Essay, Research Paper
The understanding of attraction between opposite sexes and the impact they have on each other has qualities of both mystery and accessibility. These complex issues are elusive and cannot be fully comprehended. Only small pieces of knowledge about them have been captured in literature, in scientific and analytical studies, and in individual’s search and speculations.
Two literary works by Pam Houston and Doris Lessing explore some aspects of this puzzling and complex issue concerning relationships between men and women and their behavior. In her short story, “How to Talk to a Hunter,” Houston describes different ways women position themselves in relation to men, and points out the contradictions that the main character experiences, while trying to coexist with the man she is in a relationship with. Lessing in her narrative “Woman on a Roof” portrays the behavior of men towards a free and independent-thinking woman who sunbathes on the roof near the one they are working on, and remains indifferent to their attention and provocations. These real life examples described by the two authors are reflected in the theoretical analyses of male and female behaviors and models of the differences in the perceptions of opposite sexes documented by Carol Gilligan in her essay “Woman’s Place in Man’s Life Cycle” and Carolyn Steedman in her extract “Histories.” The two literary works by Houston and Lessing supported by the analytical theories of Gilligan and Steedman describe the life as it is, where the harmonious coexistence of male and females is not present, where the forces that attract two individuals are stronger that their minds, and where the behavior of the out of norm women evokes anger and frustration in men.
Two very different women depicted in Houston’s and Lessing’s fiction stories are placed in different positions in the progression of the narratives. Houston’s main character has an active role. She is the one who searches for meaning, tries to understand the man she is in a relationship with, and looks for the answers to questions that bother her. The reader accompanies her in these explorations as a silent and invisible witness. In contrast, in Lessing’s work the sunbathing woman is a blank space. Everything we know about her is through the observations of men working on the roof adjoining hers and their discourses about her. She does not lead the narrative; instead her silence invites the reader to ask questions, understand and analyze the behavior of men.
Through the narrative positions assumed by the two female characters, the reader is made aware of the different social positions and behaviors that define them. Houston portrays a woman whose views are shaped by social and cultural conditions according to which women “attract men by whose name she will be known, by whose status she will be defined” (Gilligan 396). Despite her intelligence, self-awareness and complete understanding of her situation, the main character of Houston’s work stays in the relationship with the man who “cannot speak the same language” with her, whose values differ from hers, and who is unfaithful to her (Houston 709). The hunter appeals to her primal urges that he embodies. His life and he himself is basic and simple, as her desires for protection, sexual pleasure and commitment are.
She is longing for a commitment and commitment from the man she is involved with, because she is “threatened by separation,” and “comes to know herself through the relationships with others,” and because she needs to gain security (Gilligan 396). The male character, on another hand, tries to avoid binding himself in the relationship and therefore “forms the sentences so it will be impossible to tell if [the narrator] is included in his plans” (Houston 708). He is frightened of attachment since his “masculinity is defined through separation” and independence (Gilligan 393).
The narrator in Houston’s short story is capable of recognizing her dependence on men, their controlling behavior, and her need for security, but she is trapped within her feelings, her desires for the hunter and the norms imposed by society. Similarly, the watercress girl and Dora described in Steedman’s work “Histories” are trapped within economic factors and social morals of their time respectively. The watercress girl is born into financially insecure family, which shapes her identity, while Dora’s value in the social world is determined by what she possesses, not by her individuality.
In contrast to the woman portrayed by Houston who wants to be “rescued from emptiness and loneliness by man, the main character of Doris Lessing’s narrative, “Woman on a Roof” seeks the separation from men and is attracted to their attention (Gilligan 396). She remains unresponsive to all attempts of the three construction workers to make her take a notice of them. The sunbathing woman’s indifferent attitude towards these men of distinct ages evokes a strong reaction from them.
Harry, the oldest of the three men accepts the woman’s presence and attitude with relative tolerance, but for the younger men she becomes an object that mirrors their own sexual insecurities and desires. In Stanley she arouses aggressiveness that shows his anxious state of mind. She also awakens a sense of fear within him because she reminds him that his own wife is also a woman, capable of being independent and unashamed of her body. More that anything else he is afraid of not being able to control her. Tom, the youngest, has erotic dreams about the woman and sees her tenderly. He perceives her as an object that he owns. This sense of ownership is derived from the idea that women should obey men and that she belongs to him in his dreams. Even before talking to her, he says that “she had betrayed him by not being” where he wanted her to be (Lessing 187). But when he approaches her, she rejects him and he “gets drunk in hatred of her” (Lessing 189).
By developing the feelings of hate and anger the three men try to recover the acceptance of her complete indifference to them. By constantly annoying her with whistling and attempts to get her attention they hope that it would evoke at least an angry reaction from her and that would prove their position of dominance to them. In order to achieve this they are even willing to “clamber about, between chimney-pots, over parapets, the hot leads stinging their fingers” (Lessing 187).
The woman’s indifference and rejection causes overtly aggressive reactions from the men because her behavior does not follow the norms imposed by men who view women as their private possessions, and as objects whose sole task in life is to please them. Similarly, the watercress girl who acts as an adult and recognizes her market value, does not fit the childhood norms of bourgeois society, which imply ability of children to enjoy themselves and be free from responsibilities. But in contrast to woman on a roof who challenges her male observers by her independence, the watercress girl does not threaten the male position of dominance. She just “puzzles, evokes pity, affection and repentance” in them (Steedman 410).
The behavior of the characters, males and females, in Houston’s and Lessing’s works echoed with theories of analytical studies of Gilligan and Steedman reveal a small portion of the endless mystery of the human attraction and behavior, its impact on individuals and society. Identities and choices of the two female characters described in two literary works do not imply that one of them is right and other one is wrong, but they point out the differences of individuals outlooks and desires that make up for the rich textured fabric of life. The familiarness of the construction workers’ behaviors brings into awareness the difficulties of the relationships between men and women. These disclosures of human properties of differences and difficulties depict the complexity of human relationships, in which harmony is still an unreachable goal.
Bibliography
Gilligan, Carol. “Woman’s Place in Man’s Life Cycle.” Cultural Conversations The Presence of the Past. Ed. Stephen Dilks, Regina Hanse and Matthew Parfitt. Boston/New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s , 2001. 389-406
Houston, Pam. “How to Talk to a Hunter.” Making Literature Matter. Ed. John Schilb, John Clifford and Joyce Hollingsworth. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2000. 708-712
Lessing, Doris. “Woman on a Roof.” Reading and Writing from Literature. Ed. John Sweibert. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2001. 183-190
Steedman, Carolyn. “Histories.” Cultural Conversations The Presence of the Past. Ed. Stephen Dilks, Regina Hanse and Matthew Parfitt. Boston/New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s , 2001. 407-419
Другие работы по теме:
Rape Fantasies Essay Research Paper
“Rape Fantasies” Irony is the use of words to express something different from and opposite to their literal meaning. It is used with tone and style to create humorous situations. There are various forms of irony. Margaret Atwood uses situational irony, dramatic irony, and verbal irony in “Rape Fantasies”.
Gendering Of Contraception Essay Research Paper Would
Gendering Of Contraception Essay, Research Paper Would you like to be on the receiving end of a snakeskin condom? Men and women have been using birth control for thousands of years. Typically though if you look to the past there has been a big difference in how and why contraception was used for the opposite sexes.
You Just Don
’t Understand Essay, Research Paper Deborah Tannen?s (1990) book, “You Just Don?t Understand,” contains facts about men and women?s communication styles. Tannen says once these gender differences are sorted out, men and women can recognize and understand how to confront real conflicts, rather than fighting styles.
Comm Between The Sexes Essay Research Paper
The evolution of men and women, how the roles in society have changed. Over the last five hundred or so years women have come a long way. We have seen in the Sixteen hundreds arranged marriages where the woman had no say in the union, and the relationships were is based on money or prestige (Shakespeare 1668). Presently we see love is the driving factor.
Living As A Sociologist Essay Research Paper
Living As A Sociologist In this life we as human beings strive to live a relatively normal life. Living a supposedly “normal” existence is a big part of understanding sociology. This is because the same concepts that that are learned in sociology are the same concepts that people use as their basis for a “normal” life.
Poetry Essay Research Paper If one term
Poetry Essay, Research Paper If one term can be used to describe the forces that have shaped the modern world, it is Romanticism. So potent has Romanticism been since the late 18th century that one author has called it “the profoundest cultural transformation in human history since the invention of the city.” Romanticism was not a movement; it was a series of movements that had dynamic impacts on art, literature, science, religion, economics, politics, and the individual’s understanding of self.
Filipino Psychology Essay Research Paper We have
Filipino Psychology Essay, Research Paper We have discussed about making a research on the psychology of the Filipinos, and the field I chose is on Personality. Much has been written and many research studies conducted on Filipino personality. But previous literatures have discussed related themes on values, personality traits, behavior, and norms of conduct of the Filipino in the light used by Western methods, using Western language not indigenous to the Filipino culture.
The Views Of Karen Horney Essay Research
Paper Many of today’s relationships foil because of the lack of trust in one another. There are many different scenarios, which lead to relationships ending because of distrust. Psychologist, “Karen Horney,” wrote an article titled “Distrust Between the Sexes”, and in this article she attempted to explain the problems in the relationship between women and men.
Perspectives Of Love Essay Research Paper I
Perspectives Of Love Essay, Research Paper I believe men and women have trouble understanding love because of their different perspectives. I believe this because soon I ll be finding a partner (as will many others my age) to settle down with. I d like an understanding of the males perspective as well as my own.
Differences Between Men And Wo Essay Research
Paper Differences between men and Women There are many traditional differences that we read about. Some major differences were stated about how the communication styles of men and women very. These differences can cause many problems in daily interaction between men and women. When people are communicating they expect that the other person will communicate in the same way.
How The Sexes Communicate Essay Research Paper
How The Sexes Communicate With One Another It has been my own personal experience that men and women communicate differently. This is especially true when put into the context of communication between the two sexes. During my lifetime I have been witness to the different ways in which men and women communicate, and I have decided that communication between the two sexes can be further broken down into types and/or reasons for communication.
Sociology Essay Research Paper II Sociology
Sociology Essay, Research Paper II) Sociology is the study of social behavior, which means it describes and explains society, or the rules of the group. Social behavior is any behavior that has been, or is being, conditions to any degree by interaction with others. When you read this definition you begin to understand the complexity of sociology.
The MyersBriggs Indicator Essay Research Paper The
The Myers-Briggs Indicator Essay, Research Paper The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, MBTI, provides a useful method for understanding people by looking at eight personality preferences that all people use at different times. These eight preferences are organized into four dichotomies, each made up of a pair of opposite preferences.
Man And Woman Essay Research Paper The
Man And Woman Essay, Research Paper The differences between boys and girls are the result from the combination between nature and nurture. These two elements not only build up someone s behavior but also have different kind of influences. Both elements cannot be separated because it played in different times and different situation.
Looking Beyond The Sexes Essay Research Paper
A woman gets pregnant, and her boyfriend leaves her. In Karen Horney?s ?The Distrust Between the Sexes?, she explains how a person?s psychological history causes him/her to distrust people of the opposite sex because of certain expectations they might have. Longings for happiness, childhood reflections, and childhood conflicts are all things that invent these expectations.
Psychology Essay Research Paper Psychology is the
Psychology Essay, Research Paper Psychology is the study of human behavior, how we think, feel and act. Psychologists study both normal and abnormal behavior to understand it. Psychologists also try to use what we learn from that study to help people change aspects of their behavior that they want to change.
Deviance Essay Research Paper Theories of Deviant
Deviance Essay, Research Paper Theories of Deviant Behavior examines various theories and perspectives on conforming and deviant behavior which are products of Western scholarly thought: anomie, functionalism, social disorganization, social conflict, social control, psychoanalysis, status politics, differential association, labeling theory, etc.
Social Science
– 3 Dimensions Of Behavior Essay, Research Paper 1. The two people I will analyze on the three dimensions of temperament are my parents, a woman named Diane and her husband Andrew. Diane is a 49 year old woman who is currently unemployed. She was the vice president of a construction company. She has been divorced once.
Human Sexuality Gender Differences Essay Research Paper
Human Sexuality Gender Differences The following research is a study of gender differences in selecting romantic partners. The goal of the study was to determine if males and females place different values on characteristics of the opposite sex, while selecting a romantic partner. To research this situation, surveys were distributed at random to both males and females.
Speech Essay Research Paper There are two
Speech Essay, Research Paper There are two opposite points of view to this problem. One side suggests not to place any cods on speech on campuses of college institutions and another side strongly believes that speech must be protected by law. Mrs. Jennifer Kelley is following position of free speech in the article called Speech Codes Should Not Be Permitted on Campuses.
Gender Differences Essay Research Paper What are
Gender Differences Essay, Research Paper What are the differences between boys and girls? How different are they, and what causes thses differences? How is gender identity developed and how does
Gender Essay Research Paper English 112 section
Gender Essay, Research Paper English 112 section 096 March 29, 1999 An in Depth Analysis of Gender Relationships Throughout history and in all cultures the roles of males and females vary. Relating to the piece of literature “Girl” written by Jamaica Kincaid for the time, when women’s roles were to work in the home.
Poison Essay Research Paper PoisonA Game Instructions
Poison Essay, Research Paper Poison A Game Instructions: Start off with ten counters. Each team will take a turn, taking one or two counters each time. The team that must take the final counter, also known as the poison counter, loses.
Managing Classroom Behavior Essay Research Paper MANAGING
Managing Classroom Behavior Essay, Research Paper MANAGING CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR REPORT #1 Managing classroom behavior can be a difficult task, especially if you have a child who is always causing disturbances. Once you have identified that there is a problem, you should ask yourself six simple questions.
Animal Behavior Essay Research Paper Animal BehaviorPsychology
Animal Behavior Essay, Research Paper Animal Behavior Psychology, a field of study in which knowing why people behave the way do is an important aspect into advancing our knowledge and our understanding of humans and human behavior. In order to achieve this advance, psychologists undergo research-involving animals.
Schools Of Psychology Essay Research Paper Schools
Schools Of Psychology Essay, Research Paper Schools of Psychology There are seven major schools of psychology Behavioral, Psychoanalytic, Humanistic, Cognitive, Neurobiological, Sociological, and Industrial. First off behavioral psychology emphasizes the scientific study of behavior and its environmental determinants.
Cats And Dogs Essay Research Paper Cats
Cats And Dogs Essay, Research Paper Cats and Dogs We all know the motto, it has probably been around since the beginning of time, You can t live with them and you can t live without them. This can only refer to men and women/husband and wife. Of course, there are many differences and many more similarities between sexes.
Ethical Relativism Essay Research Paper Ethical RelativismCannibalism
Ethical Relativism Essay, Research Paper Ethical Relativism Cannibalism, what do you think of it? Is it morally correct? Does the theory of ethical relativism support it or does it knock it down? Throughout this paper I am going to evaluate the pros and cons of ethical relativism for a case concerning cannibalism.
Do Men And Women Speak The Same
Langueges? Essay, Research Paper Do Men and Women Speak Different Languages? Robert Bly and Deborah Tannen say there is a large difference in the way men and women communicate. In the article, “Where are Men and Women Today?” Bly and Tannen describe women as rapport-talkers. Rapport-talk is using language as a way of establishing connections and relationships with others.
Sexism 2 Essay Research Paper SexismThe Webster
Sexism 2 Essay, Research Paper Sexism The Webster s Dictionary defines the term sexism as Discrimination by members of one sex against the other, especially by men against women based on the assumption that on sex is superior . This definition implies that people can discriminate against one another by saying or doing something that is not fair to the opposite sex.
Models Of Abnormality Essay Research Paper In
Models Of Abnormality Essay, Research Paper In the not so far away past people used to suggest witchcraft and superstition as the cause of abnormal behavior. Today we find that those beliefs are not so realistic. There are six major models of abnormality that suggest the cause of abnormal behavior: medical model, psychoanalytic model, behavioral model, cognitive model, humanistic model, and the sociocultural model.