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Post by Dr. Nemmers on Jul 22, 2024 5:36:33 GMT
"It occurred to Maria that whatever arrangements were made, they worked less well for women." (46)
"She was staring into a hand mirror, picking out her mother's features. Sometime in the night she had moved into a realm of miseries peculiar to women, and she had nothing to say to Carter." 62
Given that this is the first novel we've read that's written by/ about a woman.... wondering what we think about these quotes? What does this novel suggest about what it's like to be a woman?
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Post by garrison on Jul 23, 2024 21:11:52 GMT
As a man myself, its difficult to speculate the full meaning behind quotes like this. The first quote is clearly showing how much of a second thought women were, in Hollywood and just in general at the time. No matter what the arrangments or decisions were, Maria knew they wouldn't be for the benefit of any women. The second quote feels a little deeper to me. Maria spends time finding her mother in herself. I think this could show her love for her mother and also her pride in her womanhood. I think it could also be seen as Maria knowing pieces of herself could be found with Kate. I think that transitions well into her moving into the realm of miseries peculiar to women. To make your way in the world as a woman, it seems like you had to first fully submit to the world. That is a scary place to be.
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Post by gnicholson3 on Jul 25, 2024 1:36:46 GMT
I think of one of my favorite lyrics, "mama, womanhood's been hard to settle in," in response to the quote you bring up.
Very recently, someone mentioned to me that the standards for female police officer's physical initiations were lowered in comparison to the standards for male officers (whether that's true or not I neither know nor feel is relevant), but what is relevant is that this factoid was followed by "I think the standards should be the same even if women have to work twice as hard to get there." The reason I feel that this is relevant, even in not knowing the truth behind it, is that it was shared like common knowledge and agreed upon by others in the vicinity as common knowledge. If the standards remained the same, it would be less convenient for women (they work twice as hard) and the standards being changed is still inconvenient for women (they have to work twice as hard to prove they can do the job). I'm not sure if that makes sense, but that is what the first quote brought to my mind.
The second quote, I think of looking in the mirror and seeing my mother in myself; I have very few features of her, as I look like my father, but I still recognize the things that make me distinctly her and in a way like all other women. When I think of women in general, I think of learning about women's suffrage in school and how I was told, "you have to vote, because they weren't able." In regard to "Miseries," I think of the women drowned and burned as witches, or the women given away at the age of twelve in arranged marriages. I think about how I'll give my name away, especially in context with this story and how Maria is Mrs. Lang and not Ms. Wyeth to some people in the psychiatric facility.
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Post by Rylee Wenzel on Jul 25, 2024 2:50:07 GMT
I think the fact that this book is written by a woman and features a female lead is so important. I like these quotes because I like how they are clearly stating what it is like to be a woman. The moment she realizes things are different for her simply BECAUSE she is a woman. Spending time analyzing herself and finding her mother within her. Since she is a woman it is important that the novel, in some aspect, focuses on that. Whether we see it or not women are often at some disadvantage in any industry. And I would argue even more so in Hollywood.
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Post by dcomeaux on Jul 25, 2024 3:02:47 GMT
I have to agree with the previously stated. The first quote clearly states that any plan or arrangement will be to the benefit of the man and not the woman. That is not completely abnormal I suppose for that time. Even today, in some industries, they are catered to men...especially in male-dominated industries.
The second quote I believe is Maria looking into the mirror for pieces of her mother and how maybe her mother shaped her and made her who she is. Possibly some self-reflection? Searching for identity?
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