How Are Women Portrayed As Victims English Literature Essay

How Are Wo workforce Portrayed As Victims English Literature EssayThe portrayal of women as victims is one of the come across themes presented finishedout Othello, Jane Eyre and The Colour color. The writers employ narrative and plot as vehicles to challenge the social attitudes of the period in which they are set. The women in the texts are subjected to three forms of woeful physical, verbal and psychological in which the audience/reader discover how women were treated and put one across the hazard to reflect on how the drive for social motley was born. Shakespeares embolden Othello presents women through the eyes of the fellow male characters, however there is some self-representation by the female characters although much less frequently. The Colour Purple by Alice pedestrian is an acclaimed epistolary novel, showing the life and journey of Celie, a poor black woman who has known nonhing of love in her life. Walker uses her as a vehicle to challenge the American society and to depict the brutality of the cruelty which black women endured daily. Finally, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte depicts the story of a one-year-old woman on a journey of love and self-realisation in a characteristically bildungsroman genre, but with elements of gothic genre also. The eponymous heroine in Jane Eyre is shown as a woman throe throughout her life in this society, as an educated, astute, yet poor young woman who is neglected and unacquainted with love. Jane is in a struggle to shake discharge the social conformities thrust upon her, meanwhile having to cope with psychological and physical abuse from her superiors in social attitude.The most prominent form of abuse present in Othello, towards the female characters, is psychological abuse the fundamental ideas, attitudes and values the men have and how they behave around the female characters. Othello is a Jacobean revenge tragedy scripted in approximately 1603. patronage Elizabeth I reigning over England up to thi s point, women in Britain still remained dormant in society, having virtually no rights or status the nevertheless status they could gain would be through marriage. This is where we are able to see the cause of why women were treated as property in this quantify, payable to the importance of money where fathers can secure fortune by marrying their daughters to flush aristocrats.In Othello the three women, Desdemona, Emilia and Bianca are subjected to equal amounts of abuse, although Bianca is the only one to fail in the play. Desdemona is not introduced to the audience by name until she is present on stage, which is the first indication of the subservient female status. She is only referred to as a flip of property by the another(prenominal) male characters, Look to your house, your daughter and your baggage, showing how Iago is referring to her as a piece of baggage, amidst his household and other property. This reference highlights not only her apparent unimportance, but al so her inferior position as a female as, much like the audience, she seems unable to intervene and must watch her economize break down through paranoia. Secondly, the fact that Brabantio is not offended by this remark displays how he expects Desdemona to defer to his wishes and how this attitude was routine in this period. While Desdemona is a victim payable to her sex, there are other factors also beyond her control which cause her further suffering. There are apparent similarities to the way marginalised characters are presented, whether it is due to sex, race or belief. So, while we see the contrast in living environment between male and female characters in a blanched patriarchal society, we can also observe the subtle similarities, particularly between black men such as Othello and women such as Desdemona, and how black men are subjected to ridicule by white men and how this accumulation affects women. Iagos murder of Emilia and deceit of Othello could also stem from the gen eral hatred of women that he displays Jeremy Abrams suggested that Iagos fountain for betraying Othello is an underlying homosexual love for him, and the jealousy of Desdemona that comes alongside this. Many critics has dismissed this suggestion, but there is rise in the play which testifies to this theory, such as the two-part swap between himself and Othello in Act 3 Scene 3 Iago doth give up the execution of his wit, hands, heart, to wronged Othellos service. This is similar to an exchange of vows at a wedding as they are both kneelt, creating an image of matrimony. Despite this, Iago is a talented villain for he is able to debase the strong, wilful Othello, manipulate his devoted wife into neat part of the scheme and dooming Desdemona, all through the cunning use of one of the core c erstpts of any relationship trust. This clever, yet lethal use of trust leads Othello into paranoia and to the ultimate murder of his innocent wife Desdemona.In the Victorian setting of Jane Ey re two hundred historic period later, women seem to have attained some benefits or choices in their lives although once to a greater extent money is paramount in giving them the opportunity to do this. Women like Jane were gentlewomen who were semi-poor, and had to work. The only worthwhile role was as a governess, and it did not carry much respect. Brontes exploration of the social position of governesses in Victorian England shows how class divide between females can lead to further neglect. There is evidence of this from the disparaging remarks from Blanche, You should hear mama on the chapter of governesses Mary and I have had, I should think, a dozen at least in our day fractional of them detestable and the rest ridiculous, and all incubi. Jane is in a rather complex situation, as her education has been impressive and she has experienced childhood in a wealthy lifestyle, she possesses a sense of self-worth and dignity, trust in God, sound morals and a passionate disposition. But throughout the course of the novel, her integrity is tested time and time again as a young woman, and Jane must learn to equaliser the frequently conflicting aspects of herself and the restraints of being a governess, in order to find merriment in love and liberty. There are instances which highlight this divide and relate to Desdemonas situation, such as the time Jane spent at Lowood as a young girl, where the reader examines how Mrs. Scatcherd forces her to stand on the stool for the rest of the lesson due to hearing misleading news of Janes childhood, followed by Brocklehursts unfair tormenting of Jane under this false information This girl, this child, the intrinsic of a Christian land, worse than many a little heathen who says its prayers to Brahma and kneels before Juggernaut this girl is a liar. Despite Desdemona and Jane being subjected to the aforesaid(prenominal) kind of abuse, the difference between the two is that Desdemona is subjected to this by a male, where as Jane is subjected to this by another female highlighting this extra element to female suffering from other females. Jane is in a continual struggle to overcome oppression and achieve equality. She must also fight against male domination, alongside class hierarchy, as her call for for self-integrity poses as a threat to men in the patriarchal society. There are three key males in the novel, Mr. Brocklehurst, Edward Rochester, and St. John Rivers, who threaten her goal of equality. each stops Jane expressing her own thoughts and feelings by keeping her in an obedient state. Her unwillingness to comprise her integrity fuels her refusal of Rochesters marriage proposal as Jane believes that she should not make herself a cocotte to Rochester while he, legally, remains married to Bertha not even to gratify her emotional needs. Paradoxically, her time spent at Moor House leads her to experience economic liberty and meaningful, educative work to prove that she can truly become her own woman yet in this environment she lacks emotional sustenance. In regards to St. John proposal marriage, Jane declines knows the marriage would be based on the convenience rather than any emotion, and can therefore decline the offer, rather than deny her emotional needs for a husband. Jane later clarifies her choice when she says, I am my husbands life as fully as he is mine. . . . To be together is for us to be at once as free as in solitude, as gay as in company. . . . We are precisely suited in character-perfect concord is the result.The Colour Purple also portrays the constant psychological distresses of 20th century black women, and the constant fear of abusive husbands. Although we see the liberty of white women growing over the years between the writing of Othello and of Jane Eyre, for black women this oppression remains continuous. When black people were brought over to the western world as slaves, they lacked literacy and so were deemed inferior, leading to their constant pe rsecution. Despite white and black women being in separate social background, the brutalisation and emasculation of black men in society meant their treatment of women was no fracture than the way white men treated women. Celie, the central character in The Colour Purple serves to show how, similarly to Desdemona, Bianca and Emilia, black women were victims of extreme forms of abuse, primarily due to the victimisation which black men were forced to endure through the slave trade in the white dominated society of the 20th Century. From an early age, Celie ensures her endurance by making herself practically invisible the only means of self expression or fortitude which she possesses are in her letters to God. The cause of this lies with her stepfather, Alphonso, who physically, verbally and sexually abuses her from a young age, but she represses any retaliation contrasting greatly to view of Jane (even from a young age) but comparable to Desdemonas inert attempts to match herself a t the climax of the play. Later in life she reacts in a similarly lifeless manner when subjected to the abuse of her husband Mr._____. However, we see a change in the psyche of Celie when she meets the unconventional female character, Shug Avery. Celie has had every female relation or role model taken away from her, such as her set about or her sister Nettie, so when Shug appears as a new part of her life, Celie attaches herself to Shug and relishes the chance to find a female companion. Shug offers Celie an insight into an unknown world of success, opportunity and hope, and reawakens the lost youth and vitality which Celie has spent so long restraining. This new relationship draws parallels to the unity between Jane and Helen Burns at Lowood. Helen gives Jane insights into Christian thinking and how our actions watch our place in heaven, which is similar to the way Shug opens up a world of success for Celie and an opportunity to escape her life of torment something which she neve r thought possible.The punt form of abuse to be addressed is verbal abuse. The letters from her sister Nettie, which Celie discovers in Mr. ______s trunk, reimburse a sense of hope and resilience for Celie, as she learns of the lives of her children which have been a mystery to her for many years. Gradually, we see Celie able to formulate and communicate her thoughts and feelings which leads to her violent outburst at Mr. ______, in which the years of abasement and maltreatment which he has put her through, is finally lifted from her shoulders. Celie takes the act of sewing, which is traditionally thought of as a mere chore for women who are confined to a domestic role, and turns it into an return for creative self-expression and a profitable business. So, now the reader sees her finding solace and happiness in traditional conventions which woman have been saddled with for centuries, and after stay docile for years, she, like Jane, is finally contented and self-fulfilled And when her family are reunited with her, she has truly everything she has ever dreamed of and needed, evident as she says, Dont think us feel old at all. . . . Matter of fact, I think this the youngest us ever felt.It is interesting to see how, although she is subjected to arguably harsher levels of abuse, Celie represses these feelings and shows no signs of resistance, whereas Jane struggles continually to overcome oppression. Furthermore, Desdemona surfaces as a much more submissive character, which conforms to archetypal views about marriage and the role of women, and breaks the theme of militancy and fighting oppression amongst the three texts. These three female characters represent the authors attitudes to the oppressive nature of which women were subject to, and would have acted as a symbol of hope for all women who feel pressured in a male-controlled society. They would inspire confidence and show that perseverance through the repression thrust upon them will lead to success altho ugh in Desdemona and Emilias cases there is an exception. Perhaps, through the deaths of Desdemona and Emilia, Shakespeare aimed to draw attention to female suffering and, although their lives will have been in the balance earlier on in history, perhaps this was one of many stepping stones towards female equality.