Women's Classic Stereotypes In Literature

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Women’s Classic Stereotypes For many, years society has lived women’s lives for them. Women do not have the right to choose their own path because society has controlled women’s lives for them. Society has predetermined how they are supposed to think and act. It is evident we would see this type of oppression of women in literature. Since fictional literature is simply an image of real society. In “Sweat” Delia Jones and in “A Rose for Emily” Miss Emily are in a constant struggle to break away from society’s stereotypes of a perfect lady. In both novellas, the authors describe women in classic stereotypes, where women are supposed to either be a cook, cleaning lady or be devoted to God. The town pass a law that any Negro woman needs to wear…show more content…
It is almost as if all women are supposed to be the same size to please society. In “A Rose for Emily” the protagonist’s body is described by the author as not being attractive only because of her weight. “They rose when she entered—a small, fat woman in black, with a thin gold chain descending to her wait and vanishing into her belt, leaning on an ebony cane with a tarnished gold head. Her skeleton was small and spare; perhaps that was why what would have been merely plumpness in another was obesity in her. She looked bloated, like a body long submerged in motionless water, and of that pallid hue. Her eyes, lost in the fatty ridges of her face, looked like two small pieces of coal pressed into a lump of dough as they moved from one face to another while the visitors stated their errand” (Faulkner 31). Even when they saw her as small and fat, Miss Emily showed them a confident woman when she spoke with assurance, “Her voice was dry and cold” (Faulkner 31). Society is not sure how they want women to look, because if women are also skinny they are also seen as not attractive. “She was on her feet; her poor little body, her bare knuckly hands bravely defying the strapping hulk before her” (Hurston 560). “Gawd! How Ah hates skinny wimmen!” (Hurston 561). Still after being disrespected Delia was able to build herself up. “After that she was able to build a spiritual…show more content…
The character of Miss Emily is shown in a portrait in the background of her father, representing her father was in charge. “Miss Emily a slender figure in white in the background, her father a spraddled silhouette in the foreground, his back to her and clutching a horsewhip, the two of them framed by the back-flung front door” (Faulkner 32). Nevertheless, Miss Emily showed that all men where not sufficient to be next to her. “None of the young men were quite good enough for Miss Emily and such” (Faulkner 32). The author, also, mentions a horsewhip as a symbol of dominance over her, which the author of “Sweat” also uses this symbol in the equal representation. “Just then something long, round, limp, and black fell upon her shoulders and slithered to the floor beside her. A great terror took hold of her. It softened her knees and dried her mouth so that it was a full minute before she could cry out or move. Then she saw that it was the big bull whip her husband liked to carry when he drove” (Hurston 559). Nevertheless, Delia’s reaction to this was to stop being oppressed by her husband. “She seized the iron skillet from the stove and struck a defensive pose, which act surprised him greatly, coming from her” (Hurston 560). In both novellas, women are shown either behind men or lower than men, but the characters prove that this was
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