The Role of Women in a Patriarchal Society - Essay Example

Introduction Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon and Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower depict the role of women in a patriarchal society. In Morrison’s Song of Solomon and Butler’s Parable of the Sower the female protagonists are prepared to resist norms and establish their own individuality and independence. Equally obvious in Morrison and Butler’s portrayal of women is the nuturing and empathetic nature of the lead female characters. Both authors demonstrate the silent strength of other female characters. A common trend in both novels is manifested the female ability to survive against all odds. Toni Morrison wastes little time presenting the highly patriarchal society in which women exists in Song of Solomon. She writes: “At that time of day, during the middle of the week…children were in school; men were at work; and most of the women were fastening their corsets…”(Morrison, p. 4) The clear impression here is that women are fiercely dependent on men and have little to do once the men are at work and the children are at school. It is this setting that accentuates the individuality of the lead female protagonist once it becomes clear that she is anything but submissive. Although Song of Solomon is set in the 1950s through the 1960’s and Parable of the Sower is set somewhere into the future, women’s dependence on men is similarly exploited by Butler. Lauren Olamina who is only fifteen at the start of Butler’s novel observes the plight of three widowed women who live near her: “I wonder what Mrs. Yannis will do now. Her two sisters have moved in with her…All three sisters are widows and between them they have twelve kids, all younger than I am.”(Butler, p. 19) Although Lauren goes on to note that the three women are now employed she adds that “they don’t earn much.” (Butler, p. 19) Clearly without their husbands the women are struggling to make ends meet. More importantly, Butler’s message is also one of feminie strength in the face of adversity. These women who were previously dependent on men for surival have found a way to survive that loss. Similarly, in Morrison’s Song of Solomon, Guitar’s grandmother finds a way to survive following her husband’s death. Like the three widows in Butler’s novel, Guitar’s grandmother is able to support her grandchildren. These women are different from Morrison’s Ryna, the male protagonist’s great grandmother who lost her mind after her husband left her with several children. There is no escaping the conclusion that women have a double burden in Morrison’s Song of Solomon. They are forced to endure the consequences of racism and at the same time are prisoners of the male quest for freedom and the resulting abandonment. Yet they are judged differently than men. In the example given where Ryna is abandoned by her husband, Ryna is marked as weak for suffering her breakdown and her husband is hailed as a hero despite abandoning his family. Pilate Dead is Morrison’s femlae protagonist whose remarkable strength parallel’s Butler’s Lauren. Both women demonstrate independence and a fighting spirit. Although Morrison rarely makes a direct link to Pilate’s thought it becomes obvious that she has a commanding presence throughout the novel. Butler’s Lauren on the otherhand narrates the Parable of the Sower via her diary entries and as a result the reader has a direct link to her thoughts and feelings. Literary critic Harlod Bloom explains however, that although Morrison’s central character is male and women are for the most part dependent on men, it is obvious that men depend on women. Bloom explains that when Milkman, Morrison’s male protagonist finds redemption it is only through the “strength and spirituality of several women in his family.”(Bloom, p.41) Similarly in Butler’s Parable of the Sower, Lauren’s father acknowledges that their society as it is in twenty-first century is gender neutral in terms of interdependence. He notes that “We all know each other here…we depend on each other.”(Butler, p.31) Both Butler and Morrison create moral guides out of their female protagonists. Morriosn’s Pilate like Butler’s Lauren have supernatural powers. Lauren has the ability to feel everything that others feel whereas Pilate has remarkable physical strength and enduring youth. These powers are symbolic of both women’s survival instincts. These survival instincts help to chart courses that serve as examples for the other characters in both novels. Milkman for example, who is Pilate’s nephew, starts out as a selfish young man with lttle or no cocern for others. Morrison creates an impression that Milkman’s selfishness is a natural result of the racism and isolation he suffers. However, Pilate who has suffered the same form of racism and a great deal of isolation is by contrast a selfless and loving human being. These opposing characteristics are manifestations of Pilate’s superior wisdom and strength. It can therefore be argued that Morrison’s female protagonist has greater strengths than her male protagonist. Lauren’s ability to feel what others feel also makes her stronger in a society where survival becomes a selfish goal. It gives her leadership qualities and as such she evolves into a moral guide for others. Although the doctors diagonose her condition as “an organic delusional syndrome”(Butler, p.10) Lauren’s wisdom and individualtity is manifested in her passive resistance of the so-called malady. She observes “If everyone could feel everyone else’s pain who would torture?”(Butler, p. 102) Lauren’s inviduality and empathy sets her apart from the others. She is possessed of leadership qualities in her ability to recognize the importance of human interdependence and in that regard she is represented by Butler as a strong and wise female. She notes: “The world is full of crazy, dangerous people. We see signs of that every day. If we don’t watch out for ourselves, they will rob us, kill us, and maybe eat us. It’s a world gone to hell and we’ve only got each other to keep it off us.”(Butler, p. 257) In this passage Lauren is also identifying a resistence to class and gender divides. Equity and equality are as vital as empathy for human survival. These qualities require some measure of loyalty to one another. Of all the women in both novels, none is more loyal than Pilate. She is fiercely protective of her daughter Reba. When a young man abuses Reba, Pilate who is sixty overpowers him and puts knife in his chest warning him never to lay a hand on her daughter again. This physical show of strength is not only a manifestation of Pilate’s inner strength and independence but is also a reflection of her protecive and loyal nature. She is also demonstrating that she does not submit to men. Ruth Foster Dead, Milkman’s mother, who is financially dependent on Pilate, has an inner strength that is not immediately obvious. While she is not as strong as Pilate she demonstrates a willingness to shape and mold her own life despite societal norms. For instance while pregnant with Milkman, she permits Pilate to talk her into having the baby despite Macon Jr.’s insistence that she abort the baby. Pilate who is fearless in her display of individuality demonstrated her disapproval of Macon Jr. by setting a voodoo doll on his office chair. Ruth on the other hand is not so transparent. For instance when Macon Jr. talked her into inseting needles into her abdomen during her pregnancy so as to cause harm to the unborn child, Ruth only pretended to do so. In another show of passive defiance and resistance of social norms, Ruth continued to visit her father’s grave despite Macon Jr.’s obvious dislike for him. Unlike Pilate whose independence is immediately obviuos Ruth’s is subtle. It is out of this mutual independence that fierce loyalty is grounded between the two women. Lauren’s independence is manifested continuously throughout Parable of the Sower. She has a keen insight that places her above the others. Lauren is able to deduce from the chaotic state of the world that she lives in that total destruction is at hand. She is committed to her resolve to prepare and despite rebuke from others she tries to convince them that preparation is the key to survival. Like Pilate, Lauren is fearless in her resolve. When her strict father approaches her about sharing her views with another teen, Lauren is brave and wise in her reply. She relates the scene in which her father asks her to explain ther discussion with the teen. She tells her father: “I told her we were in for some bad, dangerous times…I warned her we ought to learn what we could now so we could survive.”(Butler, p. 62) Pilate likewise had found her own way to survive the oppression of the past by recreating it and she does this by singing folksongs. At the very beginning of the novel the reader gets the sense that song is Pilate’s escape from adversity. When Robert Smith, an insurance agent is poised on the rooftop of the hospital and ready to jump Morrison describes the impact of Pilate’s singing. Creating more confusion among the gathering crowd, a doctor’s daughter dropped her rose box. Morrison writes: “The men joined in trying to collect the scraps before the swow soaked through them – snatching them…And the very young children couldn’t make up their minds whether to watch the man circile in blue on the roof or the bits of red flashing around on the ground. Their dilemma was solved when a woman suddenly burst into song.”(Morrison, p. 5) Pilate’s folk singing is her refuge. It provides refuge for others as well. Like Pilate, Lauren finds refuge in her creation of a new God and belief structure. What binds these women is their individuality and intelligence. In that regard they are superior beings and their respective supernatural powers are symbolic of their superior characteristics. Unquestionably both women are possessed of superior survival instincts and as such are moral guides for the remaining characters throughout both novels. Both Pilate and Lauren are unconventional in the context of a male dominated society. Pilate takes on the role of family matriarch in such a way that she steers and supports her family in the way that men are expected to. Laruen likewise, takes on the role of leader and steers group of survivors. Both women not only find inner strength, but they empower those that they protect. Pilate provides the catalyst for Milkman’s liberation in much the same way as Lauren provides the catalyst for her group’s leberation. Both characters demonstrate the power of unity and the pitfalls of division. Pilate’s unity is founded in family organization and Lauren’s unity is founded in a group brought together as a family for the purpose of survival. Both women are courageous and realistic and these qualities are passed onto those they guide and lead. Another significant sign of the female strength in both Song of Solomn and Parable of the Sower is the unchallenged leadership roles of Pilate and Lauren. When Lauren assumes leadership of the group in the journey to the north none of the men in the group challenge her. Likewise, Pilate’s guidance and decisions are ultimately followed. Pilate uses physical and intellectual prowess to force her will on others who challenge her, as evidence by her attack on Ryna’s abusive lover. Lauren, on the other hand is persuasive in her intelligence and her trend setting. Ultimately, both women prove by their own conduct that they are worthy of respect. Morrison’s Pilate and Butler’s Lauren can be viewed as revolutionary female role models in the sense that they prove the typical view of women blatantly flawed. In Morrison’s Song of Solomon, men take physical flight from their homes to liberate themselves. In doing so, they abandon their loved ones. Pilate however, has been able to liberate herself from subjugation and at the same time hold onto her loved ones. She leaves no one behind. Likewise, Lauren takes physical flight from devastation and destruction and like Pilate she does not leave others behind. Song of Solomon opens with man’s propensity to take flight as Robert Smith stands atop the hospital roof and undertakes to“take off from Mercy and fly away on my own wings.”(Morrison, p. 3) Throughout both novels, Butler and Morrison use the theme of flight to demonstrate Pilate and Lauren’s flight from female oppression and subjugation. Lauren’s flight is physical as well as metaphoical while on the other hand, Pilate’s flight is purely metaphorical. Works Cited Bloom, Harold. Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon. Chelsea House Publishers, 1999 Butler, Octavia. Parable of the Sower. Warner Aspect, 2000 Morrison, Toni. Song of Solomon. New York: Penguin Books, 1987 Read More