I see today and as well in this book that there are still SO many gender issues. Mainly that woman are perceived to never be capable of the power a man has. Today women still make less money doing the same thing as a man, women are still viewed as the weaker sex. For example we still have not had a woman president. The fact that we currently have a black president is amazing but it makes you wonder if our society will ever trust a woman with that kind of power. In Uncle Tom's Cabin aside from Eliza's getaway, the women believe that they can't have the same power as a man in the real world. They believe that there power over the man is at home. The Birds for instance. Mrs. Bird knew that her senator hubby wouldn't help Eliza if Eliza would have come during the day when someone could have seen her and damaged his reputation but Mrs. Bird also knew that since is was night that she could persuade him to help Eliza and Harry. There is also Mrs. Shelby who thinks that she can persuade her husband to not sell Harry so that Eliza never has to worry about it but in the end Mr. Shelby doesn't have a choice. In these two women I see many traits that my mother and one of my friends carry. Complete dependence on a man. If the women of this story don't comply with there husbands than they themselves could be out on there own. I guess that you could equate Bird and Shelby with the slaves though they didn't have it quite as bad.
What irks me most though is that woman today still believe that they aren't competent without having a man in their life. One of my dearest friends marriage ended after twenty years and now she is afraid to do anything big because she always allowed him to make the large, more important decisions. Thank goodness my husband is a feminist or we would not be married anymore. There are more women in college today than men. To me this says that one day women will become more equal and speak our very intelligible minds just as men have done. It took many years for black people to overcome slavery and many say that they still are so I have faith that one day the women's movement will be so large that no one will have the chance to disparage it.
i feel like the main problem in today's society is how woman think. most of the woman today search for what society tells us too, the clothes, the shoes, the makeup.. rather than who is in our government.
ReplyDeletei try my best not to be this way, but i feel like woman force other woman to be this way. we need to reunite and help other woman. and support other woman.. this is the only thing that will help us change the world we are living in.
I very much agree with you both! I believe that we still have many issues when it comes to women and the lack of equality. I feel like women to put pressures on other women to follow stereotypes. I think eventually we will have a woman president, but I stil think it will be awhile.. All we can do as feminists is stand strong and try to empower others.
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree that although women are more equal than they were years ago, there are still a lot of changes that need to be made within society. A guy will be a "player", but a girl will be a "whore". These standards that we hold for women are unfair compared to men. And this problem seems to be what Stowe is writing about. Yes, Stowe gives the mothers in her story power over the home, but how far does that go? As soon as any of the women mention anything other than what they are "suppose" to do, they are immediately shut down. I think the world should be equal. This goes for all things gender, race, sexual orientation, culture...etc. you should have equal chance at the same things anyone else does.
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