Stereotypes and Exploitation of Women in Invisible Man - Literature Essay Samples

In Invisible Man, the trope of invisibility functions as a criticism of racist American society, but it also encompasses the novels subtext of gender erasure. Both black and white females throughout the novel are underdeveloped and virtually invisible, constructed along a spectrum that replicates the classic duality in stereotypes of womenmother/Madonna or whore/seductress. The most notable white women represent the tabooed white female and are portrayed as highly sexualized and obsessed with the sexual stereotypes of black men. Black women are also seen as extremely sexual creatures, but those who are not overtly sexual automatically fall into the category of the nurturing mother figure. In the novel, both black and white women are blatantly stereotyped and are exploited and used by men who seek to further their own interests and desires.The white women that appear in the novel represent the taboo of the white female for black men, symbolized especially by Mr. Nortons daughter, Huberts wife, Emma, the sophisticated hostess at the Chthonian, and the Naked Blonde. The novels most notable white women are highly sexualized and are used by the novels men by means of that sexuality. These women, especially the Naked Blonde and Sybil, are thereby relegated to the role of the stereotypical white seductress who is attracted to the equally stereotypical notion of the primitive and animalistic sexual impulse of the black man. The Naked Blonde, with a small American flag tattooed upon her belly, (Ellison 19) dances for the narrator and the other black boys before the Battle Royal and is recognized as an obvious taboo by them. This woman, who ostensibly seems to be the American dream for every man, white or black, is actually taboo for all the men who watch her dance. For the narrator and the other black boys, the prospect of a naked white woman is horrifying and painfully shaming, knowing that she is completely forbidden to them and that the only purpose of her s ensuous dance is to make the boys squirm in anguish. For the white men the Naked Blonde is off-limits because she is a stripper and is therefore of a decidedly lower class then they are, which makes her unmarriageable. Their only access to her, then, is through paying her to arouse them. Thus the white men dominate her and control her sexuality through money, their higher class, and through their perceived male superiority.The Naked Blonde is completely aware of her sexuality and faintly [smiles] at [the] fear (20) of the black boys as she dances for them. Just as she serves as the stereotypical female seductress, she projects a similar stereotype onto the boys as she believes that they will not be able to control their primitive sexuality in the presence of her naked body. She smiles knowingly at their discomfort, aware that it is evidence of their attraction to her. The Naked Blonde is not only reduced to the role of seductress, but is used as a commodity by the white men to fulfill their own desires. As a stripper at a function put on by white males, the Naked Blondes purpose is to entertain, arouse, and follow the white mens orders, much like the function of the black boys. She is relegated to subhuman status by the white men, evidenced by the terror and disgust in her eyes as they chase her around the floor and toss her as college boys tossed at a hazing (20). The narrator himself describes her hair as yellow like that of a circus kewpie doll, (19) further augmenting the image of the Naked Blonde as a puppet of the rich whites, controlled by them to further their own wants.Similarly, Sybil, the white wife of a Brotherhood member, portrays a forbidden white female and also functions as the overly sexual white seductress. Sybil, in Greco-Roman mythology, was a siren who lured sailors to their death, advancing the image of Sybil as a white seductress. She admits to having rape fantasies involving black men, furthering the stereotype that black men cannot control their sexual impulses. She begs the narrator to threaten to kill her (518) and cries, Come on, beat me, daddyyouyou big black bruiserHurry up, knock me down! Dont you want me? (522). The narrator is put off by the way she sees him as Brother Taboo-with-whom-all-things-are-possible (517) and becomes disinterested in her, just as he is disinterested in the Naked Blonde because he is terrified by the taboo she represents. Sybil wants to use the narrator to fulfill her interracial rape fantasy, but he is only using her to get information about the Brotherhood. He admits that she is the type of woman who he would have avoided like the plague had her unhappiness and the fact that she was one of the big shots wives not made her a perfect choice (516).The narrator wants to use Emma in similar fashion, remembering that she was once attracted to him and thus deciding to use her to get information about the Brotherhoods plans. He remembers Emma in terms of her sexuality, r ecalling her bound breasts pressing against him and that teasing light in her eyes (512). Thinking of her boldness and the voicing of her opinion, he notes the resentment he had once felt for her. He likes her when she is sexual, but when she starts to speak and act on her own thoughts like a man he resents her. Later, noticing that she is so sexually turned on that she might willingly surrender herself (in order to satisfy herself), he decides not to pursue her any longer because she was far too sophisticated and skilled in intrigue toreveal anything important to him (515). The narrator is only using Emma to get what he wants from her, and once she has outlived her usefulness he abandons her.She is also used by the Brotherhood, who marginalize her by making her pour drinks for them, using her as their messenger by making her deliver the narrator a message, and by using her sexuality to help lure the narrator into joining the Brotherhood. Brother Jack warns Emma that the Brothe rhood wants to recruit the narrator and that she should make [him her] interest too, after which she asks him to dance (303). Emma is therefore another example of a white woman being used by men to further their own interests.The black women in Invisible Man are equally stereotyped, most forming to the classic female duality of mother/Madonna or whore/seductress. For example, Edna, Hester, and Charlene, the whores at the Golden Day, fall into the whore/seductress side of the spectrum. Edna admits to fantasizing about white men and jokingly propositions Mr. Norton: I sho do. I just love em. Now this one, old as he is, he could put his shoes under my bed any night (88). It can also be said that the prostitutes at the Golden Day portray maternal aspects as well, helping the narrator take care of the ill Mr. Norton. The exotic girl with a pleasant voice with a slightly husky edge who mistakes the narrator for Rinehart is also a seductress, as her speech makes it clear that she and Rinehart are sleeping together: No, daddy, dont look back; my old man might be cold trailing me. Just walk along beside me while I tell you where to meet me. I swear I thought youd never comee. Will you be able to see me tonight? (494). Also fitting the stereotype are the girls from Harlem, the best-looking girls who are commandeered as a squad of drum majoretteswho pranced and twirled just plain girled in the enthusiastic interest of the Brotherhood (380). Similar to the way that the novels white women are primarily used by the men, the majority of the black characters are exploited as well. This is particularly evident in the stereotypic black whores/seductresses. The whores at the Golden Day are obviously used by men for their sexuality; Rinehart is not only using the exotic girl for sex, but as she mistakenly tries to slip the narrator Rineharts money it becomes clear that he is using her as a cohort in his schemes as well; the girls in Harlem are procured simply to use thei r sexuality to arouse interest in the Brotherhood. Clearly, the stereotype of women as merely sexual creatures crosses color lines, encompassing both the novels black and white women, who are then exploited by the men around them2EOn the other side of the spectrum is the motherly/Madonna stereotype of black women found in the novel. The women characters that fit this stereotype are portrayed as nurturing, caretaking, and helpful. While this is not necessarily an offensive characterization as whore/seductress is, the act of stereotyping women into this duality of Madonna/whore serves to deny the diversity of black women in America. An example of this mother/Madonna stereotype is Sister Provo, the elderly woman being evicted from her home. The narrator describes her as a motherly-looking old woman (267) and states that her tears move him as when a child, seeing the tears of its parents, is moved by both fear and sympathy to cry (270). It can be said that Sister Provo and her hus band are being used by the white power structure, which is responsible for their eviction, to maintain its power and dominance over the black community. They are exercising their power over the poor minority culture and are using the couple to display the reach and strength of the authority that they yield. By taking their possessions, the white power structure is reinforcing the notion that it is in control of the lives of the blacks in America; it can give and take as it sees fit.Mirroring this scene is the one with Lottie, the pregnant wife of Dupre, who begs him not to burn down the tenement and who represents a mother figure, as does the nameless mother with the children who also inhabit the tenement. In this scene, the angry mob is displacing its anger at the white power structure onto their own community, burning down their own tenements. These women become victims of this misdirected anger as a mob of drunk, chaotic men destroy their homes.Also fitting the mother/Madonna stereotype are the duped Sisters from Rineharts church and Jim Truebloods wife and daughter. While both of the Trueblood women are pregnant and are therefore mother figures, the daughter Mattie Lou functions as a seductress as well, evidenced when Jim Trueblood refers to her as a whore: maybe sometimes a man can look at a little ole pigtail gal and see him a whore (59). The Sisters from Rineharts church are used by Rinehart in one of his many schemes involving his shifting identities, and the Trueblood women are banished to the periphery as their voice is never heard outside the story of a man. Neither white nor male, these women are treated as invisible and their version of the story is never told. Kates violent reaction to finding her husband on top of their daughter is the only time that the female perspective is interjected into Jim Truebloods recounting of the events, and Jim primarily thinks in terms of his own survival instead of the suffering he has caused his family: Except that my wife and daughter wont speak to me, Im better off than I ever been before (67). The act is judged by an audience of men, including Mr. Norton and the narrator, the school administrators, and other powerful white men. Mr. Norton even pays Jim Trueblood for telling his story; clearly, it is the Trueblood women who have been used and victimized.The only memorable black woman who is positively portrayed and given any kind of depth and development is Mary Rambo, the kind woman who acts as mother/Madonna by taking in and healing the narrator after the explosion at the paint factory. Mary is a nonsexual big dark woman (251) who offers to take care of [the narrator] like [she] done a heap of others (252). A man nearby then praises Marys maternal instincts: You in good hands, daddy, Miss Mary always helping somebody and you need some help (253). As her name suggests, Mary represents the saintly mother of Jesus, doing everything she can to support the narrator and, in effe ct, adopting him as her surrogate son. Mary pushes the narrator to learn from and embrace his past, and he comes to think of her not as a friend, but as something morea force, a stable, a familiar force like something out of my past which kept me from whirling off into some unknown which I dared not face (258). Mary reminds him that he can and is expected to become something in life. Soon, though, the narrator meets Brother Jack and joins the Brotherhood, and he begins to see Mary differently. He becomes ashamed and embarrassed of her, and his vain attempt to dispose of the cast-iron bank is symbolic of the narrators attempt to shatter her image. The bank, like Mary, represents a part of his heritage that the narrator wants to forget. He begins to complain about her cooking and starts to notice the noise, poverty, and filth of her home, as indicated by the banging on the pipes, the smell of cabbage, and the invasion of roaches. Marys language turns from concern to the stereot ypical nagging of a mother: Boy, when you come home? [] Then where you going so soon, aint you going to eat supper? [] What kind of business you got on a cold night like this? (297-298). The narrator begins to feel uneasy and guilty under Marys restrictive gaze, and she becomes another situation that the narrator must leave in order to find his identity.When the narrator at last leaves Marys home, she appears no more in the novel except in the narrators thoughts and memories. She becomes an abstraction that the narrators consciousness invokes when he is in trouble and in need of motherly guidance. In fact, Mary regains her helpfulness and reaches the full power of her position as mother/Madonna after she is removed from the novel. The narrator leaves Marys home without even saying goodbye, confident that she will be fine. Just like the other women in the novel, Mary has been used by men and discarded when she proves to be no longer useful. The narrator no longer needs Mary in the flesh, for he can conjure her up in his mind whenever he needs her.Women in Invisible Man are conspicuously underdeveloped and stereotyped along two extremes of the spectrum, denying the diversity and complexity of the female gender. The narrators encounters with white women suggest that he primarily understands them as forbidden objects of desire, but a closer examination of the white female characters in the novel indicates that they are primarily used by men for their own ends. Black women are similarly used by men, existing only as highly sexualized seductresses or as self-effacing maternal figures. The novel makes the struggle for social equality visible through the narrative of an invisible black man, but the marginalization of blacks in the novel is mirrored by that of the women as well. With the exception of Mary Rambo, the women characters in the novel are underdeveloped, undiversified, and, for all intents and purposes, invisible. Women are exploited by men and th eir own struggle for equality is ignored because the novels dominant institutionsthe white power structure, the Brotherhood, and society as a wholetends to treat people not as individuals but as stereotyped groups. It is because of this tendency that the narrator has so much trouble forging an identity, and it is why the novels women can never attain a fully developed or meaningful identity for themselves.Works CitedEllison, Ralph. Invisible Man. 1952. New York: Vintage-Random House, 1995.

Humanitys Capacity for Change as shown in Year of Wonders - Literature Essay Samples

Humankind has the potential to undergo significant change, and instances of crisis often act as catalysts for such transformations. The once meek and complacent Anna Frith becomes a women of exceptional bravery and compassion in Geraldine Brooks’ historical novel Year of Wonders, as in the course of her journey she changes many of her own views and challenges others’ perceptions of her. She overhauls many of the key pillars of her existence, meaning the changes she experienced were all-encompassing, demonstrating to readers the extraordinary malleability of human nature. The first important alteration Anna endeavoured to make was in regards to her relationship with men and her class status as a lowly maid, both features of her life that fed into her lack of independence and power. This transition is marked by the change in how she refers to Elinor, from â€Å"Mrs. Mompellion† at first to â€Å"my friend† later, and using her first name. This change in addr ess indicates that she becomes comfortable with her equality to Elinor and that she deserves such a position. It was Elinor, in fact, who was the main influence on Anna’s defying of class boundaries, as Elinor’s own past mistakes led to her acting as a surrogate mother to Anna and helping her to see her value and potential. By treating Anna as an equal and educating her, articulated by Anna when she says â€Å"for as I loved to learn, she loved to teach†, Anna is exposed to a world previously closed off to her by her lack of means and she is consequently able to interact with all classes of people and get a job that is not menial. Much of Anna’s transition from lower class to classless also stemmed from her perception of herself, a perception Elinor is key in shaping, as she began to view herself as just as worthy as the wealthy consequently forcing those around her to challenge their views, seen when Elizabeth Bradford visited Michael in the novelâ€℠¢s first chapter. While Elizabeth â€Å"pushed past† Anna twice throughout their interaction, a gesture that indicates her sheer dismissal of Anna and lack of respect for her, Anna rebutted her rudeness by using the same doorway as Elizabeth. This was a discrepancy Elizabeth was clearly uncomfortable with, but one that illustrated Anna’s steely self-confidence at the plague year’s end and her new perspective on the redundancy of social class. Unfortunately, members of society such as Elizabeth will always view Anna as lesser than themselves, but Anna’s successful career and solo journey at the novels end prove that her resolute nature far outweighed a few doubters. If it were not for the rapid crumbling of her religious faith, Anna’s intelligent, open mind would have never been able to challenge her puritan upbringing and eventually turn to science as the more logical alternative. She begins to question her faith early on as she realises Anysâ€⠄¢ â€Å"fornication and blasphemy branded her a sinner† despite her altruistic work in helping the villagers with their ailments and wellbeing. If it were not for her admiration of and respect for Anys her initial doubts about religion would perhaps never have arose, rendering Anys essential in her painstaking journey from puritan to atheist. The â€Å"dark and light† in which she â€Å"had been taught to view the world† began looking distinctively grey although she continues to go to church and see the plague as the doing of God until very late on in the novel when her mind is freed by the realisation the plague may be â€Å"a thing in Nature merely†. Anna’s unquenchable thirst for knowledge and self-reliance filled the void opened up by the disintegrating of her faith, as she left the certainty and comfort it offered to pursue her desire to become wordly and educated – a plight impossible without the ever patient teachings of Elinor. It i s almost impossible for Anna to release herself from a lifetime of teachings, however, partially because of her admiration for Mr. Mompellion and the sermons he continues to preach until the novels final pages. Even then, when her faith has turned into hope, she still refers to the â€Å"Plague† with a capital â€Å"P†, suggesting that there is still a trace of her subconscious that sees the disease as a hopeless force similar to that of how she now views God. As she breaks the binds her strict upbringing placed upon her, however, she proves that it is possible to change in a way that opens one up to a myriad of exciting opportunities. Furthermore, there are many small instances of change Anna experiences throughout Year of Wonders, all which relate back to her fear of certain activities that stem from traumatising life experiences. Firstly, she confronted the idea of dabbling in herbal remedies, scared of becoming a â€Å"widowturned witch† but eventually overc oming her self-consciousness in order to ease the pain of those in great suffering, displaying exceptional compassion and benevolence. Elinor’s powerful role modelling assists her decision greatly as she encourages Anna to help her in discovering remedies and applying them to the wrath of the plague. Anna was then gently pushed, once again by Elinor, whose kind, calm tone as she says â€Å"we will do the best we can by Mary Daniel† coaxes Anna into acting as a midwife to the first time mother. She is desperately afraid because of her own mothers death in childbirth but the experience sparks her passion to move â€Å"away from deathfrom birth to birth† in the novels epilogue – a passion she would have never discovered if it was not for the mentoring of Elinor. She overcame past traumas once again when she went down into the mine to assist an orphaned child in surviving, battling with her fear of darkness and death and emerging injured but triumphant. On th ese three occasions, Anna’s selfless desire to assist those more in need than herself overcame her crippling fears, proving an enduring valiance far greater than what most can claim and most certainly proving mankind’s capacity to change.Ultimately, Geraldine Brooks illustrates humankind’s exceptional capacity to be moulded and shaped through the character of Anna. This is demonstrated through Anna’s psychological and social transformations as she emerges from the plague year having opened up doors she never knew existed and having been â€Å"tempered and made strong.†