Changing Identity of Women - Literature review Example

Table of Contents Changing Identity of Women………………………………………………………...……2 Domestic Manners of the American………………………………………………2 The Passionate Nomad ……………………………………………………………3 Speak to the Earth: Wanderings and Reflections among Elephants and Mountains…………………………………………………………………………3 Traveling Across Boundaries……………………………………………………………...3 Lavandou…………………………………………………………………………..4 The Road Through Miyama……………………………………………………….4 Emily Carr…………………………………………………………………………5 Pioneering the New Woman………………………………………………………………5 From Embassy to Constantinople…………………………………………………6 Untrodden Peaks and Unfrequented Valleys: A Midsummer Ramble in the Dolomites………………………………………………………………………….6 The White Album....................................................................................................7 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………...7 Changing Identity of Women In every culture and time frame, there is an expected role of women and the way in which they are expected to live. The expectations and social standards that are set create a specific identity and role in which women move into and stay within. However, there are some women in each time frame that change their identity and role and begin to alter the way that they look at life. The different concepts and perspectives become the identity of being a woman then becomes a primary process of learning. Feminist thought of gaining independence and moving outside of the traditional identity is one of the main concepts that are associated with this and which creates a different approach to how women should live. The selections that were chosen for the changing identity of women are representative of the questioning of the role of women, specifically in relation to theories of feminism. The first selection, Domestic Manners of the Americans, by Frances Milton, is the first representation of questioning identity. The first association of what identity means comes with the narrator moving across boundaries from London to America, which becomes a metaphor of breaking through culture and identity. The observations that are made by the narrator further this to create a question of what the boundaries should be for men and women. In several instances, the author points out the ideas of equality of men and women as well as the status that one holds. The identity of women, to the narrator, instantly breaks the boundaries that are associated with women and men from an old to a new world. The concept of making one’s own existence outside of gender, and instead toward an association of identity becomes the main component of the author’s observations. The challenge that the author presents then becomes based on what the expectations should be for gender role, as well as how the definitions of gender have created boundaries and inabilities to reach different levels of potential. The second piece of literature that shows the same break in identity and boundaries is The Passionate Nomad. Isabelle Eberhardt breaks her sense of identity by dressing as a male Sufi and wandering through different regions of Africa. Breaking out of the female gender role and moving into a role that is outside of the borders and boundaries recreates identity outside of the domestic lifestyle. Moving outside of the home environment and the expectations that were associated with women and creating a different role is the main association with the feminist role in this excerpt. More importantly, taking on the adventures like a nomad and living a Bedouin lifestyle becomes a metaphor of women who don’t have a gender role or identity within society. The last selection, Speak to the Earth, by Vivienne de Watteville, is similar to the other excerpts through the journeys that are taken. Gender role and identity is immediately broken as the narrator moves outside of the traditional and domestic boundaries and into male roles that are expected within society. This is followed by details about surviving not as either a male or female gender, but instead as one that is able to relate directly to the natural wanderings from the earth. Breaking the traditions and identity of gender and defining the natural roles and possibilities of both the feminine and masculine becomes the main focus of this narrative. Traveling Across Boundaries The concept of changing identity with gender roles then moves into the challenges that many of the narratives had to break outside of identity and definition of specific roles. The concept of travel and wanderlust by the women became one further defined by a metaphor of breaking boundaries and journeying toward new roles within gender. The narratives in this section move beyond questioning of what it means to belong to gender role. Instead, the narrators display a further understanding of the definition of gender and how this becomes irrelevant in different circumstances. The natural surroundings, ability to move outside of expectations and into unknown territories that carry different definitions are all used. More importantly, the women show that the idea of boundaries and gender identity become irrelevant. The travel and the association with natural surroundings show that the concept of roles for gender are not natural and when one moves into a different setting, this begins to reflect the true identity and nature of belonging to gender. The first narrative that displays this is Willa Cather’s Lavandou. The traveling across boundaries is displayed as a metaphor through the narrator. There are descriptions of Lavandou as the unknown space that holds more than the cities and regions of the world. The space becomes one of passion and which doesn’t hold any boundaries. Similar to the concept of gender identity and moving outside of traditional roles, is the concept of travel and this specific space moving across all boundaries and redefining as well as letting go of defining gender. Through the descriptions that Cather gives, she is able to eliminate the idea of roles that individuals hold in society. Instead, the natural setting and the ideas of passion that are displayed show something that moves beyond definition of gender. The descriptions eliminate definition and create a natural understanding that eliminates the boundaries of being a woman. The second selection, The Road Through Miyama by Leila Philip, has the same concept of using travel as a metaphor for letting go of gender identity. Similar to Cather’s space, which doesn’t hold gender identity, Philip is able to create a space outside of traditional roles and into the natural concept of gender identity. The descriptions of belonging to the Japanese village and moving outside of the traditional European style immediately take away the boundaries of belonging to a specific gender identity. The narrator doesn’t describe a substitute for gender identity, but instead reflects on the tranquility of nature and the surroundings that take away boundaries. Moving through this journey and recognizing a space that doesn’t have the same gender roles is able to eliminate the definitions of what it means to belong within a specific boundary. Instead, the travel eliminates the concept of gender identity and instead challenges the reader to create their own, personal boundaries and to take a different journey. The last piece by Emily Carr shows the same elimination of boundaries and gender identity. The descriptions that are given immediately move outside of the domestic role of women and into one that shows possibility by eliminating boundary. The descriptions of working with a chief in Northern Canada also represent the moving of boundaries through traditional roles. Instead, there is a new definition of equality and belonging in a place where boundaries, gender identity and roles are eliminated. Taking out these specific components through the narrative is able to show that there are different possibilities for gender outside of the traditional means and various components. Eliminating the concept of boundaries, similar to the other works, becomes the main concept that is used with this particular work. Pioneering the New Woman The elimination of gender identity and roles and crossing over boundaries and definitions of what it means to be feminine or masculine then opens into alternative readings that describe the concept of traveling into opening to a new identity. When the concept of boundaries and expected roles are eliminated, there are also possibilities to open into new gender roles and concepts of identity. Holding different levels of power, influencing society and creating gender roles that are based on overcoming and meeting levels of equality are associated with several of the readings. However, the women that spoke of this ideal were also known to pioneer or create new identities from the elimination of boundaries that they held. In Lady Mary Worley Montagu’s Embassy to Constantinople, there is an understanding of new potential of the woman’s role. While the narrator takes on some of the domestic roles for the time, there are also other elements that show larger contributions, possibilities and powerful steps taken through Montagu. Moving into Constantinople, discovering new elements of both the feminine and gender identity, and not being limited to definitions and boundaries of being a married woman are all a part of this excerpt. The concept of travel and moving into a different home that is foreign, also allows for the creation of a new role, lifestyle and gender identity. The creation of new gender is also followed by Amelia Edwards Untrodden Peaks and Unfrequented Valleys. In this particular excerpt, there is a movement away from civilization as well as domestic roles and a movement into the unknown. As the travels continue, Edwards is forced into taking a role of gender identity that is not expected by the culture. Observations of new gender identities through the travels are one of the ways that this is displayed. The narrator also creates a sense of being a part of a new identity through her own perceptions of what it means to belong to a different society. The narration takes on the concept of integrating the foreign and into opening the mind to new possibilities for gender roles and identity. These are not limited by specific concepts or expectations, but instead are based on the need to have a new presence that allows the unknown to recreate boundaries. The last excerpt that shows this same concept is The White Album by Joan Didion. The challenge that the narrator creates is similar to those of the others who are interested in pioneering a new identity for gender and women. The contemporary issues that are displayed are based on recreating a woman that is able to move into the modern era. The possibilities that are offered are based on creating new levels of power, roles within society and to move outside of the expected identities of the past. The idea of feminism, from this specific viewpoint, is one that is based on the theories of creating an independent woman that has the same role as men and is able to provide a new perspective that is outside of the enforced values and expectations of gender. Conclusion In the various narratives and essays that are related to travel, are new concepts of identity and gender that are displayed. The first part to this is the concept of identity of gender and the female role, which has specific definitions of boundary and how these are broken with moving outside of a home and into new territory. The second stage of this is based on the concept of recreating boundaries. The women that describe their narratives allow the natural travel to become a metaphor that reflects gender identity and feminism. Instead of holding traditional values, one is able to see how this interchanges when one is able to let go of gender roles and to move into the unknown and the natural. The third concept that can be applied is creating a new definition and pioneering new thoughts toward gender roles. Redefining identity with one that moves outside of traditional expectations and creates a new definition of what it means to be a woman drives forward several of the narratives and the concept of travel. In each of these categories, there is an understanding of recreating identity, changing boundaries and building a different definition of gender roles within societal expectations. References Morris, Mary. 2000. The Virago Book of Women Travelers. New York: Little Brown Book Group. Read More