So school has commenced and I couldn’t be happier. Furthermore, I received my essay back that I wrote two months ago with a happy A+ nestled quite comfortably at the end accompanied with the comment “No complaints!” by my seemingly satisfied professor. It was the beautiful cherry on top of an overall great day. However, you know that stab of pain one gets after eating a mouthful of icecream too quickly? Yeah… my wonderful day was tainted by the sub zero temperatures that bit mercilessly through my winter gear. Ahh… extended exposure to the elements… I did not miss you in the least.
I also realized the behemoth of a book I scrambled to finish throughout January was actually to be reviewed next week. So I have this whole week and the next two to read the next book on the list. Happily, a friend of mine was able to reserve the only copy in the Chapters he works at and willingly offered to buy it with his staff discount. So the $20 dollars I would’ve had to spend on this book has been shaved down to a more comfortable $15 or so. Lovely.
But before I worry about the next book, there’s an essay that needs to be contemplated. After reading Atwood’s works, a clear theme has emerged: female identity. As I read, I became thoroughly enthralled with Atwood’s peroccupation with how society perceives women and–more importantly–how women perceive themselves.
There’s a constant conflict in Atwood’s story: the domesticated housewife versus the career-driven artist who strives to build a life outside of society’s expectations. Interestingly, neither women seem to succeed in either role. As one intuitive peer observed in my class, “It’s like Atwood is saying you either burn out or fade away.” Either way women get the shit end of the stick, which isn’t exactly promising.
The message that doom is immenent for women is one that pervades literature. As a seasoned English Major, I’ve seen it everywhere. But is it true? I’ve known many women who’ve led wonderful, self-satisfying lives being either married or independent. I’m not quite sure how to build a thesis around this theme… so I suppose I’ll try to hash it out in this blog.
Atwood’s works convey the sense that identity is something that is constructed and pieced together and trying to define oneself in terms of something concrete and immovable is dangerous. There are things about oneself that one cannot change… but believing that one’s identity is set in stone can put you in a trap of your own construction. Society sets up these feminine identities with a clearly defined structure with its expected happy ending. However, what most women find when they follow these paths is that the happy ending is no where in sight. Married women end up in unhappy, often adulterous relationships; women who aspire to become artists often end up destitute and lonely with their masterworks unrecognised; successful women are shown to still be conquered by less successful men solely because of their sex; god-fearing servant women become blind to their own corruption. Something in common these women share is their attempt to escape from their situation.
Surfacing: the surfacer believed herself a caring mother to a child she later reveals to have aborted. Her return to nature appears to be an escape from the truth.
Wilderness Tips: sassy magazine editor ultimately gets jilted by the married man she has an affair with and loses her job after becoming ill. She attempts to escape the reality of her situation by sending her removed tumour to his wife.
Alias Grace: the celebrated murderess shifts and changes her story as a way of veiling the truth.
All of these stories have the housewife and “other woman” dichotemy. But so what? Ugh… *thinks*… Is a sense of happiness to be found when one attempts to escape these roles? Are attempts at escape only to end in unhappiness due to the power of social convention? Is convention inescapable? Can women redefine social expectations of them and still achieve happiness?
This is going to be a hard paper to write. At least I have Mandarin and the company of a wonderful gentleman to look forward to tomorrow.
