How Men View Women Men view women as objects of their imagination come to life. They have their own belief on what women should look at act like. From Scott Russell Sanders essay, Looking at Women, the character Tom thought he knew how the women would act towards him before he even met her. Every night Tom would imagine being with her. Last night she had him into her flat: it was big and had fitted white carpets and a bed with a padded white leather headboard. She wore a black filmy negligee and her kindness to Tom thickened his throat as he remembered it.
(187) In the early 1900 s, the role of a woman was much different compared to their role today. Women were viewed as housewives, which means, maids that cook and clean, caretakers of their children, and servants to fulfill every mans needs. Men fulfill active roles and are seen as ambitious and powerful. Women, however, satisfy passive roles and are cognizant human beings; they must necessarily take a back seat to the dominant male in their lives in order to routinely accommodate his wants and desires. Men view woman as nave playthings that are only good for making babies and for pleasuring.
In Claire Kemps essay, Keeping Company, Williams wife Nora is a fitting image of a typical woman of the early 1900 s. William views himself as the man of the house and would not allow his wife to work. Noras daily activities are to cook, clean and tend to the garden. She is married to a husband that doesnt really see or know her. He just sees what he wants to see in her and expects her to be what he wants her to be. William doesnt approve of Noras relationship with their neighbor because they are a gay couple living together.
William believes that he is Noras good company. The only company youll ever need. (203) Noras constant visits to James and Dennis may have finally woken her on how she could be treated respectfully by other men. She feels sorrowful and a ngr at her husband but at the same time she also feels helpless. Too helpless to stand up for herself and make things different for herself because society already has a biased view on the womans role. Today in the twentieth century, much has changed for the modern woman.
A womans place in the workforce is more equal and they are treated with more respect. Or are they Are modern women today really treated differently from the early nineteenth century women Women may be more equal to men in society but do men still view women the same way as in the nineteenth century. Some women today are still treated like housewives: cooking, cleaning and taking care of the children. But do women play that role because of men or do they want to be housewives Society has changed dramatically in the past century but some things may never change.
Men still think and treat women as native playthings and women are still responding to mens beliefs. For example, Howard Stern degrades women by only judging them by their looks. Women line up at his studio to be mentally abused by him for a free breast implant. Works Cited Lessing, Doris. A Woman on a Roof. Reading and Writing from Literature.
1977: pp. 183-190. Kemp, Claire. Keeping Company. Reading and Writing from Literature. 1977: pp.
201-205.