The Pressure of Society on Women

The Pressure of Society on Women

  • Submitted By: manhuntr
  • Date Submitted: 12/18/2008 5:34 PM
  • Category: English
  • Words: 1064
  • Page: 5
  • Views: 2

The Pressure of Society on Women

In recent time women have always aimed for a recognized place in society. However, American culture still often defines women as unequal based on their gender. It is common for men to be seen as strong and women to be seen as weak. In the poem “House Guest,” by Elizabeth Bishop, a woman is rejected by her family and society after she says that she wants to be a nun. After giving up on the career, she lives with a family while paying rent, as a seamstress. She has lived a rough life after being denied her desire and consistently remains depressed. No matter what the family or anybody does for her, she appears dead. In “House Guest,” Elizabeth Bishop incorporates image clusters such as nature and sewing to show how if a woman feels depressed, because she was unable to achieve her goals, she may feel that it is not worth living if she cannot have control over her own life.
In the beginning and middle of the poem, through images of materialistic items, the family attempts to pull the seamstress out of her depression. In the beginning the seamstress sits and watches TV. The persona observes the seamstress and tries to distract her by “stuffing her with fattening foods.” (Line 19) The family notices the seamstress’s unhealthy appearance and forces “fattening foods” into her to get her healthy. The seamstress disregards her health and the family has no choice, but to force-feed. While, the seamstress is not poor, has a family, and makes a good living, she still remains depressed, “ [they] invite her to use the binoculars.” (Line 20) The “binoculars” represent a way to see things through a different perspective and for the seamstress to try to take her problems and analyze them closely in an attempt to fix them. The seamstress lives a boring life, and while she receives invites to do several exciting events, she does not care or show emotion. To get the seamstress up, moving, and content, the family offers further to,...

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