Men and Women Stereotypes in Hemingway and Chopins Works - Research Paper Example

Men and Women Stereotypes in Hemingway and Chopin’s Works Introduction have their unique way of portraying the characters of their works. Asthey fall into writing the psychological built of their characters, they often unconsciously commit stereotyping. Among the multitude of victims of stereotypes are men and women. Due to this, they are subject under critical scrutiny. This paper will tackle the stereotypes made by Hemingway and Chopin on portraying the characters of their works. More importantly, it shows that women, although typically described as inferior and more confined at home compared to men, are slowly depicted as strong and stable characters. Hemingway’s Portrayal of Men and Women Hemingway was seen to have a profound sympathy with women (Eby 34). The style of Hemingway is that he seeks to create a moral norm of a womanly behavior first before modifying it into a rather “abnormal” behavior. Hemingway’s works are exemplary masterpieces showing the more interesting “femme fatale” character compared to the stable character of heroines (Bloom 48). He showed that women have the “potential” to overrule men. However, the above assertions remain unclear and continue to be contested. Hemingway was often viewed androgynous in his depiction of men, women, and himself. More so, some would see Hemingway protecting manhood, ensuring that it will be pondered, cherished, and lived by (Bloom 144). Due to this, he was often seen as a writer depicting the machismo problem, which means abuse and overpowering on women. In fact, many critics would condemn Hemingway because of his portrayal of women as rather submissive and domesticated individuals, if not as manipulative sirens that control men with sexual power (Becnel and Bloom 56). This is evident in Edmund Wilson’s words wherein he referred to Hemingway’s female characters as “submissive...Anglo Saxon women that make his heroes such perfect mistresses, and the “American bitches” of the most destroying kind” (Atlantic 1939 qtd. in Bloom and Hemingway 26). In support of Edmund Wilson’s assertions, there were several characters brought into life by Hemingway, all built and mystified in his works. First is Maria in For Whom the Bell Tolls. In this work, Hemingway portrayed the conventional and submissive woman character. Second is Brett Ashley in The Sun Also Rises portraying one of the “bitches” of Hemingway. Brett was a character who was mythicized and was audaciously presented as a “bitch-goddess” with a touch of a boyish character (Fiedler 319). Hemingway likes to present women to be possessing characteristics of a man. With such, Brett became one of Hemingway’s most satisfactory characters (Fiedler 319). Third is Catherine in A Farewell to Arms. Judith Fetterley (qtd. in Bloom and Hemingway 26), in her essay entitled, “Hemingway’s Resentful Cryptogram” found in the Journal of Popular Culture, magnified the sentiments of the feminist thinkers against Hemingway’s portrayal of Catherine. In it, feminists, like Fetterley, asserted that it was Hemingway’s abominable disposition against women that took Catherine and her baby’s life away. Since Hemingway created the complicated situation--Lieutenant Henry impregnated Catherine, the female character’s escape then was to die with her child. After all, this shows that female character must give in to male dominance and superiority. Also, this goes to show that Hemingway was reluctant to depict a man’s character becoming involved in commitment and responsible adulthood (qtd. in Bloom and Hemingway 26). Furthermore, following the female literary criticism, Hemingway’s works were also often associated with deep misogyny (qtd. in Bloom and Hemingway 82). This made some critics remain antagonistic. Among them is Margaret Higonnet who criticized Hemingway’s metaphor of soldiers appearing like pregnant women [in hiding their cartridges under their capes]. Apart from the fact that it fails to account the correct imagery of a woman--instead of giving birth to an innocent child, the metaphor symbolizes giving birth to violence and death, Higonnet believes that it is also a strong and straightforward masculine metaphor (qtd. in Bloom and Hemingway 82). From the above discussion, it is apparent that Hemingway portrays the male character to be, at times, superior to a female character. In addition, males are in general, possessive of independence, freedom, and pleasures--afraid of losing these things in the process. For example in A Farewell to Arms, it showed that a man’s life is more important than a woman’s life; it is only his life that counts (Bloom and Hemingway 82). Nevertheless, it is worthwhile to note that Hemingway, in one way or another, attempted to show women’s potential of showing their “femme fatale” character--a clear diversion of the conventional definition of womanhood. Due to this, it is safe to say that while Hemingway was putting men in the “spotlight” and protecting them at the same time, he was also beginning to portray the more valuable roles of women. Kate Chopin’s Portrayal of Men and Women Kate Chopin is another famous writer who also engages stereotypes on women; she often depicts dauntless women who are in constant search of escape and freedom. In her work entitled, “The Awakening,” she showed two distinct mental traits or psychological make-up of two main female characters. First is Adele Ratignolle, who is the most typical and ideal wife. All her efforts would be devoted to serving her family, which made her a subject of admiration (Kinnison 22). On the other side is Mademoiselle Reisz, whose efforts were centered not on her husband nor at home but for the attainment of her own self freedom. The dilemma then was laid on the third character, Edna, who was to choose one path between the two. After further deliberation, Edna chose the latter, i.e. Reisz’ life. With this, it was indeed apparent that Chopin was trying to “redefine” the conventional role of women at home. Kate Chopin wanted to project women as equally capable with professional men, worthy of jobs outside home, and ultimately, not confined with the traditional role of a “devoted wife.” For her, these are the main sources of frustration among women--getting too confined within the four walls at home, limiting their self-expression and self-actualization. With this, it is quite evident that Chopin was liberal regarding the portrayal of women’s status. This, nevertheless, does not necessarily imply that Chopin was against men. She rather depicts men as maladjusted, melancholic, and misanthropic, as in “After the Winter,” “The Blind Man,” and “An Easter Day Conversion” (Chopin et al. 274). Due to these amiable personalities, men are often overpowered by the shifting qualities of women--from the usual home set-up to finding self-potential. Men are presented in protagonists and provider of women’s needs. Therefore, in Chopin’s works, women were increasingly given more attention and power in society. Works Cited Becnel, Kim, and Harold Bloom. Bloom’s How to Write About Ernest Hemingway. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2008. Print. Bloom, Harold. Bloom’s Modern Interpretations: Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms New Edition. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2009. Print. Bloom, Harold, and Ernest Hemingway. A Farewell to Arms. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2009. Print. Chopin, Kate, et al. Kate Chopin’s Private Papers. Indiana: Indiana University Press, 1998. Print. Eby, Carl. Hemingways Fetishism: Psychoanalysis and the Mirror of Manhood. New York: Sunny Press, 1999. Print. Fiedler, Leslie. Love and Death in the American Novel. USA: Dalkey Archive Press, 1960. Print. Kinnison, Dana. “Female Resistance to Gender Conformity in Chopin’s The Awakening (1899).” Women in Literature: Reading through the Lens of Gender. Eds. Jerilyn Fisher and Ellen Silber. USA: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2003. 22-25. Print. Read More