The more I read about women in the late nineteenth/early twentieth century, the more I realize how thankful I am to be living in the twenty-first century! Having to pretend to respect a person like the narrator in the story "MIss Grief" is something I know I would be unable to do. It is disheartening to realize that authors such as Constance Fenimore Woolson, who were extremely talented were not taken seriously by the male dominated society of their time and were often unable to follow their dreams.
Sometimes I wonder, however, is the twenty first century really that much better in terms of womens rights? My roommate is interviewing for jobs in the still mostly male dominated world of business finance. She often finds herself as the only female candidate interviewing for positions while going against 20 male applicants. She is usually interviewed by a man and usually leaves the appointment feeling like her chances of a job offer are slim to none. Her feelings are not due to a lack of qualifications for the position, but similar to Miss Grief/Crief, she feels she is not being considered solely because she is a woman. Has this ever happened to you or one of your friends? Are woman in the 21st century really getting closer to having all of the same rights as men?
I agree that in a male dominated work force it is often difficult for women to stand out and make a name for themselves. I think men are almost in a sense intimidated by women who are capable of the skills and capacities they are. Even in the 21st century there's still a desire to associate women with certain societal norms, and to see women breaking them is often difficult to comprehend. Even for the women who do manage to make it in a male dominated career, they must work extra hard to prove their worth in a company, to prove that just because they are a woman that they are capable of doing the same level of work as a man.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it would have been much harder for Miss Grief to try to publish her book without the help of the narrator, who is a man. But in the beginning you were talking about how he had to pretend to respect her? I think he respected her shortly after he met her. He appreciated her work in a way he knew no one else would and because of that he worked to get her work published. I think he is one of the few people who would respect her after meeting her.
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