Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville - Book Report/Review Example

Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville Alexis de Tocqueville is a French politician regarded as a historian. He traveled widely around the world, visiting counties like England, Ireland, and Algeria among others, documenting on his observations and reflections. He wrote books on his travels which were published later. In France, Tocqueville was a politician serving during both the July monarchy (1830-1848) and the Second Republic (1849-1851). In 1831, under the July monarchy, he traveled to America to examine the American prison system. While in America, he noticed that people had a different way of life as compared to France (Tocqueville 54). He documented not only on the prison systems but also on the social life of the American people. In 1935, the documentation of his American tour was published under the name De la Democratie en Amerique, translated as Democracy in America. In this book Tocqueville notes that democracy would solve most of the social problems facing aristocratic nations. Tocqueville saw that democracy supported the equality of every individual in a community. To him democracy was the new way of life, which would soon take over. Changing Role of the Society Using the family body as an entity, Tocqueville tends to explain the governmental system in terms of the types of laws governing the country at that time. In this case he explains that the law is like inheritance: when a family member dies, the nature of the property changes because it is in different hands; it becomes smaller. He goes on to explain that in countries with equality of inheritance a family that shares property between two children is likely to develop. This is because the children are not likely to be poorer than their parents were. In such a case, it is clear that Tocqueville uses the family as a metaphor not only to give the reader a clearer scope of what he is talking about, but also to show how democracy would favor not only a country but also the citizens. The family is also used to explain that since democracy comes with inheritance security, it runs from generation to generation and ensures that the inheritance bloodline is not lost years after inheritance. However, when the property is divided into two generations, it loses its family identity and ends up being dispersed and diminished in value. This results in people whose inheritance is divided to sell their land at high prices when they can easily unite their small land portions to form a large one. This statement is also a description of how one can try to mend a family that is broken into portions and want to unite the small pieces to form a larger one creating unity. From the statement above, it is clear why Tocqueville advocated for democracy. He wanted development, and he did this by pulling the heartstrings of his readers in order to make them understand that how a family operates is also an illustration of how a country operates. Role of Women in the Society Tocqueville is astonished by the fact that when a woman is in her fathers home, she generates a sense of freedom and pleasure; but in her matrimonial home she is pretty much locked up and cannot express her emotions or do anything she wants. During this time, a woman in the United States was judged by both religion and trading notions in order to gauge her moral standards. There is a glass ceiling of some sort that ensures that a woman is only bound to do what she supposedly does best obligating to her domestic duties. In this case, a woman cannot do anything about these roles because they are already established before she even gets married. These values are instilled as she grows up and various uncooperative behaviors shun her state of mind and her social existence. It is clear that a womans role in her matrimonial home is not only to submit to her husband but also to make him happy without necessarily deriving pleasure from it. However, there is a way that a woman can derive happiness. According to Tocqueville, the only way is to enter the institution of marriage and not look back. Another role of women is to make sure that they support their men even in times when the decisions they make mean that their finances will run out. Some women come from rich families, but after marriage they live a comfortless life with their husbands. The role of such women was to stick to their husbands even when their features seemed impaired. Marriage for women at this point means that independence is lost forever. They cannot do the things they used to do in the comfortable confines of their fathers’ homes. Although there are unusually many setbacks of marriage now, there are also some benefits. For example, a woman cannot get married until she is perfectly ready and trained for the marriage (Tocqueville 82). Unlike other countries in this period, women get married when they want to and when they feel that they are ready. Relationship between Men and Women in Aristocratic and Democratic Countries Although Tocqueville says that some people insisted that the rights of both men and women were not only alike but also equal, at one point in this book it emerged that if both sexes were made equal, they would degrade, which will result in disorderly women and weak men. This is because their occupations and businesses would be mixed. It is significant to understand that women in Europe were viewed as feeble and timid beings to the point that the women regarded themselves as feeble. People appreciate the fact that although men and women vary on a physical level, it is important to ensure that they adhere to their responsibilities and do what they have to do (Tocqueville 100). This is because each person, male or female, should fulfill their responsibilities in the best way they can. During this period American women generate a sense of knowledge and expertise in their physical appearance and manners while also acquiring an understanding of male energy and their hearts. These women also believe and know that their man is head of the family. This comes in handy for them when claims of democracy are being made, and they ensure that although other institutions are made democratic, in the marriage institution the man is the one who controls. Conjugal rights come naturally to women, and they are happy to submit wholly to the man with no questions asked. Men rarely express their affection to their wives, but it is definite in how much esteem they hold them. Women in Democracies as Opposed to Aristocracies This woman is very mature and exhibits good manners. No matter the situation, this woman always exhibits joy and is quick to exchange pleasantries. She also does not overindulge in pleasures, but knows how far is too far. This woman is quick to submit to her husband even though she knows that there is democracy. She has channeled her mind to perceive that her husband has an absolute final say in the marriage. A woman is valued and honored even more. Since her independence is extremely important, no punishment is severe enough for a man who tries to deprive her from freedom. Although a womans life is in the house, this is the highest level of independence a woman could have during this period. Although Tocqueville claims that a womans freedom ended the day she got married, it is clear that American women live a better-married life than women in other countries. Women in Aristocracies Although women in Europe are seen to be so refined that when a man speaks in their presence he watches his language, offenses given against them are looked down in most if not all of the cases. In this nation, the social status of both men and women matters. Although passion and love may bring a couple together, their social status will determine whether they will remain together. Tocqueville states that the women in aristocracies are not equal to the fellow male counterparts (Tocqueville 104). The women in the aristocracies also see themselves as unequal. An aristocratic woman displays naivety and ignorance from girlhood to youth. The education they get has little or no help at all. Tocqueville portrays the women in aristocracies as being naïve and uneducated; they serve for pleasure of their aristocratic men. Work Cited Tocqueville, Alexis. Democracy in America. New York: Digireads.com Publishing, 2007. Print. Read More