Relations between the Sexes - Essay Example

 RELATIONS BETWEEN THE SEXES By Name Course Instructor Institution Location Date Relations between the Sexes Introduction The relationship between the sexes is one of the themes given attention by different authors in their literary works. Understanding gender roles in the society is of critical importance. Therefore, many authors ensure that they depict the existing relationships between males and females in any society. James Joyce is one of the authors who successfully depicted the relationship between the different sexes in his book titled Dubliners. The book comprises of different short stories, and many of the stories highlight the relationship between men and women in Dublin. In addition, Fritz Lang also depicted the relationship between different sexes in the movie titled Metropolis. This paper will focus on describing how James Joyce depicts the relationship between sexes in two different stories in Dubliners. The paper will focus on the stories titled “A Mother” and “A Painful Case”. In addition, the paper will compare the Joyce’s portrayal of the relationship between sexes with Lang’s depiction of the two sexes in the movie Metropolis. James Joyce authored stories that belong to the Victorian period. Although the book was first published in 1914, James Joyce had been writing most of the stories before that period. Therefore, many of the stories are estimated to have been written in the Victorian period, which spanned between 1840 to early 1900s. During this era, there were distinctive roles for men and women. The Victorian society had societal ideals that defined the relationship between the two sexes. In the story titled “A Mother”, Joyce tells the story of Miss Devlin, who eventually became Mrs. Kearney after marriage. Joyce introduces us to Mrs. Kearney, who settled down with Mr. Kearney a man older than she was because most of the young men she met did not have the capacity to give her a better life. Joyce depicts her as a perfect Victorian woman in the home setting because she takes care of her homestead, daughters, and husband (Schwarze 2002, p. 67). However, Mrs. Kearney is well educated unlike other women of the Victorian era. Joyce introduces the reader to some men in the society who had a lower place than Mrs. Kearney did. From the confusion exhibited by Mr. Holohan, it becomes evident that Mrs. Kearney is more intelligent than him. She is the one who helps him out with organizing his work and determining the right artist for each event. However, Mrs. Kearney respects her husband because she felt secure and protected with him. Joyce highlights that “… Mrs. Kearney respected her husband in the same way as she respected the General Post Office, as something large, secure and fixed; and though she knew the small number of his talents she appreciated his abstract value as a male” (Joyce & Mann 2014, p. 110). However, as the story progresses, it becomes evident that Mrs. Kearney is a brave woman who has the capacity and boldness required to fight for her rights and that of her daughter. When her daughter signs a contract to perform in the concerts, the event organizers did not intend to pay her. However, the way that Mrs. Kearney handles the situation makes it obvious that she is a different person outside the home setting. She does not blindly obey and respect men in accordance with the Victorian ideals when the men in question do not prove themselves to be worthy of the respect. It is unfortunate that the men expected her to behave like a woman while they were not willing to pay her daughter her dues (Schwarze 2002, p. 66). From the way Mrs. Kearney behaves, it is evident that she does not need to be a man biologically in order to portray characteristics of boldness. Many of the people who attended the event criticized her for her boldness. However, it is obvious that Mrs. Kearney is not willing to let the men take advantage of her daughter’s talent without paying her in accordance with the contract agreement. Although her husband is present, she is more vocal in her efforts to defend her daughter. Mrs. Kearney is well aware that things would have been different if she were a man. This is evident when Joyce says, “They wouldn't have dared to have treated her like that if she had been a man” (Joyce & Mann 2014, p. 115). However, Mrs. Kearney does not allow herself to be stigmatized by the men who criticized her. It is evident that men and women in the Victorian era had different positions in the society. Since the society promoted patriarchy, men expected women to respect them simply because they were men and not based on character. On the other hand, women were expected to be homemakers caring for their families. However, Joyce created the character of Mrs. Kearney in an effort to illustrate that some women were willing to stand up for their rights and challenge men who sought to exploit them. Mrs. Kearney remained respectful to her husband in accordance with the societal ideals. However, she was not willing to be stigmatized by the men who sought to exploit the talent of her daughter. Therefore, she exhibited boldness and faced the men who had organized the event. Therefore, Joyce exhibits an emerging tension between men and women during a period when some women were willing to fight for their rights (Joyce & Mann 2014, p. 120). In a different story titled “A Painful Case”, Joyce depicts a different level of the relationship between sexes in the Victorian era. The main characters in the story are Mr. Duffy and Mrs. Sinico. Mr. Duffy is a man who prefers to live by himself, but who exhibits a high level of organization. On the other hand, Mrs. Sinico is a married woman with a daughter. Mr. Duffy and Mrs. Sinico met in a performance house at night (Schwarze 2002, p. 88). After meeting three times, they began a relationship. However, their relationship had its basis for sharing intellectual issues. Mrs. Sinico was willing to listen to Mr. Duffy’s ideas. On the other hand, she enjoyed the company of Mr. Duffy. Therefore, at this level, Joyce depicted the nurturing nature of women in the Victorian era. Mrs. Sinico offered Mr. Duffy the relevant encouragement a factor that developed an emotional attachment between them (Joyce & Mann 2014, p. 72). However, as the story progresses, Mrs. Sinico sought to express her growing emotions through a physical touch. Her gesture signified that she was ready to move the relationship to a different level of sexual intimacy. However, Mr. Duffy was against the idea and preferred their relationship remaining on the intellectual level. Therefore, he decided to break the relationship when he realized that thing would get out of control. In his recorded thoughts, Mr. Duffy highlighted, “friendship between man and woman is impossible because there must be sexual intercourse”. From the journals of Mr. Duffy, the reader gets to understand the outstanding views in the Victorian society. Many people believed that it was impossible for a man and a woman to be friends without indulging in sexual intimacy (Schwarze 2002, p. 100). Since Mr. Duffy was not willing to indulge in sexual intimacy with a married woman, he chose to abandon the friendship. After Mr. Duffy learns of the death of Mrs. Sinico, it becomes evident that he also had both emotional and physical feelings for her. He regrets having let the opportunity of love pass him by. In this story, Joyce depicts Mrs. Sinico a woman making initiatives to Mr. Duffy. It is evident that Mrs. Sinico had embraced her sexuality, and she was willing to express what she felt physically. Unlike the expectations of many in the Victorian society where only men made sexual advances, Joyce depicts a different scenario in this story (Joyce & Mann 2014, p. 74). Joyce relies on a narrative technique to depict the relationship between different sexes in the Victorian era. By the way Joyce depicts women in both of the stories, it emerges that some women had embraced their sexuality and were willing to fight against the patriarchal attitudes in the society. In “A Mother” Joyce depicts a woman who does not accept stigmatization from men, but is willing to fight for the rights of her daughter. The woman in question, however, respects her husband in accordance with the Victorian ideals. In a painful case, Mrs. Sinico proves to be a woman strong enough to make initiatives to the man she is attracted to. However, by doing this, he defies the expectations of the society because she is expected to remain faithful to her husband, and the Victorian society did not expect her to express her sexual feelings. In both stories, it is evident that the relationships between the sexes are governed by patriarchal attitudes (Joyce & Mann 2014, p. 75). In Lang's movie titled Metropolis, the relationships between men and women also receive a measure of attentions. From the beginning of the film, it is evident that women are considered as objects that give men sexual pleasure. Women are placed in the eternal garden sin and interested men choose the one that they like. All the women are expected to dress in a revealing manner and flirt with the men. The men only show interest to the women based on their physical appearance. For example, when Freder visits the scene, he falls in love with one of the women named Maria. It is unfortunate that he chooses to snub the woman he was with previously in order to pursue Maria. Such actions reveal that men viewed women as their toys and objects that they could manipulate and use as they wished (Ruppert 2000, p. 32). The robot resembling Maria is under the control of a man. Being a robot, it has no free will, but must obey the instructions from the controller. The robot serves as a metaphor that depicts the objectification of women in the society. Just as the robot is under the control of a man, women have no free will in the society, but must remain under the command of men. Men and women have different positions in the metropolis society. Most of the men have been dehumanized by the capitalist system. However, the objectification of women occurs in a subtle manner. Many of the women have been depicted negatively in the movie since they are prostitutes. None of the women in the movie play the role of a wife or a mother. Only Maria exhibits some nurturing qualities. Therefore, the relationships between men and women in Metropolis are strained and challenges by the objectification of women and the dehumanization of men. Lang makes use of cinematic techniques specifically mise-en-Scène to depict the relationship between the different sexes. The sexuality and objectification of women are given emphasis in different scenes. The reproductive role of women does not receive the attention it deserves in the film. Although Metropolis is a science fiction film, many film producers in the early 1900s relied on films to express some of the issues that were of high relevance to the culture and society. The focus on many filmmakers in Germany at that time was to exaggerate the visual characteristic using technology. The images that Lang used to depict the femininity of women highlights that women were proving to be a challenge in the domineering world of men. Men lived in fear of both women and technology because they were threatening the patriarchal system. Since the presence of robots in the society challenges the capacity of men, they associated technology with women who had also been challenging the masculine hegemony (Ruppert 2000, p. 32). Conclusion Evidently, James Joyce depicted the relationships between the sexes in her short stories published in the Dubliners. In the two stories described above, titled “A Mother” and “A Painful Case”, there is evidence that the society was governed by patriarchal attitudes. Women were expected to remain in a lower position than men did while men dominated the society. However, there is evidence that some women had begun to challenge the patriarchal system, which had governed the society for so long. Such women are the likes of Mrs. Kearney and Mr. Sinico. In the movie titled Metropolis, Lang also depicted the objectification of women in the society. In addition, the movie also illustrated that some women were beginning to challenge the patriarchal system. Bibliography Joyce, J., & Mann, D 2014, Dubliners, New York: Oldcastle Books. Ruppert, P 2000, 'Technology and the construction of gender in Fritz Lang's metropolis', Genders, 32, Women's Studies International, EBSCOhost, viewed 11 April 2015. Schwarze, TT 2002, Joyce And The Victorians, Gainesville: University Press of Florida, eBook Collection (EBSCOhost), EBSCOhost, viewed 11 April 2015. Read More