Constrained Women Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Constrained Women - Essay Example Short stories can often focus a reader’s attention on various elements of our lives that frequently pass by under our radar because they are now so deeply ingrained in our society’s norms. Such concepts in our life would include the inherent male-dominant beliefs of old in which the woman’s space is considered to be only within the home. On a social level, the woman’s place remains below men even in modern times and is usually placed only slightly above children in matters of importance. While these are ideologies that have, in the past 100 years, been increasingly challenged, particularly by women who have continued to demonstrate their ability to keep up with men, it remains the case that women continue to struggle, not simply on the social level, but on the personal level as well. This personal battle in the example of female subservience requires women to begin questioning the values learned in their youth to consider something both thrilling and frigh tening – the idea that they may be capable of making their own decisions in life without the leadership or approval of men. For many women, the concept alone would be the most they would achieve, especially in earlier time periods. The female characters found in William Faulkner’s short story â€Å"A Rose for Emily† and Shirley Jackson’s short story â€Å"The Lottery† live within this oppressive ideology of the subservient woman both socially and internally, but also exhibit a yearning to escape the ties that bind them.