Monday, October 13, 2008
Feminist Ideas in "Old Mortality"
While reading the first part of "Old Mortality" I could not help but wonder what Porter was doing with these ideas that a woman must be prim and proper through out her life time and how Miranda and Maria looked up to these women whom were described in this feminine way. Like their Aunt Amy whom looked perfect and rode horse and danced beautifully. It just seemed odd to me how much time Porter spent describing these perfect women within the story and placed this unattainable idea for the little girls to follow. Even their father mentions how all the women in his family are thin and must have dark hair and pale skin. So not only do they have these ideals to follow due to being related to these women whom are perfect but their own father places the burden on them as well and Miranda and Maria are both concerned that they will not live up to these standards.
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3 comments:
I found the idea of feminism within Old Mortality very interesting. However, I saw the idea of feminism within the story as a sort of pseudo-feminism that was still tainted by patriarchy. Feminism in this story seems to be a woman's plaything and despite their beliefs, the women in this story are still being controlled by men (moreover, the structure of patriarchy). Thus, the women in this story are perpetuating their subordinate status.
I too was initially irked by the superficiality of beauty in Old Mortality. But, in a sense, I think Porter is really trying to disclaim the old-fashioned, stiff views of what defines beauty. Amy, for example, is more of a mystery than anything. She has truly unattanable standards of beauty. Miranda's agrees with Uncle Gabriel that his daughters will never reach Amy's beauty. Lovely Cousin Isable will never "ride as well as Amy" (177). Young namesake Amy will "never equal her" in dancing. Cousin Molly Parrington, despite her vivacious personality, was not desreet about it as Amy was. Amy, truly, is unreachable. She cannot settle with any man, despies the man she marries, and never finds true love. She may have been beautiful, Porter seems to say, but she killed herself to keep her reputation. Life, sacrificed for death. Her descendants see Amy as a mystery, a beauty that cannot truly be defined. But really, beauty should never be defined, should it?
Yes I can see your point about what Porter is trying to portray as a standard but I feel like she is defining by what s not. That is to say that instead of glorifying her beauty she paints Amy as a pitiful character who the girls should not emulate, because ultimately her beauty is what caused her sadness.
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