Even if you have no experience in analyzing writing, there is one glaring similarity between Virginia Woolf's passage on Shakespeare's sister and The Awakening: in both their respective female protagonists meet their end in a somewhat jarring early death. I, as a reader, am not a big fan of death - especially as the ending to a story. I suppose that this discomfort is the point; the authors want their readers to see the impossibility of the situation. So when I ask myself whether the authors had to go to that extreme, I actually find myself saying yes.
Social critics, in order to be productive, must create work that fosters a sense of urgency while being relatable to what the audience feels - the audience, of course, being citizens of the very society being attacked. Even if the social commentary is expressed just as clearly through lesser techniques, the significance lost by omitting death makes the topic easy to brush aside. There are always plenty of other areas to focus on within our society, not to mention others'. Plenty of these have clear connections to heavy consequences like death without being laid out by a novel, for example. Even more importantly, plenty of other areas-needing-improvement can be addressed with a little to none individual shaming. Changing society without actually feeling bad about my part in it? How ideal.
Death's particular use within feminist text goes beyond the necessity of gravity, however. While the feminist nature of the texts stands in opposition to our culture (quite on purpose), they actually stand quite in line with a prominent Western idea: it would be better to die free than live otherwise. Such a clear display of our own mentality is instantly understandable and almost takes some of the sting off of realizing that sometimes we as individuals are wrong. So is it really fair for me to ask them to turn it down for me? I daresay it would be a disservice to myself.
I really like your insight on their early deaths and when you said, "it would better to die free than live otherwise." I think that is a powerful statement that is embedded in both works.
ReplyDeleteI agree that I don't particularly like death as an end to a story, and normally it would feel like an easy escape to writing an ending but you bring up some great points about the profundity of the deaths of both women.
ReplyDeleteHonestly I sometimes think that a book with death at the end is because the author needs to wrap up his/her story therefore they kill of the main character. But, I think your theory may be a little more accurate. I really like the connection you made.
ReplyDeleteI like the connection you made between the two works and I think it probably applies to a lot of other works too. It is interesting that you point out that the work can stand in opposition of an idea but at the same time also support a prominent Western idea. I think this is true but it is often hard to see.
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