The Oppression of Females throughout History

Virginia Woolf explains the life of Shakespeare's fictional sister to highlight the limitations on women in that time period. She tells the story of Judith, who is equally as bright and imaginative as Shakespeare. However, she does not go to school like her brother, and is instead forced to tend to household chores. Woolf explains, "She had no chance of learning grammar and logic, let alone reading Horace and Virgil." A girl never had the opportunity to learn in that period, therefore it is not surprising that they were not responsible for the great plays, sonnets, and literature of the time. Woolf in fact argues that if a woman was as gifted as a man, such as Judith was, she would go crazy, or shoot herself. Woolf describes, "For it needs little skill in psychology to be sure that a highly gifted girl who had tried to use her gift for poetry would have been so thwarted and hindered by other people, so tortured and pulled asunder by her own contrary instincts, that she must have lost her health and sanity to a certainty." A female with any talent, aside from their daily chores, was restricted and told to pursue other things. She then may have felt that she was not deserving of success, and would have gone crazy. Edna experiences this same dilemna in "The Awakening."

In "The Awakening" Edna is oppressed by her husband. She is forced to adhere to the stereotypical gender roles, and act as a mother, though she admits she has no passion for it. However, throughout the novel she realizes a certain clarity that allows her to see that she is different than other women. She does not care much for her role as a mother, as Madame Ratignolle does, nor does she care much about pleasing her husband. She wants to develop her independence, much like Judith does when she leaves home to travel to London. To establish her independence, Edna begins gambling and selling her artwork to get an income, and rents her own small house. It appears as if she is successfully asserting her individuality and power. However, society continues to oppress her. Robert ultimately tells her that he loves her, so he cannot be with her, because it is not the right thing to do. Edna finds herself going crazy because she has her independence, but now has nothing to do with it in the absence of Robert's love. Much like Judith, she finds that she cannot make much headway because of society's restrictions, and unfortunately ends her life because of it. Even given independence, women have been oppressed by society into obedience and insanity.