Reading literature such as A Doll’s House or A Thousand Splendid Suns opens discussion of issues relating to the roles of men and women in society. In modern western society, we see men and women working side by side; equal, for the most part. This has certainly evolved during the course of the years beginning with the American Revolution. A Doll’s House enlightens readers to the accepted role of women in the late 19th century in western culture. Nora is a common house wife. She focuses her life on pleasing her husband. This includes "looking pretty" and not much else. Helmer calls his wife pet names such as “little squirrel” giving insight to their relationship: Nora is Helmer’s doll with which he dotes on but does not see as an equal partner. Nora is allotted money from Helmer. She is not involved in the finances of the household. Any serious comments Nora mentions to Helmer are brushed aside as if her mind is not capable of logical thinking or intelligence. True to the work’s title, Nora is simply a doll that Helmer “plays with” in his house. Nora’s secret she keeps from Helmer proves that she has the capability of not being a doll; in fact, she could eventually discover who she is as an individual. Nora realizes that she had never had the opportunity to be an individual since she went from being a daughter to being a wife. She recognizes she has to leave the marriage in order to uncover herself.
This situation describes many women of that time. The author meant the play to illustrate reality. In a marriage, both man and woman should view each other with equal value. This means that each should value the other’s thoughts, opinions, and capabilities as highly as he/she values his/her own. This idea of men and women having the same importance was not widely held until a few decades ago.
Looking at literature with the setting in areas such as the Middle East, a culture where men and women are not of the same value can be observed. A Thousand Splendid Suns gives insight to the culture of Afghanistan, and the different level of value place on men and women. Largely, women were simply for bearing children and taking care of a household. As lesser human beings, women were, therefore, legally subject to physical punishment at the hands of a man.
The derogatory treatment of many Afghan women, as presented in A Thousand Splendid Suns stemmed from human error in interpreting and implementing religious laws/ideas. For example, women are/were required to cover themselves because their purity is to be upheld; they are to be free from the eyes of men other than their husband. Although this idea is an honorable one, the way in which man implemented this was flawed.
Despite these appalling examples of inequality between genders, I find flaws in the modern movement of equality. Men and women are of the same value, but not of the same capabilities. First there are physical differences, such as a woman’s ability to bear a child. Despite protests, men are generally physically stronger than women. The logical side of the majority of men’s brains is more active than the emotional side, while women have a more active emotional side of their brain. The majority of women seek to develop relationships with other human beings; newborn baby girls seek to make eye contact earlier and more frequently than boys. These and other so-called “stereotypes” are actually truths that have been proven. We must accept these differences; they are unchangeable! The issue is not these differences. The issue is how we interpret these differences. Saying that logic is always more important than emotion is wrong. Saying that since women are physically weaker than men, women are of less importance is also wrong. Comparing two very different things and saying one is of more importance than other is incorrect in this situation because these two different human beings were created to complement each other. However, just because the emotional part of a man’s brain is not as active as the emotional does not mean a man does not have or feel emotion. Similarly, a woman can certainly think logically. In each gender, some may be more like the average than others. For example, one woman may be able to think more logically than another. Therefore, we can not categorize individuals as simply a man or a woman. Similarly, without looking at an individual, one should not decide that person’s capabilities based on his or her gender.
All of this is to say that man and women are fundamentally different. These differences cause men to be better at some things and women better at other things. Our value as a human is what makes us equal, not our abilities. “So God created human beings in his image. In the image of God he created them. He created them male and female.”
Very well written Julie!
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