Women's Literature

Image: "Literature Is My Spouse" by Kai Jimenez

Throughout this course we have explored various examples of women’s literature, and observed its ability to inspire both the women and men who read it.  To simply define women’s literature would be to say it is writing created by women, focusing on the lives of women.  Women’s literature is also closely associated with feminism. The examples that we have read however, I feel go beyond gender, and explore the concepts of human life, struggle, identity, and self-expression. 

A key factor in women’s literature is displaying the hardships that women have to endure, and how they are able to survive and overcome them.  There are examples of this that can be found in every piece of literature we had to read this semester.  In the novel, In The Time of the Butterflies the source of oppression is a corrupt government that restricts the human rights of its citizens. The sisters in this story show us a powerful example of what we as people can accomplish when we stand up for what we believe in. Tragically this story does not have a happy ending, as three of the four sisters were murdered, but they now have become symbols of strength and determination. Their story is not just inspirational to the people of their native country, but it is inspirational to anyone who learns of them.

Other pieces of literature we have read this semester show us the aftermath that victims of unspeakable tragedy, have to endure in their struggle to keep living. In both When the Emperor was Divine, and The Shawl, we see how the scars of prejudice and imprisonment sometimes never fully heal. In The Shawl, we see a holocaust survivor, who will never be able to fully let go of her child who was murdered by the Nazis, no matter how many years pass by. In When the Emperor was Divine, we see how the scars of imprisonment deeply effect the mental state of the Japanese woman, and even further, we see how the scars or torture haunt her husband. Aside from tragedy, these stories also reflect hope, and healing. In When the Emperor Was Divine we see how the children are both slowly able to find acceptance within society, and in The Shawl we see how Rosa is slowly starting to release the mental hold that the memory of her daughter has on her as she begins to come to terms with her grief and become more social with the world she has sealed herself off from.

Self-identity also played a major role in all of the literature in this course. The women in the novels that we have read cannot simply be defined by their class, race, or economic status. I view The Vagina Monologues as the ultimate example of female expression. The monologues come from a diverse group of women, but their stories all relate to each other through the universal bond of sexual expression and what defines womanhood. We have also seen many examples of feminism and lesbian sexuality throughout this course. In the novels Fun Home and Two or Three Things I Know for Sure we see these women’s desire to express themselves and become the person they truly wish to be, regardless of what society has pressured them into thinking.

This course has provided me with a unique opportunity to examine and appreciate many books that I probably would have never read otherwise.  I definitely liked certain books better than others, but I can walk away with an appreciation and understanding of why all of these books were selected.  I am very happy to say my perception has changed drastically when it comes to feminist literature.  I had the preconceived notion that any book that could be dubbed as “feminist” would be a book purely about bashing men, but I was delighted to learn that instead of focus on negative feelings towards men, it celebrates womanhood and what it means to be able to express yourself through your gender. The works selected do not simply focus on the struggles of women, but rather they focus on the struggles of life through a woman’s perspective. I have also found an appreciation of Eve Ensler’s work. It is very empowering, and also gives a voice to issues that are seldom talked about. I find this very intriguing and hope to continue to read more of her work. I greatly enjoyed this class and the new perspective it has given me, and greatly appreciate the empowerment that these books have given me as an individual.