The Small-Pox by Lady Mary Wortley Montagu - Essay Example

In the first stanza, the condition of Flavia is described as wretched as she is suffering from smallpox and therefore incurred the ugly marks that render shame to her and prevents her from looking at the mirror. Her mind is ‘wounded’ and demoralized due to her sudden development of ugliness. The glass that is turned down in her hands proves the state of her mind. The woman is archetypal. It shows the cultural notion of a woman that was constructed during the seventeenth century.

Thesis: The seventeenth-century idea of looks suggests the strong patriarchal outlook along with the high value attached to the physical beauty of a woman. the poem renders a sensitive insight into this aspect.

     Flavia complains that her ‘Radiant Bloom’ is gone and she is shocked at the change the malady has brought within her. The woman had been in love with her own image and beauty previously and would blush by looking at the mirror. One significant aspect is that the second stanza associates physical looks with happiness and a mental state of mind. When she used to admire her beauty she was aware of “That promis'd happiness for Years to come?” this shows the way a female might have been looked upon in the society – a mere object of beauty and show that needed to adorn a man’s life. Even women were made so much conscious of the essence of this virtue that the presence and absence of the same affected them a lot.

    Flavia was remembering the moments of attention and importance that men showered upon her. This was in the form of opera tickets, the prizes, and the triumph that came out of beauty. She resented that the goodies of life no more come to her because her looks have turned ugly with marks of the ailment. Therefore she reckons, “Ev'n youth itself, to me, is useless now.” Beauty was the only virtue by which women were judged and youth meant the greatest good to be “bestowed on men”. She recollects the men whose hearts she had won. These men were the signs of her previous victories. Even the ‘Patriot’, a politician left the debate to look at her beauty. A soldier who led a harsh life had taken the time out to write poetry for her. These are all the evidence of her once possessed beauty. She also talks about her other lovers who reminded her of her virtue. Just as the society had imposed this consciousness in women, the girls were also judging themselves by this virtue, that is, all they could think of themselves were in terms of looks. With minimum education and wisdom little did they have the ability to look beyond physical beauty and add more value to themselves over and above mere physicality.

     Flavia talks about the dresses, makeup, jewels, and costumes she wore in the toilette and took great pains to organize her looks and appearance. This reflects the basic engagement of the middle-class women of the seventeenth-century society. The only sight that she was aware of now was that of a disfigured face and torn canvas that referred to her current appearance. Here her beauty is put forward as a painting or a creation, which was now disturbed and spoilt. Nothing could restore that beauty that was gone and took with it the dresses she had once worn. She also reflects a certain pride in her beauty as she refers to her contemporary beauties as “meaner beauties” and seems to give them permission to rule the hearts of those men who had once admired her. She seems to portray that only because of her ugliness the lesser beauties had found the opportunity to deck themselves up and please the hearts of men. Thus beauty and looks were a means of competition to the fair sex. It seemed that she had lost her empire due to the loss in looks. In the current times, this is really a ridiculous way of thinking since people have now gain more insight, became more practical, and developed more consciousness. Such people have learned to value education and spend less time on looks and appearance. Yet some women still exist who are conscious of their physical presence.

     In some way or the other, this state of mind reflects a strong patriarchal influence in the society where a girl valued herself by her worth in the eyes of men. Not only is this detrimental to the status of feminism, but it is also responsible for bringing about differences in marital relations. With the loss of beauty, the woman seems to be prepared to spend her life weeping and pray to god to restore the looks. Even artworks could not restore her beauty. According to her since beauty was no more, even spirits were not recognized. She talks of obscureness; perhaps she wants to stay away from society. The line “Monarch and Beauty rule with equal sway” is very significant. Here both had the pleasure of choosing the right kind of join. Realizing this power of beauty which is no more with her she decides to spend the rest of her life in a lonely existence in some deserted place. She also talks about a true friend who despite all friendship does not recognize the one whose lime is bad at present.