While reading Sula the first passage that stood out to me was "When they bound Shadrack into a straitjacket, he was both relieved and grateful, for his hands were at least hidden and confined to whatever size they had attained." There is obviously more to this story but this specific lined gave me a strong reaction because of how much it reminded me of "The Yellow Wallpaper" and how the main woman in that story was basically a prisoner being locked up in that room. Although the woman in the Yellow Wall paper is not comfortable in that room, she does not do much to escape it rather than writing in her journal. The passage in Sula and the Yellow Wall Paper complement each other in that way.
Another passage that stood out to me was "she fussed interminably with the brides of the newly wed couples for not getting their men's supper ready on time; about how to launder shirts, press them, etc. Yo man be here direc'lin. Ain't it bout time you got busy?" when talking about Eva and how she felf about wives. This brought me back to that script that women should work inside and always be take care of and cook for their husbands. It reminded me of the past text "The Revolt of Mother" and how the woman in that story is always working inside to take care of her husband. A line in that story reads "However deep a resentment she might be forced to hold against her husband, she would never fail in sedulous attention to his wants." (31) These two passages complement each other about the roles women should take in the family home.
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The first passage you quoted was one that stood out to me as well. I found it ironic that he was "relieved and grateful" to be put in a straight jacket. Most people consider this restriction to be a bad thing, but he was in such hysteria that he was actually comforted in this situation. This gives us some insight into how severe his post traumatic stress is and how badly he is suffering. I like your comparison to "The Yellow Wall Paper." I had not thought of this, but in a sense, both of these stories deal with the idea of being "trapped" both physically and mentally.
ReplyDeleteThat second passage you talked about with the the way Eva felt was also intriguing to me because that script for women is still so prevalent in our society. This is a very good description of how women felt back then, and i feel like it is hard for women to break the cycle. For example, my mother was a stay at home mom who was extremely involved but never had a job, and i have grown up with this but i have different dreams for myself but i can see how women would want to do what their mothers did and stay at home. Don't get me wrong, mothering and being a wife is a job all on its own, i just want to have a career before i get to that stage in my life. Thats hopefully why things are slowly changing in our society and why it is becoming more normal for women to be out in the work force instead of staying at home.
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