Woman From The Wedding To Frau Brechenmacher example essay topic

Kathryn Mansfield was a daring and provocative writer who discussed and challenged societies views and conventions which were rarely talked about in her time. During Mansfield's travels to Germany she encountered dominant, chauvinistic men who heavily influenced her writing. Mansfield voiced her concerns about the alienation of women within society amongst themselves and the traditional roles of both sexes. In Frau Brechenmacher Attends A Wedding, the oppression of women by men is a central idea. Frau Brechenmacher's husband is a dominating, patriarchal man who controls her. He is described as "The Father" because of his importance and is used as a threat to her children.

In response Frau feels small around her husband and is described as "the little Frau" as he belittles her. When Herr Brechenmacher tells his wife to dress in the dark passage as he wants the light, he is wanting the limelight and believes he has more importance than her and implies she's worthless. His dominance allows him to make choices and to tell her what to do. Frau never argues back as she is expected to be submissive to her husband.

When Frau Brechenmacher leaves her house for the wedding, she notices that the roles of men and woman not only occur in her household, but to everyone in society. A chauvinistic, bullying landlord who treats his woman staff with disrespect seems so familiar to Frau Brechenmacher. Her husband was impressed with the landlord's "grand manner" and tries to perform the same role over his wife. This shows the pressure of society over people. Mansfield compares the role of a wife to "an iced cake all ready to be cut and served into neat little pieces to the bridegroom". Women were expected to be subservient to their husbands and respect their authority.

Kathryn Mansfield had a different view to the expectations of woman. She was living with men and became pregnant before she was married which shows she didn't agree with societies conventions on marriage. Once a woman was married the husband felt a possession rite over his wife. Women were expected to love, honour and obey their husbands, which was stated in the traditional wedding vows.

Women being obedient to their husbands show an inequality in the relationship. On Frau Brechenmacher's wedding night, her husband forced himself upon her sexually, she was reluctant but soon learned to give into him. Five children later she was still covering her face in bed as her forceful husband would lurch in. Marriage was a ritual slaughter for woman but was tolerated as they didn't know better. Not only were women oppressed by men, but also by other women... Woman accepted their roles and never questioned their inequalities".

My dear your skirt is open at the back. We could not help laughing as you walked up the room with the white tape of your petticoat showing", said one of the woman from the wedding to Frau Brechenmacher. She felt singled out, humiliated and betrayed by someone she expected to be united with. Instead of women supporting each other, they wanted to remain accepted by their husbands so they made judgements and expected other woman to be submissive. Because woman couldn't oppose their husbands, they would compete over who could serve their husband best. As woman had a submissive role in a marriage, the only way to express themselves and feel significant was to dominate other woman.

They didn't want to change the balance between the sexes and stand against their men because they were dependent on them for support, as women were generally not independent. Thus, women's oppression by woman was an inevitable extension of women's oppression by men. Another major concern in Frau Brechenmacher Attends A Wedding is the cyclic nature of womanhood. "Every wife has her cross" says a woman to Frau Brechenmacher.

She is implying that women have a man to bear, to worship and abide to and it will stay with them forever. These social values were passed onto following generations. Frau Brechenmacher's role as a mother is to teach her children morals and values, to give them responsibilities and to prepare them for adulthood. Naturally she would bring up her daughter Rosa to be like her, a submissive and obedient wife.

An example of the cyclic nature of motherhood is when Frau Brechenmacher gives her daughter responsibilities and leaves her at home to mind the children. Rosa puts on her mother's shawl which metaphorically places the role of motherhood onto her. The same servile position will carry on for generations. Kathryn Mansfield expresses a sense of despair of woman never changing their role in society. "Always the same", she said - "all over the world the same, but, god in heaven, but stupid". This shows that woman weren't doing anything to change the way they were treated or their position in society.

This opens the doors to the reader and shows that not only in the Brechenmacher's household were woman treated worthlessly, but "all over the world, the same.".