“Female Characters are often the unsung heroines in American
Literature”.
The Grapes of Wrath
Ma Joad
Ma Joad looks after her family, putting everyone before herself.
She replaces Pa Joad as the head of the family, taking
responsibility for many of the difficult choices that they have to
make.
“As the Joad clan disintegrates under the pressure of
dispossession and migration, Ma Joad emerges as a central,
cohesive force.” – Warren Motley. (From Patriarchy to Matriarchy:
Ma Joad’s Role in The Grapes of Wrath).
“Steinbeck presents Ma Joad’s growing power as a source of
communal strength sheltering human dignity from the antisocial
effects of individualism”. -Warren Motley.
“Matriarchy describes a relationship between people based on
cooperation rather than power.” – Motley, discussing Briffault’s
view of the differences between matriarchy and patriarchy.
Without Ma Joad, it is likely the family would fall apart. She looks
after all the other characters, not just in a motherly way, but she
will do anything she has to to protect her family.
Rose of Sharon
Despite the loss of her baby, she volunteers herself to help the
wider community. When the Joads reach the barn in the final
chapter and discover the starving old man and his son, Rose of
Sharon breastfeeds the dying man to try to help him survive. This
takes a level of courage from her that we could argue we do not
see in many of the male characters.
The Great Gatsby
Daisy Buchanan
Daisy’s character appears to contradict the statement, as she
does not appear heroic in any way.
We could even see her as hurtful, and as Nick states in his
narration, “they were careless people, Tom and Daisy- they
smashed up things and then retreated back into their money or
their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them
together, and let other people clean up the mess they had
made.” This connects to how Daisy feels so divided about
whether to leave Tom for Gatsby or stay in her safety net of
wealth and familiarity. Given she has been aware of Tom’s affairs
for a long time, and she appears so frustrated with her husband,
it seems possible that she could be having her own affair with
Gatsby to get revenge for the pain that her husband has caused
her, and inflict some of her own on him.
It is difficult to know why she cries into the shirts that Gatsby
shows her, but there are various reasons that could cause this.
She may have realised that she was wrong to have left Gatsby
earlier in life when he was still poor, as he is now very wealthy
Literature”.
The Grapes of Wrath
Ma Joad
Ma Joad looks after her family, putting everyone before herself.
She replaces Pa Joad as the head of the family, taking
responsibility for many of the difficult choices that they have to
make.
“As the Joad clan disintegrates under the pressure of
dispossession and migration, Ma Joad emerges as a central,
cohesive force.” – Warren Motley. (From Patriarchy to Matriarchy:
Ma Joad’s Role in The Grapes of Wrath).
“Steinbeck presents Ma Joad’s growing power as a source of
communal strength sheltering human dignity from the antisocial
effects of individualism”. -Warren Motley.
“Matriarchy describes a relationship between people based on
cooperation rather than power.” – Motley, discussing Briffault’s
view of the differences between matriarchy and patriarchy.
Without Ma Joad, it is likely the family would fall apart. She looks
after all the other characters, not just in a motherly way, but she
will do anything she has to to protect her family.
Rose of Sharon
Despite the loss of her baby, she volunteers herself to help the
wider community. When the Joads reach the barn in the final
chapter and discover the starving old man and his son, Rose of
Sharon breastfeeds the dying man to try to help him survive. This
takes a level of courage from her that we could argue we do not
see in many of the male characters.
The Great Gatsby
Daisy Buchanan
Daisy’s character appears to contradict the statement, as she
does not appear heroic in any way.
We could even see her as hurtful, and as Nick states in his
narration, “they were careless people, Tom and Daisy- they
smashed up things and then retreated back into their money or
their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them
together, and let other people clean up the mess they had
made.” This connects to how Daisy feels so divided about
whether to leave Tom for Gatsby or stay in her safety net of
wealth and familiarity. Given she has been aware of Tom’s affairs
for a long time, and she appears so frustrated with her husband,
it seems possible that she could be having her own affair with
Gatsby to get revenge for the pain that her husband has caused
her, and inflict some of her own on him.
It is difficult to know why she cries into the shirts that Gatsby
shows her, but there are various reasons that could cause this.
She may have realised that she was wrong to have left Gatsby
earlier in life when he was still poor, as he is now very wealthy
