Kimberly Rolin
English 1B
Knapp
10/5/10
The Gender Roles of Women in The Flowers
In Dagoberto Gilb’s novel, The Flowers, all of the female characters are objectified as property under the control of the men in their lives. The three main female roles, Cindy, Nica and Sylvia are scrutinized not only by their male counterparts, but by sociological factors and themselves. As different as the women are, all of them are commonly bound by their dependence on men. It’s the reasons why that individualize the women under the same male dominance.
Cindy for example, is a lonely, unhappily married woman. She got married too young, and craves the attention of other men. She is ignored by her husband, yet completely isolated in her own apartment day in and day out. Her constant need for physical attention is most likely stemmed from the fact that she believes she is much more of a sexual object, than a woman or wife to her husband. Paradoxically, she needs emotional support, but seeks it through casual encounters with various men. Being objectified as a lonely young housewife fuels her desire to be with other men. Her physical prow lace ironically stems from the fact that she is seen as a physical object by her husband. And yet, her dependence on men is just as strong as all the other women. Cindy is needy, alone, and scared. She is in an emotional trap that she is well aware she’s placed herself in. Even though she has a husband, she needs the constant approval of other men. For example, accidentally walking outside in her white bikini and begging Sonny, who is younger, to stay and make her happy. As damaged as her relationship is with men, she needs them to feel worthy.
This is apparent as well with Sylvia. Sylvia is portrayed as a beautiful Latina housewife, surrendered to her husband. Sylvia isn’t emotionally needy like Cindy, but her dependence on men stems from her financial instability. She married Clloyd for support, but desires freedom from her tyrannical husband. Sylvia would be very sufficient on her own. She’s young, beautiful, and a hard worker. Yet the benefits of being financed by her husband and having to go through less of a struggle to support her family, keep her tied to Clloyd. Sylvia is controlled by fear. Although she is Latina, she is not the stereotype that Clloyd thinks she is. Her “homemade salsa” is in fact store-bought, but she is too cowardice to tell him. Maybe it’s because she fears he will leave her, but she desperately wants freedom from him. So it could be the fact that she has developed the lowly woman role that all her fellow women seem to be under.
Then there’s Nica. Nica is much younger than the other women, but is experiencing the same reign of male dominance. There is no physical desire or financial need for men, but her tepidness comes from her own father. Her father expects her to take care of her younger brother, like a mother she isn’t ready t o be. He often scolds her, ignores her, and doesn’t ever appreciate all she does for him and her family. At a young age she is expected to care and somewhat provide for her family, and does not object because of the fear she has of her father, and the love she has for her younger brother. She is trapped by her own family, who she cares deeply about, yet can’t seem to shake. She is controlled by a man just as Sylvia and Cindy are, but can’t even imagine a different life.
The Flowers is a place of low income families, odd characters, and beaten down women. Primarily located in a Mexican heritage neighborhood, perhaps it’s the cultural aspect that has these women trapped. Dagoberto Gilb illustrates the hardships of these women through their common prison. Single moms, unhappily married women, neglected children, and lonely old women are all seen in this familiar run down low income place called “home.” Yet obviously the males run The Flowers and their dominance places the females in a position where they might as well be slaves. Female dependence on men is strongly stemmed by the economic pressures and cultural stereotyping present in The Flowers; a place for submissive women.
Wow! What a great read. Not only have you provided us with a convincing argument from the perspective of a Sociological theorist, but you have also effectively applied some key literary terms, such as "irony" and "paradox," that illustrate your understanding of the key elements of "close reading" from a New Critic's vantage point. Very interesting indeed. Since you have entered this terrain, I might suggest that you consider also incorporating "tension," which is another key term first employed by the New Critics and adopted by many contemporary theorists. You have already set up your paper to explore the "tension" in the novel between male and female characters. You also allude to an extension of this idea when you refer to women as "slaves" in your conclusion. By directly articulating the tension in your paper, I think you will better unify your ideas.
ReplyDeleteOne more suggestion (again this is an awesome rough draft!) for you final version is to re-visit your introduction and conclusion. Many of your ideas in the conclusion might be more effectively utilized in your introduction, especially since you provide such a vivid description of the book (description is always a good hook). If you make this change, then I'd like to see you bring your ideas full circle by summing up your analysis in the conclusion (re-connecting with the ideas you opened with) and leave the reader with a sense of closure and a deeper understanding of culture (a very interesting assertion!) and gender. If you are going to associate the female characters with "slaves"(and I think you can in this paper) then, I'd like you to allude to this heavily laden language earlier in the paper, so the reader is ready for this assessment by the end.