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Mary Brandon Harrell


Mrs. Kirschner
English II- Block 1
28 January 2016
Gender Inequality in Literary Movements
Throughout the works of Dark Romanticism, Realism, and Naturalism, authors convey a
specific message, unique to that of each literary movement. Pieces, including The Scarlet Letter,
by Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Story of an Hour, by Kate Chopin, and To Build a Fire, by
Jack London, are all prime examples of the literary movements that they reflect. While Dark
Romanticism explores the gloomy inner workings of the mind, Realism covers the truly realistic
characteristics of life, and Naturalism portrays the thought that nature is indifferent to humanity.
Each composition not only mirrors the literary movement of the time but the overall beliefs of
society. In these works of Hawthorne, Chopin, and London, various characteristics of each
literary movement connect and contrast to the gender hierarchy during their time periods.
Gender roles seen in the nineteenth century are nothing like the world today. While
present-day women have the right to vote and participate in the government, women in the 1850s
were not so lucky. 1848 marked the year of the first womens rights convention and outbreak to
new feminist ideas all over the nation. They still continued to struggle to gain their rights, and
this is reflected in books like The Scarlet Letter. During this period, the literary movement of
Dark Romanticism was booming and finding its way throughout several works of literature. For
the first time, literature examined a shadowy approach to the fantastical, bringing in lots of
creepy symbols, horrific themes, and insight into the physiological effects of guilt and sin. All of
these characteristics and elements of Dark Romanticism show up in Hawthornes work, The

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Scarlet Letter. Not only does the book capture the darker side of society during this time, but it
also demonstrates the inferiority women faced. Hesters feminist values are clearly represented
throughout the novel. For example, the letter As meaning is reassigned when the narrator
explains that [M]any people refused to interpret the scarlet A by its original signification. They
said that it meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman's strength (Hawthorne 134).
The narrator continues to mention that the very nature of the opposite sex, or its long hereditary
habit, which has become like nature, is to be essentially modified, before [women] can be
allowed to assume what seems fair and suitable position (Hawthorne 137). Hawthorne most
likely wrote the character of Hester to reflect this outbreak of new feminist ideas and show how
society began to change because of them.
These thoughts about womens rights are also reflected in the Realistic short story, The
Story of an Hour. Characteristics of Realism, including accurate representations of the middle
class authentic thoughts, paved the way for an accurate view of the worlds thoughts about
womens rights. The story entails a woman who has just heard of the new of her husbands death.
While she is overcome with sadness, she explains that she saw beyond that bitter moment a
long procession of years to come that would belong to her absolutely (Chopin 2). She is
relieved from the controlling vibes that her husband often possessed and becomes overwhelmed
with the amount of new freedoms she obtains. For this woman to feel so relieved about
someones death speaks for the amount of constriction she was feeling, which truly reflects the
conflicts women had to face in their fight for freedom. Chopin clearly was a strong believer of
womens rights and wanted to demonstrate that throughout her story. Many other works of
Realism show this communication about womens rights vividly and accurately.

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Naturalism also displays these idealistic values, while bringing in the concept of nature to
enhance them. To Build a Fire is a key example of Naturalistic story that contains elements
that expose the world honestly and as straightforward as possible with a lack of happy endings.
The prominent concept seen in the other literary movements is that men are superior to
everything, especially women. While this may be true of Dark Romanticism and Realism,
Naturalism twists this thought, making nature superior to everything. For instance, in Jack
Londons To Build a Fire, the man believes that he can prevail in hypothermic weather, but
ultimately gets crushed by the power of the nature. The narrator makes clear that he [did not]
think about mans general weakness, able to live only within narrow limits of heat and cold
(London 65). Contrasting to the previous literary works and social roles during the time of
Naturalism, men are deemed inferior to all in the story. In the early twentieth century, women
started the push for their finalized freedoms and this story is a reflection that men can be
conquered by something, whether it is nature or women.
The uniqueness of each story brings out the true characteristics of each literary work they
represent. The idea that women are inferior to all is especially eye-catching in the works of
Hawthorne and Chopin. Conflicting to the time period when it was written, Londons story
shows that man can be conquered and does not reign superior. Only twelve years after the story
was written did women receive the right to vote in America, marking a revolutionary time in the
United States history. Womens inferiority and mens superiority are key elements to success in
the works of all literary movements during this time. The Scarlet Letter, The Story of an Hour,
and To Build a Fire, all reflect and contrast the gender roles in the time periods of which they
were composed.

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