Lens of Feminism Essay

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Angela Carter's The Blood Chamber and Other Stories is, what some interpret as a feminist text. It was written by a heterosexual woman and depicts a heterosexual female's sexuality along with things that otherwise would not be seen, especially at that time, in literature. Such stories like "Wolf-Alice" within the text show (in essence) how women are subdued by the constrains of society, but also (in a sense) benefit from the aid of men and their acceptance of women as they are in their true forms. Several critical texts from Showalter, Johnson, and Scott reveal the journey of feminist identity and construct into its modern interpretation of gender and gender theory as well as show how a story like "Wolf-Alice" can mimic this journey and therefore be seen as a feminist text, or in the very least, an exploration of gender and the roles of women.

Showalter in her book, The Female Malady, explains the origins of hysteria and the maladies that caused the end of women's ambition. "epidemic of nervous disorder-anorexia nervosa, hysteria, and neurasthenia-which marked the fin de siecle to women's ambition." (Showalter 121) Women who decided to overcome and deny the roles of tradition began to feel the effects of control from society in an attempt to end any sparks of feminism. This was seen in obsession over women's size and body shape. The hour glass figure with the large bosoms and the tiny waist was something women aspired to, and still do today. This along with the way society saw was women's role naturally, fueled the need for women to adhere to the norm.

When the reader is first introduced to Alice in "Wolf-Alice," there are very distinct descriptions of the character that suggest an image of femininity outside of traditional views, "Her panting tongue hangs out; her red lips are thick and fresh. Her legs are long, lean and muscular." (Carter 118) "Muscular," "thick," "fresh," "wide shoulders," these words, coupled with the innate strength seen in the wolf are associated with a young girl who cannot speak, much less exist within normal society, adding a depth as well as uniqueness to the character. When one thinks of a girl, especially a young girl, the words: "dainty," "fresh," "soft," "fragile," come to mind. However mixing "fresh" and "wide shoulders" together in describing Alice, not only breaks through the traditional image of the human female, but also mixes it with the traditional views of the human male.

Many texts of the previous eras showed the role of women as a part of nature."By nature, then, woman was constituted to be 'the helpmate and companion of man'; her innate qualities of mind were formed to make her man's complement rather than his equal." (Showalter 123) Even the first story of man in the Bible, "Adam and Eve" told of Eve being made from the rib of Adam. The literature of several millenia made it seem as though women were made for and by men and should therefore be made to support and assist them.

Carter sought to make Alice not a means of support, but rather a means of being supported. Here she is a scrappy, young "cub" that needed help after her adopted wolf mother was struck down. But instead of accepting the help of the people, she gnarled at them, providing another deviation from female roles by creating a character that fights rather than willingly accepts her fate. "she snapped at her would-be saviours with her spiky canines until they tied her up by force." (Carter 119) So many times women have been asked to simply accept their roles and honor society.

What this meant ultimately (throughout history) is that women are meant to clean, cook, and take care/raise the offspring. "Women's work was clearly motherhood, which fulfilled and exercised her nature as it also served the needs of society and the race." (Showalter 123) In fact in Colonial America, women were expected to stay home and raise the children because there was a need for additional labor. They made it seem as though the survival of the family, rested on the women cleaning and caring for the children. It wasn't until the 1950's that the idea of women working outside the home permanently leaked into society.

Showalter explains in chapter 5: "Nervous Women: Sex Roles and Sick Roles" further that the maladies experienced by women during the time of such attempts at feminism were often described as illnesses that snowballed in symptoms, to scare women into conforming.

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"Menstrual functions could be made irregular or even arrested by sustained mental effort: headache, lassitude, and insomnia might ensue" (Showalter 125) Such snowballing and labeling of fake illnesses through serious terms like "Hysteria" created an atmosphere of craziness that early feminists were often associated with. These feminists or potential feminists would then be considered nothing more than ill patients in need of treatment.

And so was Alice in need of treatment when they found her. She was taught to sit up and give thanks for being rescued. For the way in which Alice appeared, a capricious, impatient, and wild animal, was not acceptable to those that found her. She needed to not only be human but also be female and show compassion, patience, and understanding. These are the views seen within a patriarchal society that should be applied to all of humanity, but is emphasized in women. This perhaps is due to the inherent fear of societal collapse should women refuse their roles through feminism and rebellion.

Such was the fear of men and even some women in regards to the pursuit or action of feminism, that society put feminism as an attempt at race suicide. "If women continued to unsex themselves in study, race suicide must follow" (Showalter 125) The same kind of snowballing effect seen in the conceived illness of women was now appearing in the effect of feminism on society as a whole. There was great fear inherent in feminism and what it signified. It wasn't until certain professionals began to interpret the "wild acts" of women did society begin to see the truth behind women's struggle for equality.

Breuer and Freud's Studies on Hysteria gave an admitting view that maintained hysterics were neither mentally deficient nor weak. In fact as Janet noted, people of the strongest will, greatest character, and clearest intellect contained the most talent. Breuer listened to his hysteria patient and what she told Breuer provided psychoanalytic theory of unconcious that was seen in Breuer and Freud's work. This work is a means of showing the unconcious protest of women amidst the social conditions brought on by a patriarchal society.

The reader sees this "unconcious protest" in "Wolf-Alice" when Alice menustrates for the first time. Here, Alice imagines a wolf biting/nibbling her "cunt" and tries to deal with the female biological processes by examining her breasts, grooming herself and in essence exploring her body and its natural growth. Although confused and bothered by the constant stream of blood, she was not afraid to see how she was changing. Unlike her feminine counterparts in society, she was not shy to look at her nakedness or think about her body. Further rebellion is shown through her continuous desire to identify with the wolves she lived with, howling for the freedom they signified. This freedom is what many women who experienced "Hysteria" craved. And the "talking cure" was a means to deal with such pain.

Ironically the talking cure was not widely accepted until men began experiencing widespread mental illness. Through the experiences of war and the hardships of economic depression, men started feeling the "shell shock" that women had all the while. It was during the literal shell shock felt by soldiers in the Great War, was the talking cure embraced by psychiatric practice. Psychiatric modernism was then not brought on through feminism, but rather, through war.

Feminism has experienced several different reincarnations and explorations, so has gender. The analysis of gender has always been met with dramatically polarizing views. Within the last twenty years however, it has taken on a distinct direction. "In its most recent usage, "gender" seems to have first appeared among American feminists who wanted to insist on the fundamentally social quality of distinctions based on sex." (Scott 1054) In "Wolf-Alice," Carter showed how gender was a mixture of both male and female identities. A girl could be strong, even sexual, and a man could be nurturing, caring.

Gender as it seemed, denoted utter rejection of the implicitly experienced biological determinism in terms of "sexual difference" and "sex." The word "gender" also emphasized relational aspect of normative labels of the feminine construct. Relational notions were then introduced in order to shift focus on just women and more on gender. From this perspective, thusly, men and women were viewed and defined in terms of one another, meaning studying men and women separately would not yield enough understanding and interpretation. One cannot interpret Alice as a whole being without the Duke......

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