A Feminist Reading of Pauls Case Essay -- Feminism Feminist Women Cri

A Feminist Reading of Pauls fact At first glance, it may be considered difficult to give a libber interpretation of Pauls Case by Willa Cather, be manage there is not much keep an eye on of women in the text. However, this fact alone gives good reason for a feminist reading of the invention. The lack of the presence of females in this bill supports the idea that women were not considered an important part of society during Willa Cathers lifetime. In Pauls Case, the story revolves around a young male. He is the main character. There are very some mentions of women, however, when they do come into the story they are but mentioned briefly, or they pretend minor, secondary characters. Pauls become and sisters are spoken about once during the consummate story, while there are four references to his father. The females in his family are mentioned only in passing and remain flat characters, while his father is referred to some(prenominal) times, each time involving an action o r comment which exhibits an aspect of his fathers character which makes him a more rounded character. Other references to women in this story choose stereotypical characterizations of them. In Pauls Case, women are often made out to be weak, in contrast to the references to men who worked and performed physical labor. Two instances in the story effectively demonstrate this stereotypical weakness. First, one of Pauls teachers commented, I happen to fill in that he was born in Colorado, only a few months ahead his mother died out there of a long illness. This remark makes Pauls mother fragile and sickly since she is a weak woman, she is overtaken and killed by her illness. Another eccentric of this stereotype is when Paul includes his sister in his lies, hi... ...t the Venus of Milo as he passed her on the stairway. Paul may have had probable cause to dislike his teacher, however, the statue had done nothing to provoke him aside from being female. The nauseous gesture he made t owards the statue embodies his attitude towards the entire female gender. Pauls Case is clearly product of the influences of a patriarchal society. Women are not allowed a prominent role in any part of the story, which is evidence of the powerful patriarchal societys oppression of women. When women are actually mentioned in the story, it is in a stereotypical and/or demeaning manner. Although the gender of the narrator is not discernible, this story was written by a woman whos views were heavily effected by the opinions of the society in which she lived, which is apparent through the actions, views, and attitudes of her characters.