Documented Paper
Due 4-29-08
There are many options for your paper. Refer to the Assignment Sheet
for ideas. You have the choice between two stories: “The Kind
of Light that Shines on Texas” or “Personal Testimony.”
This sample was written by an English 210 student in response to Margaret
Atwood’s “Happy Endings.” This is a very good response—it goes well
beyond summary to apply some of the Literary Criticism criteria we’ve worked
with this semester. It is also an in-class writing which was done
in a limited amount of time. You have the opportunity to spend more
time on your paper.
You may use this as a model for your own work, or you may come up with
something very different, depending on which way you go with ideas for the
paper. I have added the in-text citations and done some minor editing.
I have also only included one point.
Used with permission…
Gender Roles Examined with Feminist
Criticism
Joni Herman
Margaret Atwood’s short story “Happy
Endings” gives the readers a brief scenario about two people and allows
the readers to choose between six different possible endings to the scenario.
All are very different, but amount to the same endings—[the characters]
die. For this paper, I will look at scenarios B and C using Feminist
Criticism to explain Mary’s role in each of the scenarios.
First of all, in scenario B it is
important that “Mary falls in love with John but John doesn’t fall in love
with Mary” (Atwood 43). This statement alone is the basis for Mary’s
role in this scenario. The statement itself puts the man in power in
the relationship and automatically weakens Mary’s role in the relationship.
When the woman is in love with a man, whether he loves her or not, she will
often do whatever he says in order to make him happy. Not only this,
but if she makes him happy, then maybe—just maybe—there is that tiny inkling
of hope that “he’ll come to depend on her and they will get married” (43).
This is Mary’s hope in this particular scenario. The role of the woman
in this particular scenario is one of inferiority and submission.
The man is completely in control of the situation and can manipulate the
woman. This submissive and weak view of women is still in play in
1983 when the story was written. Although some say it’s [different]
in today’s society, that is not true. The convention of women
as the lesser entity in the relationship is one that is still very real
today. The situation of the woman loving the man but the man using
her for cooking and sex only is a prominent issue still today, and even more
so in the 1980s. This particular scenario shows women as gullible and
weaker creatures than man. The fact that John is able to hurt Mary
over and over, yet she still takes it until she is driven to the point of
suicide is an overexaggerated view of the role of women in this situation.
Even though the end is indeed overexaggerated, it nonetheless makes a bold
and striking statement: women who allow themselves to be deceived
and manipulated are, indeed, the weaker entity in the relationship.
They keywords here: “allow themselves to be deceived…”
Next, in scenario C…..