The Color Purple

This was a really good book, and I liked that Celie finds happiness after all the abuse she suffered by the men in her life. She’s such a sad, frightened girl, and evolves into a more confident woman, but still doesn’t think she is good enough for someone to love her. When Shug takes off with Germaine, Celie is depressed, but then just accepts it. She doesn’t seem to think anyone could love her, “Sometimes I think Shug never love me. What would she love? Nothing special here for nobody to love.” (pg. 259) Celie has been through so much abuse in her life, both emotional and physical, she really doesn’t believe she deserves to be happy. “Celie, I say, happiness is just a trick in your case. Just cause you never had any before Shug, you thought it was time to have some, and that it was gon last.”(pg. 259)

I think Alice Walker is showing us in the book that when women suffer such terrible abuse in their lives, it leaves lasting emotional scars and damage which they may never completely recover from. Celie wants nothing to do with men, and who can blame her? I think at that point, even in her relationship with Shug, deep down she doesn’t truly believe she deserves to be loved by anyone or be happy. When Shug writes to Celie to tell her she’s coming home, Celie realizes she can live without Shug if she has to and still have a good life, “If she come home, I be happy. If she don’t, I be content. And then I figure this is the lesson I was supposed to learn.” (pg. 283) It seems like Celie has learned she can rely on herself and have her friends and be happy.

                                                     Kindred

After reading Kindred by Octavia Butler, I was very moved about the abuse and sexual assault the women slaves had to endure. They had absolutely no power, and were victims of rape by the white slave owners, and then the hired help, when the master no longer had any use for them. They were considered possessions, without any feelings at all, and that is difficult to absorb. One example is when Jake Edwards had told Dana she was going to be doing the wash, and that Tess was going to the fields. “Poor Tess. Weylin had tired of her as a bed mate, and passed her casually to Edwards. She had been afraid Edwards would send her to the fields where he could keep an eye on her.” And Tess crying with fear, “You do everything they tell you, and they still treat you like an old dog. Go here, open your legs; go there, bust your back. What they care! I ain’t s’pose to have no feelin’s!” (pg. 181) Tess is powerless to change her situation.

Dana is very vulnerable being thrown back into 1815, and as a woman is very much at risk for the very same thing- the possibility of sexual assault, and it’s something women face in our times, also. Becoming a victim of sexual assault is an issue women have always had to deal with, and in Kindred, there was no legal system to protect a woman of color, as they weren’t even considered human beings, and as slaves, had no rights. And I should add, the legal system today, does not always protect a women when she is the victim of sexual assault. In the patriarchal society in Kindred, the white women had very few rights, either, and were merely appendages of their husbands and fathers. However, it was no comparison to what the black women suffered as slaves. I think Octavia Butler was able to truly convey in this book, the horrible injustices the women slaves were subjected to by their masters, and society as a whole in those times. 

              The Handmaid's Tale

After reading The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, I was struck by the relationship the Commander initiates with Offred, and his willingness to break the rules of Gilead. On pg 158, he says his wife doesn't understand him, they hardly talk, and that they don't have much in common. Offred thinks it's the same old thing; the rationale men use to justify cheating on their wives.

The women are held to a higher standard, and on pg.167 she talks about the Wives buying Soul Scrolls, as it is a sign of piety and faithfulness to the regime and helps their husbands' careers. There is a double standard in Gilead, and the men feel justified to have mistresses, and still follow the old ways, while reading the Bible and holding Prayvaganzas. I think Atwood is showing that even with the extreme religious society of Gilead, the women are the oppressed and have lost any freedom that they had, while the men continue to experience the forbidden pleasures. In the instance at the gentlemen's club, on pg. 237, the Commander says, "You can't cheat Nature. Nature demands variety, for men. It stands to reason, it's part of the procreational strategy. It's Nature's plan." He justifies his behavior blaming it on Nature, and uses his power and position in the patriarchal society to control her.

The Hunger Games

Katniss

Why did I wait so long? I've been totally ignoring the constant urgings from my daughter to read the books and watch the movies. I completely loved this book, and couldn't put it down. I've already been through the second one and am now reading Mockingjay, I am so glad this was the first book we were going to read and discuss in our class.

I'm going to examine the role of Katniss Everdeen as the heroine with traits we normally associate with masculinity, and the departure from the typical female character that we usually see. After the death of her father, we see Katniss become the caretaker of her family, hunting for food and taking on the responsibility for their survival. She is the strong one who is fearless, and will not back down from anyone who gets in her way. She protects her sister Prim at all costs, and takes her place in the games. We typically see this as a male role being the hunter and provider for the family. 

The affection Katniss has for Rue seems to be because she reminds her of her younger sister Prim. Katniss looks out for Rue and tries to keep her safe in the same way she does with Prim in taking care of her. She's in the role of the protector which is another trait that is usually seen in the masculine roles. Katniss tries to save Rue, and when she fails is determined to destroy the Careers and make them pay for her death. Not only is Katniss the caretaker and protector, but is now the warrior determined to avenge Rue.

Katniss saves Peeta repeatedly, and we usually see the male as the fierce warrior with the woman being more the supportive in the shadows role. In the case of these two, the roles are reversed with Katniss being the tough, always hide your emotions, whereas, Peeta is the gentler kinder person. 

Image: http://guardianlv.com/2014/04/katniss-everdeen-is-positive-for-feminism/