Mary Leapor’s An Essay
on Woman made me kind of…sad. As English majors and modern-day females over
anything (in speaking to the ladies), we have so much knowledge about what life
was like in the past centuries for women. This knowledge scares us sometimes,
because we couldn’t imagine a life of such organized, society-expected bondage and suppression. It scares me, at least, that women had such little
voice. Look at us today.
It is obvious that, after reading the poem, Leapor finds
injustices in the social order than women were subjected to, as well as their
artificiality in creating outward beauty as opposed to inward beauty (sound familiar?)
Leapor opens up her poem by stating that a woman is “pleasing but a short-lived
flower.” I thought this was genius. She could be referring to pleasing to look
at, of course, or pleasing in character, in which either way will eventually
turn “unpleasing,” or die as flowers do. Following, Leapor writes how the “charmer,”
loving her ability to be flirty and attract men, is deprived of her glory when “Hydmen
lifts his sceptred rod” and binds her to a husband. Her triumph is dissolved,
her charm goes away…it is such a tragedy for her (or is it, really?). I pose
this question because women love material things, and they can get those things
through marriage. And, how terrible (that is sarcasm) a sacrifice it is to stop
whoring about to get that?
The downward fall of the woman begins, when her confidence
in herself and her strengths as a woman (a powerful flirt) are diminished. Her
eyes, those bright eyes, tire as a wife. Yet, every other damsel hates her (do
they not know she’s miserable?); they whisper and they scornfully glance. “A
virgin’s heart thirsts for gold;” wives have gold.
This wife plasters on makeup (implied by the quote “greasy clouts
she wraps her smoky chin”?) to undoubtedly keep her beauty (that which is
fading). It can be assumed that all she’s
thinking about is how she wishes to be that free woman again, because now she
is a “slave.”
What particularly makes me sad after reading this is not
only the bondage and suppression with becoming a wife creates, but indeed the
female’s obsession with beauty on the outside. And, in going with this, her
avarice (that which she sees being resolved by getting married) is perhaps most
damning in her character. These principles presented by Leapor most definitely
exist today, but I believe we need to question whether the individual female
(us, ladies) or society creates them. Obviously, we have more to look forward
to and make of our lives than to just marry, but the huge goal of a lot of us
is to become a wife, make that binding that makes man the authority in our
lives and home, indulge in this riches (I cannot deny I always say I must marry
rich)…
Then there are a lot of us who want to be independent and
free of that binding, as it seems Mary Leapor represents, and keep our beauty
and our pride and our charms…for as long as we can. I suppose being female in
society is really a Catch-22: we gain some, we lose some, with whatever we make
of ourselves and choose to do.
I’m glad you also noticed the women’s decrease in regard, from “Hymen…/...sink[ing] her glories with a fatal nod” (15-16), to Sylvia’s plight, that, even though she possesses “bright eyes that all the world admires” (26), “her partial husband tires” of her (25). However, I think that your point about women being caught in a Catch-22 comprises a main theme, as encapsulated in the line “A wife in bondage, or neglected maid” (3). Whether an unappreciated wife, or “[a] pale lil[y]…/turn[ed] a negro and dissolve[d] in tears” (12) when a “fair[er] [rival] appears” (11), or an unassuming Pamphilia who nonetheless is shunned for her intelligence (27-38), or a woman of poverty (43-44), women are forced into one of several undesirable situations. Of course, women are also being criticized, but that criticism only seems to serve Leapor’s argument as she concludes, “Yet, with ten thousand follies to her charge/Unhappy woman’s but a slave at large” (59-60).
ReplyDeleteI found it interesting that even though, like you said, we do not realize often times how oppressed women truly used to be, we also do not realize that we are still oppressed today. I found that I could still relate many of the lines of the piece to how women live today. Women are still "despised if ugly; if she's fair- betrayed," (4)yet today we are able to become rich without a husband, while being "unattractive", and still be betrayed. As women of today we still suffer from many of the points of the poem, yet for different reasons than before, which may make us less unaware of our oppression on each other. Also, I thought while reading this that women still feel that a marriage loses its love easily, and a wife (and a husband) can become less "rainbows and butterflies" after a good amount of time being married. This made me sad, but then I realized that Leapor may be saying in the last line, "Unhappy woman's but a slave at large" (59-60) that no matter what, if you are married, not married, a maid, a wife, attractive or ugly, if you depend on happiness from women that raise the "scornful eyebrow and (make) the hated sneer" (34) or a husband who supplies you with riches, you will not be happy and be a slave of your own thoughts.
ReplyDeleteI really agree with you that it is hard to imagine the views and treatment of women at this time. However, I always find it interesting to read all different viewpoints and perspectives. Writings from different times help cast a light on the ways of thinking and thoughts of society through the ages. I also definitely saw themes of beauty and outward appearance in An Essay on Woman. What I find really interesting though, is that even in Fantomia, where the woman is clever and witty, she is still extremely concerned with appearance and reputation. You make a funny point about how upset this flirter is when she must settle down with one man. You would think this would bring her pleasure? I guess since all woman only care about looks, money and reputation (or so I’ve been told) that the actual idea of romance hasn’t surfaced in their minds. It is extremely interesting that she views herself as a “slave” for being married. Marriage should be a happy commitment, not a life of misery and sorrow being with one man. But what do I know anyway. However, Courtney brings up a good point referencing the line, “Unhappy woman's but a slave at large" (59-60) This brings me to think that in the end, when a woman’s happiness is reliant on anything or anyone else, it is an endless cycle of trying to impress and be satisfied.
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