicly humiliated for her sexual actions, which is a small glimpse into how women were dealt with during her time. As for The Handmaid’s Tale, women are thought to be property whose sole purpose is to reproduce for the wealthy and lastly, The Help shows women continuing to be overpowered and voiceless due solely to their gender. The literature mentioned reinforce the idea of women’s inferiority, dependence, and silence. Although times have changed, these ideas have been sealed into our present by works that represent past ideals of women. History shows the same ideas and are demonstrated in current actions, especially in the workplace.
Research from the US National Library reinforces the idea that cultures will arise from the values that the founder(s) of an organization and the assumptions placed upon the right way of doing things, which are learned from dealing with challenges over time which is evidence that
“the founders and leaders of an organization are the most influential in forming, maintaining, and changing culture over time. This is seen from past cultures which trickles into the way the leaders think over time” (Samarski). Research based on Greek, Roman, and Biblical societies show the ideas in these works are almost mirrored. For example, Roman authors were mainly men and, “By analyzing this literature, one can see the discrimination of women in ancient Rome, and track the fluctuation of the woman’s role and perception in society” (Owens).
Understanding where these ideas have stemmed from is an important way to argue that the negative portrayals of women have somewhat been ingrained into our society by influential literature possessing outdated ideas about women. Having strong influential female characters is a need because, “Strong female characters are role models for girls, but they’re also role models Young 6 for boys. I believe that the lack of strong female characters in fiction that boys read and films they see, prevents some boys from knowing that it’s okay to have a girl as their leader” (Green).
Although some negative ideas of women have been ingrained into literature, many authors, especially recently, have placed female characters in an overwhelmingly positive light.
Bravery shown in these works have allowed for new ideas placed into our culture for future generations and positively impact the ongoing Women’s Rights Movement. Since the beginning of Women’s Rights, “Susan B. Anthony and George Francis Train launched the first women's suffrage newspaper in the U.S. — The Revolution — with the slogan “Women, Their Rights, and Nothing Less” (Kingsbury). Between 1878 and 1890, 33 women’s suffrage newspapers followed suit. From the beginning of the movement, writing helped women share with other women their outrage at patriarchy and their struggles for equality” (Kingsbury). From the beginning, writing has influenced the movement. We see in the works Pride and Prejudice and Their Eyes were Watching God that empowered women can completely change a plot in literature. For example, in Pride and Prejudice, norms on marriage for women are challenged and start a new perspective for them while as Their Eyes were Watching God the main character finds herself in different relationships and struggles to overcome the pressures of male dominance yet still overcome by an overwhelming and outstanding sense of self worth and strength. These characters are not only inspiring but portray women in and out of literature as strong and independent. Research proves that these characters can influence a plot when the feminine language plays a crucial role as it updates the main ideological and social traits of postmodernism adding, “association with the democratic society in which men’s voice can be polyphonically accompanied by the voices of the “other sex”; anesthetization and moralization of existence in the light of a manifesting Young 7 hedonism and for new identities generated by feminist movements” (Marcu). The Movement has changed currently in part because of the literature. Understanding the way female characteristics can impact the way a generation thinks is inspiring and shows how history and current events support this very idea.
Through negative and positive interactions of female characters, epiphanies are shown to influence the plot and women’s power. These instances show a positive change in the way the women think of themselves and women as a whole with self realizations, a sense of pride, power, and self worth. These epiphanies give these women a sense of power all while teaching a lesson during self discovery, despite how their character was portrayed throughout the books. Each of the events help the movement and women in general. Female readers and audiences as a whole feel a sense of power and encouragement to have self worth and place a higher value on women as well. These epiphanies allow for a new perspective on the way women’s rights are handled in society, respect for females, and continue to change the way a society thinks.
Literature can influence, inspire, and control the public's view on attitudes towards women as well as a growing strength throughout history. Despite a large amount of past civilizations and cultures placing unfair, negative, and suppressive views on women, literature is changing this very idea at an impressive rate. Past ideas of women have been cemented into our culture from literature, yet we see it taking a positive view with new influences from authors creating powerful characters. Now, more often than not, females are always portrayed strongly and continue to positively influence current situations.
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Chapter 2- Negatives
Women have been becoming a stronger influence of Literature, whether portrayed positively or negatively. While hundreds of pieces of work show women in a positive light, many portray female roles as weak, shameful, and are denied rights. Pieces of these works can also reflect patterns of society’s views on the average female and can have historical and social impacts as well. Literature is a powerful tool and despite an author's best intentions, can have a detrimental and influential impact on modern women. In both literature and reality, women are faced with the challenges of shame due to expectations of social roles placed upon them. With this being said, decorative roles of women have sometimes been sprinkled throughout novels which continually solidifies the idea of an “ideal woman”.
Many authors have unintentionally objectified women during their works of literature in order to continue a story plot. By doing this, an unspoken feeling of shame is placed on these characters and the wording influences the reader to place shame as well. For some women, literature or reality, shame is something they feel they face, especially aimed towards their sexuality. According to Dr Lisa Firestone, “Society's point of view reminds us that men are designed to want sex, while women are designed to withhold it. This idea has been implanted into society from Literature” (Firestone). Even now, women are labeled with terms such as “slut” and “whore” as the biggest insult hurled at them as for men the biggest insult would be insulting their masculinity. Even literature as early as The Scarlet Letter show the main character, Hester, begin publicly shamed for a sexual relationship and a bastard child. We see Hester’s overwhelming shame with the quote, “Ah, but let her cover the mark as she will, the pang of it will be always in her heart" explaining the permanent impact the shame had upon her heart Young 9
(Hawthorne 36). During this time, the thought of sex outside of marriage was thought of as the same, as the literature has been passed down, the very idea that has envolved overtime is shown to be challenged by the way Hester is portrayed. The same proposition that has been sealed into our society by literature has impacted the way women feel about themselves even now, starting from a young age. In fact, the idea has become a concrete base for many plots in well known novels such as The Handmaid’s Tale. An influential quote taken from the book shows the extent of this by saying, “Can I be blamed for wanting a real body, to put my arms around? Without it I too am disembodied” (Atwood 87). We see here how Offred has been plagued with shame over the want for sex. In recent times, women have been encouraged to be confident and own their bodies yet literature often contrasts this very idea. In Literature, women are manipulated into shame of their bodies, actions, and desires while men are rewarded and celebrated for the same exact actions. Double standards have always been in place for women, not only in Literature. For example, the Independent reflects a double standard that has been seen in Roman culture by stating, “ A woman caught in the act of adultery could be killed by her husband on the spot, while a man in the same position would be rewarded” ( Field). The idea has been around since the beginning of time as we see with different cultures such as Greek, Roman, and even in parts of the Bible. Although cultures and ideas of women have changed, the past has been cemented into literature which continues to influence modern women.
Not only does shame of sexuality restrict women’s freedom but the expectations of women’s roles in society as well. For sometime, women have been viewed as and expected to be homemakers. Some literature glorifies the idea of women solely being childbearers and shows that their only purpose. As seen in Handmaid’s Tale, the mindset the women have on their life’s Young 10 path is made clear when one says, “Give me children, or else I die. Am I in God's stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb? Behold my maid Bilhah. She shall bear fruit upon my knees, that I may also have children by her” (Atwood 88). We see the pressure women place on themselves as if it is the only thing they were born for. With this mentality being depicted, ideas solidified by literatures like this impact and influence society and women’s rights. Even as future generations read classics such as these, ideas are subconsciously placed into the back of students’ minds. As said perfectly in the Power, “You have been taught that you are unclean, that you are not holy, that your body is impure and could never harbor the divine. You have been taught to despise everything you are and too long only to be a man. But you have been taught lies”(Alderman 138). As women, even in today’s age, are exposed to many realities and expectations of the past which they are expected to follow without even questioning it. More times than not, it’s a female writer placing this expectation. As Susan Koppelman Cornillon states in her essay, “The Fiction of Fiction,” “Women internalize the male idea of the feminine and create themselves in the shape of that idea” (Cornillon). Because of this re-shaping, some women writers have strayed little from the given stereotypes of the female character that so plague literature. Fortunately, many women have stepped out of this norm and more times than not create their female characters to be powerful and independent. Yet, little support is given to writers who incorporate such change into their literature, despite the modern movements occuring.
Another way these ideas of women are concreted into our culture is the way some women in decorative roles are portrayed. Women in literature have been shown to have little self worth and their goals and ambitions only go towards having children. In the novel The Help, even the Young 11 main, strong, female character is shown to put her self worth into if she has children. Instead of her writing when she says, ”Oh, we're gonna have some kids. […] I mean, kids is the only thing worth living for" (Stockett 38). Women are shown to be taught that all they are worth is for raising children and society still wonders where these ideas are stemmed from. By exposing children to these ideals through what we let them read, literature will influence them and it’s not just The Help we see this in. Not only is it the desire for male attention, it’s also decorative roles being shown as submissive and quiet. We see women continuing to be silenced and become okay with it from literature and culture from the beginning of time to literature based in the future. For example The Handmaid’s Tale, a novel about women quite literally becoming property with no opinion, protection, or freedom, demonstrates this very idea with the quote, “She doesn't make speeches anymore. She has become speechless. She stays in her home, but it doesn't seem to agree with her. How furious she must be now that she has been taken at her word” (Atwood 92).
Women in some classics, such as The Handmaid’s Tale, are portrayed as submissive, voiceless, and are taught that they are supposed to be okay with it. They are shown as powerless in an ideal society. Women depicted in roles such as these in literature oftentimes lead to an ideal society, sparking this idea submissively into the brains of future generations. Luckily, as more characters are implanted into current literare, this idea is beginning to change.
Literature can spark fury, revolution, anger, and even fear. What we know is that words are powerful and can influence the way one perceives. Through the way female characters are consistently portrayed in literature from the beginning of time to even literature based in the future, we are influencing and changing the way to be thinking about women. Literature is a powerful tool that can be a positive and a negative influence. Young 12
Chapter 3- Positives
After arguing the negative impacts that literature has had upon the perceptions of women, there’s an even stronger argument to be made on how literature has continued to help women flourish in today’s society. With modern literature mirroring the continuing changes of women’s rights, we see a change in the way women are perceived with examples including marriage, independence, and strength celebrated in favor of the modern woman. The Women's Movement has been influenced by the powerful words read in literature. Despite having some negative connotations in past literature, female characters, such as the ones in Their Eyes were Watching God, The Power, and Pride and Prejudice, is redefining the modern conception of how women are thought of. For example, in Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Hurston displays an outspoken strong woman finding love, with two relationships turning toxic with one ending tragically, and instead of letting herself get overpowered, she fights back for her own happiness.
Also Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, is a prime example of the positivity shown in literature by showcasing five sisters who continually place their relationships with each other to a higher importance than they do with men. In The Power by Naomi Alderman, showcases women receiving a physical power that allows them to gain physical, political, and mental power.
Through works of literature like these empowering books, women have been placed in a more positive light, influencing the way they are portrayed in society.
The Women’s Rights Movement was inspired by literature which prompted ideas for marches, protest, and more. During the time of the Seneca Falls Convention, where women’s rights first started, the first women’s suffrage newspaper called “Revolution” was launched by
Susan B. Anthony and ultimately had 33 more newspapers of the sort launch after it. These Young 13 writings encouraged and empowered women to stand up and take the rights they wanted and deserved and it wasn’t only newspapers. Many female authors came out and incorporated societal changes into their literature to further the movement such as Lillie Devereux Blake who was a, “novelist and journalist. Blake led the New York Suffrage Association, among other suffrage organizations. She was the primary contributor to Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s Women's Bible, and her fiction often subversively questioned gender norms” (Kingsbury). The bravery of the authors to include the unpopular standpoint of women created a change no one could deny.
Without these works, the Women’s Rights Movement would not have the reach or publicity it did. During this time, communication was slow and expensive, and the average American wasn’t fully informed or reached. As literature empowering women spread, so did the knowledge and encouragement with the works even reaching overseas. Without the support from brave authors such as Lillie Devereux Blake, Elizabeth Stanton, and many others, women might not have as many rights as we are fortunate to have today.
One of the most influential ideas that literature portrays for women is that women support other women. Through the help of The Power, it is extremely important for women to have complete power, they must bond together. Yes, it may be a little over exaggerated, but these points help cement the idea into the modern women’s subconscious mind. For example, Dr.
Tony Fahkry shows the importance of placing such ideas into one’s subconscious by stating, “As far as physical reflex actions are concerned, actions or disturbances in and around you arise, and before you realize, your body responds to the disturbance. Right after your reflex action, you realize how your body responded” (Fakhry). By placing such an empowering, positive image to such a large audience, it continues to push the importance of women’s rights. Within the novel Young 14
Power, this quote continues the support women show by stating, “You have been taught that you are unclean, that you are not holy, that your body is impure and could never harbour the divine.
You have been taught to despise everything you are and to long only to be a man. But you have been taught lies” (Alderman 98). In this quote the main character, Ave, preaches to her group of followers that they are enough and that they desire equality. She also conveys the idea that even though women have been given the power to be physically stronger than men, doesn’t mean that they need to act like it and teaches her followers peace and tranquility is vital and God’s main goal. Books like these teach a young audience that equality should be the key idea, even if there is an advantage had by a group of people either physically, financially, and socially. Another way that literature has been increasingly pushing the change of support is by portraying female characters going out of their way to support each other. A perfect example of such actions is shown in Their Eyes Were Watching God when the main female character, Janie Crawford, is found in a terrible situation when her third relationship with a man named Tea Cake turns tragic.
Janie is attacked by a rabid dog and Tea Cake, her most loving and kind husband, leaps to her rescue. Once he contracted rabies he goes mad, tries to kill Jamie, but Jamie kills him in self defense yet she still is convicted of murder. Despite being a black woman during this time, a group of white women come to her defense to save her from the unfair trial. A quote shows the women’s kindness to Jamie when Jamie states, “Eight or ten white women had come to look at her too...But they didn’t seem too mad, Janie thought. It would be nice if she could make them know how it was instead of those menfolks” (Hurston 155). When Jamie says this she is in court and is referring to the real situation and how it played out when she says it. Young 15
As literature portrays more and more women supporting each other through hard times, glimpses of women taking a stand show through our society as well. An example of this is the current Me Too movement with many women coming out to report sexual abuses that had been placed on them. Instead of not listening to the cries of help, women all across the world took a stand and started saying “I’m with her”. This movement shows the effects that literature portraying a positive action can branch out into real society. With Jamie continuously standing up for not only herself but the other females by her side, the literature will be able to influence younger generations to do the same thing.
Another way women are increasing earning respect in literature is by the way they take a stand. We see these strong characters learn how to say no and pursue what they want. The book
Pride and Prejudice portrays five sisters who are in search of a husband. Many times Elizabeth said no, despite her family’s best interest, because she had no desire to. Elizabeth rejects Mr.
Darcy by stating, “You are mistaken, Mr. Darcy, if you suppose that the mode of your declaration affected me in any other way, than as it spared me the concern which I might have felt in refusing you, had you behaved in a more gentlemanlike manner" (Austen 127). With a book placed in such a time, it was unheard of for females to possess enough strength to be able to stand up for herself and beliefs. In fact, “women lives in the 1800’s was solely based on men showing,” that some even compare the conditions of women in this time to a form of slavery
(Fahkry). Women were completely controlled by the men in their lives. Their sole purpose in life is to find a husband, reproduce and then spend the rest of their lives serving him. If a woman were to decide to remain single, she would be ridiculed and pitied by the community” (Smith).
The bravery that Elizabeth showed by this simple action is powerful, but what is even more Young 16 powerful is that the author herself, based in the same time, remained single as well. Influential women like Jane Austen taking a stand can completely change the way some people think about many single women during this period.
Literature has a very powerful influence upon the way people think and while the
Women’s Rights Movement and others with it’s same intent have much longer to go, the influence of strong, powerful female characters taking a stand and supporting one another will teach women across the world to do the same. A small splash can result in a big effect and that’s exactly what literature is doing for women in future generations and even the present one.
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Chapter 4- Epiphanies
One of the biggest ways a character can influence a plot is through epiphanies, whether good or bad. When a character realizes a different perspective in a situation, the way they continue their actions can be both empowering and heartbreaking, especially in female protagonists. An English Professor from Kansas State University explains in a published article about the significance of epiphanies in literature, “The term refers to a moment in a story
(whether narrative or drama) in which something suddenly becomes clear, usually to the character (most often the protagonist), which in turn causes past events to appear in a significantly new light, to the character or to the audience or to both” (Baker). By understanding the effects that epiphanies can have on a story line, comprehending the effects they have on the way female characters are portrayed is made to look effortless. Sometimes in story lines we see women understanding a situation, state of mind, or person manipulating a female character's fall towards them and it’s in how they react to the situation we see true strength within them. As well as a positive epiphany, we see women bettering themselves, inspiring readers in the same situation as them to continue down the correct path.
More times than not, pointing out a negative epiphany is easier than a positive one as they normally occur more often, earlier in the storyline, and influence the plot more. In novels the female characters can experience a personal, emotional, or even a situational epiphany, and that's exactly what happens to Roxy in The Power. As one of the more physically and powerful characters in the book, she quickly trusted her brother and father with their drug ring and her extraordinary power. Little did she know that she was just a piece in her plot. Her situational epiphany occurs whenever she is awakened on a surgical table so that they could remove her Young 18 skien, the special organ to give females power, to place in themselves. A quote describing Roxy in her time of struggle says, “She tells him about Darrell and what was taken from her, and in that telling he knows everything; why she carries herself like this and why she's been hiding all these long weeks and why she thinks she can’t go home and why she hasn’t struck against
Darrell at once and with great fury, as a Monke would do. She had half forgotten her own name until he reminded her of it” (Alderman 137). Here she is describing her situation to Eve and how she should have seen the signs. A negative epiphany such as this one can affect the plot by changing the way the character interacts with other characters, future actions, and the character herself. Yet what makes this epiphany so influential to women reading the book is how she handles the situation. Instead of hiding and laying low, she fights, rallies, and is finally victorious. Roxy’s negative epiphany truly impacted her positively by the way she handles the situation, something that is inspiring to not only female audiences but should encourage all who reads. Most negative realizations have positive impacts on the readers in inspiring their actions although they might not be inspired by the character’s way of going around the situation but by what they didn’t do. A perfect example of this is Handmaid's Tale with the main character Ofred. Many times she realizes the shame she has based on her situation and makes it known with quotes such as, “If you don't like it, change it, we said to each other and to ourselves. And so we would change for the man, for another one. Change, we were sure, was for the better always. We were revisionists; what we revised was ourselves” (Atwood 172). As many times as she said this, she rarely changed with the end being saved by a man who needed help. With readers seeing a situation and the regret one shows, it will encourage an audience to take action and not be put in Young 19 the same situations. It’s here that we see that a negative epiphany, while sad, can be the most influential on a read to create change.
Flannery O'Connor, a famous author, states during an interview regarding one of her main characters in A Good Man Is Hard to Find: “I’m not saying that a near-death experience would have turned her into a good woman. In other words, these conversion experiences don't stick—or they don't stick for very long. Human beings have to be re-educated over and over and over again as we swim upstream against our own irrationalities” (Fahry). Through many pieces of important literature, no matter what time frame, we can see characters reacting in incorrect ways to their epiphanies and through this can teach generations of how to better handle a tough situation. She continues by saying, “O'Connor's story helps Shepard, a well-known researcher, wrestle with these questions as he crafts his own imperfect characters who catch glimpses of how to become better—but are often not quite strong enough to change” (Fassler). Even the weakest of characters can become inspiring, even if it’s not what they did but what they didn’t do.
One of the last types of negative epiphanies characters can experience is a personal one.
We see in Pride and Prejudice that Elizabeth realizes her excessive pride. Although she didn’t diligently work to fix this, she somewhat tries to control her personality trait and oftentimes points it out to the audience with an example being: “There is a stubbornness about me that never can bear to be frightened at the will of others. My courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate me” (Austen 62). Although a somewhat minor epiphany, her realization leads her to be able to fall in love with Darcy in the end by setting her pride to the side. Many people view these unfavorable realizations to be negative when in reality, lead to more good and personal change for not only the character but the audience as a whole. Young 20
The more popular and visual epiphanies is a positive one showing resilience, perseverance, and honor. Understanding the situation and way a character reacts is key in understanding why one acts the way they do. One of the most self-made positive epiphanies is shown in the novel The Help. Abileen, the African American house maid, finally realizes her self worth is worth more than the job she’s doing. After taking a good amount of negativity and hate from her employer, she begins to stand up for herself and instill the same self worth into the little girl, Mae, she was nannying for. This is proven through a quote by the strong woman when she says, “and that’s when I get to wondering, what would happen if I told her something good, every day” (Stockett 138). By placing her newly released standards into the young girl, the audience sees a glimpse of how impactful this can be to a person. It’s actions like these that inspire people to start revolutions. With so many stories showcasing women realizing their worth, questions were raised in countries whose women were not as far along in their rights as the characters portrayed in their literature. A perfect example of this is in the Soviet Union with many crediting literature sparking the first movements for change. In fact, there was an article written in support of that stating, “that narrative functions within a multi-disciplinary theory, research, and practice of livelihood, empowerment and conflict resolution. Given the colonial representations of women in the past and the storytelling ambiguity in misrepresenting women’s lives and locating them in marginal spaces in the narrative and society, the Soviet authorities claimed to end the seclusion of women ignoring women’s voices and social movements for equality and social change in the society after sparks of outrage concerning women’s rights”
(Tursonova). Even though literature depicting female characters realizing something important can actually start revolutions, it can also spark change on a smaller, more personal level. After Young 21
Elizabeth realises the importance for her to marry for love, she soon realises that the man she rejected for marriage is someone she is actually falling for. We see this when she states, “To be fond of dancing was a certain step towards falling in love” (Austen 121). With such a subtle change with a character not expecting the outcome, it teaches audiences, male or female, to keep an open mind. Understanding that positive epiphanies can influence on large scales and even smaller ones is the key to realizing that epiphanies have real world effects and consequences.
With such influential characters having these realistic and relatable epiphanies, they create real movements and actions, especially ones relating to female rights. As a reader seeing a character they love realizing their self-worth, strength, and capability always makes them dream bigger and better. Not only that, but it encourages them to do the same, bettering themselves and the people around them.
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Conclusion
Time plays a huge role in how we perceive something. Change needs something to push it in the right direction and for the way women are perceived in society, that push is literature.
With something so important in society as literature suggesting a new purpose for women and showcasing strength that was purposely hidden in older societies, new perspectives are built on the blooming new ideas presented by brave authors. In fact, an article published by The John
Hopkins University Press conveys a similar messages stating, “In the course of history, the various literatures changed not only their context and style, but also their relationships to each other, and their place in the general system of culture, as do religion, philosophy and science”
(Kernan 1). Once one understands the effects literature can have upon changing ideas and culture, they can truly understand the main message of the paper; past ideas imply unfair ideals for the worth and rights of women and have been cemented into our culture by the influence of important literature but, through brave authors who have changed the norm by incorporating independent strong women. Through these ideas, the characters' epiphanies support the growing rights in today’s culture.
Throughout the first chapter, the effect of shame in sexuality, rights, and roles became apparent in the way it negatively affected not only the view on women but the Women’s Right
Movement. Literature in history has set boundaries for women and taught them how they were supposed to act, contrary to modern views. In fact The European Journal of American Studies explains,” In Declarations of Independence: Women and Political Power in Nineteenth-Century American Fiction (1990), Barbara Bardes and Suzanne Gossett looked at several ways that women’s political participation influenced American literature but dismissed what they call Young 23
“pro-women's rights novels” as “little more than fictionalized didactic tracts” (180) and reduced them to a single theory that the vote ought to be given to women. In Romancing the Vote (2006), Leslie Petty worked to rehabilitate suffrage novels and their content, trying not to idealize the feminist message in the books and also not to dismiss them because of their race and class bias”
(Delahaye). Understanding how any type of Literature has an effect on current situations only strengthens the arguments made in the paper that negative works of literature truly impacts the view on women and the movements to improve their rights.
Although the way women were negatively portrayed made an impact, the many brave authors who consistently changed the way their female characters acted, were thought of, and showed new characteristics allowed for a greater, more positive impact. As history continues, we see more of a change in the way women interact through literature. This allowed for a new perspective of women to come forth, making the idea of equal rights even a possibility. In fact, many movements and literature go hand in hand. The British Library extends this argument explaining the Liberation Movement and its effects it had on modern literary saying, “ The
Women’s Liberation Movement opened doors for women in literature. Women’s publishing houses and magazines such as Virago, The Women’s Press and Spare Rib sprang up. Change happened in more complex ways too, through the creation of a new and broader sense of what was culturally valuable. These ideas fuelled and supported literary and aesthetic revolutions among women writers in the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s, with many now classic texts being created at that time” (Sisterhood and After Research Team). With such inspiring authors cementing the future possibilities for new generations of women, literature continued to inspire and open up new opportunities. Female characters now showed strength, independence, and courage, as well Young 24 as more leading roles. It is because of this that women have been able to flourish in society and culture as well as a greater respect towards efforts of equality.
Following the positive rise for women in literature comes situations that support the change occuring. What truly showed readers of women’s strength, intelligence, and courage were the epiphanies they faced. Through these, no matter if they were positive or negative, women were allowed to make their own decisions and realize a new perspective from their situation. This not only does this allow for a more dramatic plot but most importantly allows for change. This is supported by what happened in society with the Civil Rights Movement, Equal
Rights Movement, and even the Women’s Suffrage Movement. Without these epiphanies the characters faced, the idea of change for women and minorities would not have been even remotely considered. Robert Langbaum, a literary critic as well as a Literature Educator, explains the importance epiphanies have upon a storyline as well as society when he states, “It proceeds on principle of equality, and strives to reduce all things to the same standard. It is distinguished by a proud humility...hence the unaccountable mixture of seemingly simplicity and real abstruckness”(Langbaum). The epiphanies allow for a reader to feel more compatible and creates a more relatable situation. Through here, it can inspire one to make a change in their life.
Understanding the importance of epiphanies, both positive and negative, is key in understanding the effects of literature on women and vice versa.
Throughout the thesis chapters, ideas including the detrimental negative impacts early literature had on the way, especially early texts, positively influenced powerful and brave authors had on the movements and rights, and finally the impact of epiphanies were all elaborated.
Understanding how and why situations, movements, and ideas happen is important poses the Young 25 argument that past ideas imply unfair ideals for the worth and rights of women and have been cemented into our culture by the influence of important Literature but, through inspirational authors who have changed the norm by incorporating independent strong women. Through these ideas, the characters' epiphanies support growing women’s rights in today’s culture.
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Thesis
Past ideas imply unfair ideals for the worth and rights of women and have been cemented into our culture by the influence of important Literature but, through brave authors who have changed the norm by incorporating independent strong women. Through these ideas, the characters' epiphanies support the growing rights in today’s culture.
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