The Subject of Love in Literature - Essay Example

Love and marriage have been the common themes in literature for centuries, although sex, lust and passion have been often looked upon as restricted themes to be discussed so openly in literature, especially by women writers. To a great extent, it can be even said that these themes were not explicitly stated or explored by women writers until 18th century. “The Storm”, “The Yellow Wallpaper” and “Sweat” by Kate Chopin, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and Zora Neale Hurston respectively were written in the 19th century and were looked upon as writings on unconventional on extreme themes for a woman writer of the day but later welcomed by modern critics as symbolic and feminist in their themes. They deal with the concept of marriage, love and social conventions of the roles of men and women as well as the private themes of sex, passion and love inside and outside of the institution of marriage. Storm in Marriage Storm is a force in nature that has a destructive power whose beginning lies in quietness and calmness. This can be looked upon as the sexual element, the desires and urge, which need not be just within the boundaries of marriage. Kate Chopin has employed storm as an overarching symbol throughout the short story to imply numerous interwoven themes. The action in the story itself happens only because of the storm and the most of the action happens during the storm. It is said that ‘after the storm comes a calm’ and this also proves ironically true in the case of Calixta and Alcée Laballière who do not have even the slightest sense of guilt or quiver of conscience after the display of wild lust and passion between them outside their marriage. Their marriage remains unaffected, so tranquil and so calm after the storm that otherwise might have proved cataclysmic to their marriages. On one hand, the social demands of marriage are explored in the common chores expected of a wife. Calixta is seen “sewing furiously on a sewing machine” and so preoccupied with it that she even fails to see the approaching storm. The washings that have been put to dry outside indicate the household duties of a dedicated wife. The rules set by the society define the boundaries of a wife and therefore the reference to Sunday clothes remind Calixta of the Church and morality. The same is ignored by Alcee as he is seen ‘grabbing the trousers’ and emphasises the freedom men have with respect to the expression of sexual desires. Calixta restrains herself reminded of society and her responsibility to protect the reputation of her marriage when “she had not seen him very often since her marriage, and never alone” in spite of the fact that they both had been in a relationship before their marriages. Now that he seeks shelter under her roof, she obliges but is surprised to find that it had been “two years sence it rain like that”; this is a symbolic reference to the sex in her married life and later to her own passion that is aroused by this meeting of her past lover. Despite the fact that it was not acceptable in the Victorian society for a woman to express such natural feelings, Kate Chopin presents the reality by breaking the then social and literary norms. Calixta and Alicee revel in the momentary pleasure that is socially approved only for the pure and ‘monumental bed’; they both do not heed the torrential rain outside, which is significant as they forget the fidelity and purity expected in the social institution of marriage: “the rain was coming down in sheets obscuring the view of far-off cabins and enveloping the distant wood in a gray mist” and their view of the expectations also was veiled by the passion they had for each other. Sensuousness overpowers love and sense of loyalty to their partners. Marriage is an institution that seems mysterious and hard to abide by whereas passion is easy to fall for. Calixta is unable to fulfil social standards of virtue expected as a married woman and both of them evade their sense of guilt and return to their partners as nothing has happened. Probably it is marriage that gives them social recognition, security, care, love and warmth that a sensuous relationship does not meet. Marriage: a key to Oppression and Infidelity Delia who is sweet as sugar cane becomes an object soaked in sweat and is stamped under foot for the rest of her fifteen years of marriage. Sykes, her husband has the power to live a public extramarital affair with a sensuous woman. Delia who washes dirt off white people’s clothes is not able to clean her marriage of unfaithful husband for fifteen years. She stands his brutal beatings, teasing and unfaithfulness in addition to his uselessness in terms of income. Woman is powerless even if she earns money; the image of sugarcane stands for woman as a sexual object of pleasure and they are thrown away after being tasted to the full. When Delia says that “theres plenty men dat takes a wife lak dey do a joint uh sugar-cane... Its round, juicy an sweet when dey gits it. But dey squeeze an grind, squeeze an grind an wring tell dey wring every drop uh pleasure dats in em out. When deys satisfied dat dey is wrung dry, dey treats em jes lak dey do a cane-chew Dey throws em away”, Zora highlights the emptiness in the institution of marriage if it is not built on true love. The “long, round, limp and black” that falls “upon her shoulders and slithered to the floor” is the phallic imagery - a snake that she is scared to death. It empowers her husband and until the end he uses it to keep her in her place. The phallic image in the form of snake and then a rattle snake is seen throughout the story. It emphasises the sexual power of man over woman. This power relationship is possible only by marriage. In addition, Bertha with a bad reputation is able to enjoy the best of everything as she is not bound by marriage. On the other hand, Delia, who is bound by marriage, is conscientious and religious as is seen in her going to Church regularly and humming of spiritual songs; this and the social definitions of marriage make her stick to her unfaithful husband until his death- though it is something that she could have saved him from. Marriage is seen as a token to use woman, oppress her and still have illegitimate relationship with other women. Society does not permit it but is powerless to protect marriages or to punish those who violate the norms as none of the men and women who gossip of Delia-Sykes dare to question the infidelity or his treatment of his wife. Wife: a Caged Woman: Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s "The Yellow Wallpaper" explores a different aspect of marriage from the other two stories as it does not explore marital fidelity but the role of man and woman in marriage. Love is interpreted and felt different by both genders as is evident in the perception of the emotional and physical state of the wife by her husband and by the wife herself. What man perceives as security and protection on one hand can turn to be captivity or a caged existence. The protagonist is nameless implying that she is without any identity and can be any woman in marriage. She is sick with depression but in reality is advised rest but is only incarcerated by the confusing patterns on a strong smelling yellow wallpaper in an otherwise ventilated room. Stained by the colour on her clothes, she sees herself as the woman caged and crawling behind the curved bars of the wallpaper. In daylight the patterns become complex and she is able to unravel them in the night. The daytime symbolises society that reminds her of the norms of marriage and her limitations as a wife. The signs of that are visible in the restrictions placed on her freedom of expression and creativity. She is not permitted to write or maintain a diary. As in a doll’s house, she is loved and cared for but her true emotions are ignored. When she discovers that she is the “strange, provoking, formless sort of figure" in the wallpaper she turns insane. However, she rips off the wallpaper and frees herself- atleast imagines to have done that; it had been the eternal craving of that woman or any woman being emotionally and psychologically oppressed by the patriarchal norms set by the social institution of marriage. The story can be linked with the concept in The Doll’s House, The Mad Woman in the Attic and many other literary works that contemplate woman’s position within marriage and society. When a woman moves beyond the restrictions to her creativity she can be termed insane. She can only creep a little bit if the husband is unconscious- the patriarchal society does not allow individuality to woman while knowledge is the domain of men. Marriage as an institution serves this purpose by giving the domestic bliss and security to woman in turn caging her to leave her crawling for the rest of the life. In Conclusion, The Yellow Wallpaper metaphorically represents the disintegration of a wife’s mind while the other two talk about disintegration of marital loyalty and marriage itself. All the three stories discuss marriage as a social institution with its set of rules and expectations of male, female roles. Moreover, power relations within marriage and the rights given to both genders are explored. While Calixta breaks the norms of sexual expression, Delia transforms from being a silent receptor of ruthless beatings to being indifferent to her unfaithful husband’s death; the nameless protagonist of The Yellow Wallpaper realises her real condition not as a loved wife but as a caged woman, crawling and creeping like an animal without human identity and turns totally insane in her struggle to escape- insanity that is imposed by the society on woman who attempts to forgo the norms of marriage. In all the three, the multi-dimensional social institution of marriage has been deinstitutionalised from a patriarchal society that is either indifferent or oppressive. Bibliography Gilman, C. P. “The Yellow Wallpaper”, 1899. Retrieved 18 November, 2010 http://www.library.csi.cuny.edu/dept/history/lavender/wallpaper.html Chopin, K. “The Storm”, 1969. Retrieved 18 November, 2010 http://classiclit.about.com/od/stormkatechopin/a/aa_thestorm_kchopin.htm Hurston, Z. N. “Sweat”, 2004. 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