Women at that time period didn't have much power. Kings only wanted to have boys as children, because then they could keep up in the throne. This is the same thing that happens to Emma. She wishes that her child is a boy because women are always put aside, and at that time in disadvantage for anything in life. Emma is the only woman which is truly analyzed in the book, and we can notice that only men can change her life perspective. She is married to Charles, which is lazy and doesn't want so many work, therefore doesn't seek to be a member of higher class (which is Emma's wish). One fact that bothers me towards this portrayal of women in the book is that Emma only married Charles because she thought that he fulfilled her dream of a love story, and didn't think about the future. This demonstrates that Emma was naive and also stupid because she relied in love stories to find her husband instead of looking for someone who could provide what she wanted to be.
Emma's lovers are also an example of how women didn't have too much power at that time. Her lovers were the only ones who could cause her to change, and if they wanted to leave her they could, but she had always to stick to her marriage. All of her lovers end up leaving her; one went to Paris, the other one stopped liking her, and all she wanted was to have the power to leave with each one of them, but on the other side she lacked this power. Her lovers (men) in that time had much more power towards women, and these only had to obey, or stick to what they had in that moment for the rest of their lives because they still lacked power. Another example that women lacked power is that in the end of the book the only thing that Emma could offer was her body, nothing more nothing less. She offered her body to Justin, the lawyer asked her sexual favors for his money, and this in my opinion must be a horrible experience.
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This is a thoughtful response, and I think you make a good point about the fact that men are the ones who dictate and change her perspective in life. She has no agency, however, she seems to make this choice by willing giving up any potential power she might have had. Perhaps if she stayed loyal to Charles she could have had a more equal partnership?
ReplyDeleteThere seem to be many similarities between the treatment of women in Wuthering Heights and Madame Bovary.
ReplyDeleteIn both novels, the women do not have any power, as can be seen in Wuthering Heights by the manner in which Cathy and Nelly are completely subjugated and imprisoned by Heathcliff. Both Catherine (mother) and Emma aspire to be of a higher social class, where they'd have more access to money, but both depend on male figueres to reach this goal. In this point of view, both novels evince the unfair way in which women are treated, as a form of criticism to societies manners.
There are, however, many differences in the message the two novels seem to put on through main female characters. While Emma got married originally to fulfill her love story dream, then got into trouble by wishing to be with men of higher social status and acquisitive power, Catherine got married with Edgar at first because of his status, and afterwards, realised that she'd never be happy without her love, Heathcliff. In the end, both women were naive to think that their plan would work, and had to face reality (at least in Catherines situation, a harsh one).
Looking at Wuthering Heights as a whole, there seem to be more points of view concerning women that are present in Madame Bovary. Instead of only displaying Emmas path, Wuthering Heights involves the life of Catherine, Cathy and Isabella. Each add a specific aspect to the novel(Catherines want to ascent socially, Cathy being used by men as a means to get to her families money and land, Isabella being mistreated as a result of the male figure going insane over another woman).
by- Bruna