Edexcel A-level English Literature Prose Women and Society Essay Plan: expectations of women

‭ ompare‬‭the‬‭ways‬‭in‬‭which‬‭the‬‭writers‬‭of‬‭your‬‭two‬‭chosen‬‭texts‬‭explore‬‭society’s‬‭expectations‬
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‭of‬‭women.‬‭You‬‭must‬‭relate‬‭your‬‭discussion‬‭to‬‭relevant‬‭contextual‬‭factors.‬

I‭NTRO:‬‭Despite‬‭1000‬‭Splendid‬‭Suns‬‭(1000‬‭SS)‬‭and‬‭Wuthering‬‭Heights‬‭spanning‬‭an‬‭over‬‭200‬
‭year‬‭time‬‭gap,‬‭and‬‭depicting‬‭wildly‬‭different‬‭contexts‬‭of‬‭patriarchy‬‭-‬‭late‬‭20th‬‭century‬
‭Afghanistan‬‭and‬‭early‬‭19th‬‭century‬‭England‬‭-‬ ‭they‬‭are‬‭united‬‭by‬‭their‬‭critical‬‭explorations‬‭of‬‭the‬
‭pervasive‬‭nature‬‭and‬‭harmful‬‭consequences‬‭of‬‭society’s‬‭patriarchal‬‭expectations‬‭of‬‭women.‬
‭While‬‭Hosseini‬‭and‬‭Bronte‬‭demonstrate‬‭both‬‭women‬‭who‬‭conform‬‭to‬‭societal‬‭expectations,‬‭and‬
‭women‬‭who‬‭valiantly‬‭challenge‬‭them,‬‭ultimately‬‭these‬‭patriarchal‬‭expectations‬‭can‬‭not‬‭be‬
‭successfully‬‭subverted,‬‭and‬‭are‬‭a‬‭source‬‭of‬‭oppression‬‭and‬‭often‬‭life-threatening‬‭harm.‬

‭SOCIETY’S‬‭EXPECTATIONS‬‭OF‬‭WOMEN:‬

‭-‬ ‭Conforming‬‭=‬‭harms‬‭them‬
‭●‬ ‭PARA‬‭1:‬‭Marriage‬
‭-‬ ‭Forced‬‭into‬‭marriage‬‭unwillingly‬‭-‬‭directly‬‭vs‬‭indirectly‬
‭-‬ ‭Mariam‬
‭●‬ ‭“no‬‭trouble‬‭forcing‬‭the‬‭ring‬‭over‬‭her‬‭knuckles”‬‭=‬‭symbolic‬‭of‬‭lack‬
‭of‬‭consent‬‭+‬‭superior‬‭physical‬‭power‬‭that‬‭will‬‭be‬‭used‬‭to‬‭force‬
‭mariam‬‭to‬‭commit‬‭to‬‭patriarchal‬‭expectations‬‭of‬‭women‬
‭●‬ ‭Now‬‭you‬‭know‬‭what‬‭you've‬‭given‬‭me‬‭in‬‭this‬‭marriage.‬‭Bad‬‭food,‬
‭and‬‭nothing‬‭else‬‭=‬‭weaponizing‬‭social‬‭expectations‬‭of‬‭good‬‭wives‬
‭to‬‭legitimist‬‭his‬‭sadistic‬‭and‬‭unsettling‬‭abuse‬‭of‬‭Mariam‬
‭-‬ ‭Cathy‬‭-‬‭can’t‬‭marry‬‭who‬‭she‬‭truly‬‭loves‬‭due‬‭to‬‭patriarchal‬‭coverture‬‭laws‬‭-‬
‭drives‬‭herself‬‭mad‬‭in‬‭the‬‭process‬‭-‬‭LINK‬‭TO‬‭CLASS‬
‭●‬ ‭“It‬‭would‬‭degrade‬‭me‬‭to‬‭marry‬‭him”‬
‭●‬ ‭“My‬‭love‬‭for‬‭Linton‬‭is‬‭like‬‭the‬‭foliage‬‭in‬‭the‬‭woods;‬‭time‬‭will‬
‭change‬‭it.‬‭My‬‭love‬‭for‬‭HC‬‭resembles‬‭the‬‭eternal‬‭rocks‬‭beneath”‬‭=‬
‭natural‬‭imagery”‬
‭-‬ ‭Contrast‬‭euphemistic‬‭VS‬‭overt‬‭and‬‭brazen‬‭writing‬‭style‬

‭●‬ ‭PARA‬‭2:‬‭Gender‬‭roles‬‭-‬‭importance‬‭of‬‭outward‬‭physical‬‭presentation‬
‭-‬ ‭Cathy‬‭changes‬‭after‬‭TG‬‭-‬
‭●‬ ‭“proper”‬‭girl‬‭in‬‭a‬‭dress,‬‭she‬‭is‬‭“dignified”,‬‭“look‬‭like‬‭a‬‭lady‬‭now”,‬
‭“dare‬‭hardly‬‭touch‬‭them”‬‭incase‬‭they‬‭damage‬‭her‬‭dress‬‭-‬
‭previously‬‭a‬‭“wild‬‭barefoot‬‭savage”‬‭to‬‭“burnished‬‭shoes”‬
‭damaging‬‭-‬‭she‬‭is‬‭arrogant‬‭and‬‭harms‬‭her‬‭love,‬‭HC‬‭-‬ ‭“how‬‭very‬
‭black‬‭and‬‭cross‬‭you‬‭look”‬‭=‬‭importance‬‭of‬‭surface‬‭features,‬‭colour‬
‭connotations‬‭-‬‭causes‬‭a‬‭rift‬‭in‬‭relationship‬‭which‬‭spurs‬‭her‬‭to‬
‭choose‬‭Edgar,‬‭where‬‭she‬‭is‬‭deeply‬‭unhappy‬