I believe that "The vegetable Wife" is a really interesting short story. Of all the stories that I read this week (most of them dealing with strong women), this one really sticks out to me. It really speaks to me about the oppression of women; how men used to "grow" women to be a certian way, to look a certian way, to act a certian way. Women literally had as much say and freedom in this world as a plant.
However, much like the vegetable wife in this short story, women broke free from the patriarchal roots that were so firmly implanted into the ground and became more independent. By killing the symbol or representation of patriarchy, this case being the husband, the wife is showing how far women have come in modern day society. Women have, somewhat, killed (or chocked) the notions of the conventional patriarchal woman, and are now able to stand free and independent with their faces shining towards the sun with unlimited possiblities in life.
(it's valentines day so I am in a very happy and optimistic mood, can you tell? haha)
2 comments:
I like your comment about men "growing" women; there is a long-standing strain of a similar metaphor in women's writing on the need for better education for women. Mary Wollstonecraft compared women to stunted hothouse flowers, for example.
I like what you said here,
"It really speaks to me about the oppression of women; how men used to "grow" women to be a certian way, to look a certian way, to act a certian way."
Men certainly had their set expectations on what women were expected to be and tried to force them to fill those expectations.
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