Yarmouth HS Daughter of Fortune

This blog will focus on the second question:

What does the way women are depicted in contemporary fiction say about our culture and identity? Evaluate the purpose of presenting women in this way in your novel.

I feel that women are becoming more and more prevalent in contemporary fiction. I also think that female characters are becoming more independent and less of a support character for a male. I feel that this shows our progression as a culture towards a more equal ideal.

Now for evidence of that. Well, from the American literature class we are taking, very few of the main characters are women. And an even smaller number are independent of male counterparts. The Scarlet Letter is an example of this. Hester is the main female character of the book, but she is not independent from men in anyway. Her crime is directly related to her male counterpart, as are all her problems.

I feel that in today’s fiction, women are being portrayed with stronger personalities. Even though TV and movies will remain at their brainless norm, fiction does portray women as stronger figures. Take a look at Stephen King’s works. The women he portrays aren’t completely independent, but they are intelligent and have their own, strong personalities.

This novel presents women as being strong and independent. This is because Allende recognizes the fact that women today are ready to be equals to men. The glass ceiling is ever cracking, with more and more women coming into positions of power. Allende recognizes this change, and supports women with her portrayals.

This one is focusing on the first question:

How are women depicted in contemporary fiction and media? During your reading of the novel, comment on the ways in which women are being portrayed. Consider relationships, experiences, situations, etc.

I feel that women are portrayed in a different manner than we have become accustomed to in today’s society. I feel that society still places traditional roles on women. Even though our society claims equal rights to women and men, women are judged in a harsher fashion then men are. I’m sure we all know the derogatory terms for women, and most of them are related to using sexuality for personal gain. Also women are depicted as being romance obsessed. There are plenty of movies out there, for example, that portray women to be guy obsessed ditzes. I know this isn’t all movies but I’m sure all of us could come up with a few of them. Now, this isn’t to say that some women aren’t romantic, but this single minded romance isn’t realistic.

Now, with that said, I think that this book portrays women as being who they want to be. The life of a Chilean woman in the upper class did not fit Eliza’s personality. Because of this, Eliza had no problem with taking her life into her own hands and changing her own fate. Yes, she does run off after her ‘love’ in a romantic way, but she eventually gives up on her love. She ends up a free woman.

Eliza frees herself from her social ties and moral obligations by traveling to a lawless land. In this land she claims the same rights and respect as a man would. She does pose as a man for much of the book, yet this freedom that she has as a woman is an incredible experience for her. She is able to take care of herself without any male intervention. She befriends Tao Chi’en, however their relationship, on whatever level it is, but that relationship isn’t necessary for her survival.

Overall the women are portrayed as strong and intelligent people. It could be easily argued that Allende portrays women as the better of the two sexes in this book. Allende’s representation of women makes them feel equal or superior to the males in the novel; also, these women are much more independent and strong willed than the woman portrayed in today’s media.

I owe an apology to my group mates for not blogging sooner. I have read the book, I finished it a few weeks ago. Anyway, onto my thoughts.

Since I’m behind I’ll just combine my blogs into one massive one if that’s alright with everyone.

Well, let me first say that I enjoyed this book. The different cultures and how they blend together during the book made for great reading. I’ve read two other books by Allende, and I enjoyed them as well, but this one had a much different feel to it. She didn’t spare the details in any part of the book, and that was different from most media published today. A book that graphic couldn’t be made into a movie without losing much of the feeling from the necessary censorship.

I did like the ending. I feel like there was enough closure to put my mind at rest. Yes, I did wonder what happened to them next, but I suppose that’s exactly what Allende wanted the reader to feel. It lets the reader’s imagination and wonder take hold and makes you think, something that doesn’t always happen in books. I think that it would have been nice to see what happened between Eliza and Tao, but then again the whole history of their relationship has been fuzzy. At some points Eliza talks about him as a friend, and other times as more of a husband like figure. The ethnic differences in their relationship and how they were treated by others could have made a great side story, if indeed they did end up in a sort of long term relationship.

I really enjoyed the strength of Eliza during the entire novel. She takes hold of her life, much like Rose did in her own life. Rose tells Eliza that she wishes she was a man so she could be free. From Rose’s influence Eliza develops into a very strong woman, that doesn’t obey the strict laws of her Chilean society. And I enjoyed that. Allende portrays the women in this book as strong and loving, yet trapped by the society in which they live. I think that women today have much more freedom, yet this exaggeration from history tells her own views that women are still partly trapped in their societies. In the US it’s much less than the rest of the world, yet there still hasn’t been a woman president, and the number of female CEO’s and presidents of large corporations can be counted on fingers alone.

Another thing I enjoyed about this book is the character development. Many of the characters have their pasts described in vivid detail in some part of the book. Tao has a large section devoted to him alone. This book is primarily about Eliza, yet with little effort this book could be split up into several short stories about each of the characters. I really liked this. I felt that it helped to explain the characters and why they did what they did in their interactions with Eliza. And in each of these backgrounds the culture shines through. Allende obviously did her homework on Chilean and Chinese culture at the time period.

Well, there are my basic views on the book.