Women And Their Men Essay, Research Paper

In todays society numerous women are becoming completely independent from men. Just ask any young woman you come across how they feel about a man in their lives and often times a response confirming the lack of a need or even desire of a man present will be returned. Of course the lack of good men available adds to womens negative feelings towards us. For those women who wish to engage in relationships their overall hapinness can sway either way. It s a known fact that some relationships are good and some are bad. The three women I will discuss each posess different ideas of what makes them happy in their relationships.. In each scenario the men in these womens lives have a great effect on them and taught them valuable lessons to learn from.

The first of these women is Louise Mallard in Kate Chopin s The Story of an Hour. Louise is one of those women who is stuck in a boring marriage. Her husband Brently supported her financially and did nothing negative towards his wife. But he left her only content with their marriage. Once she learned of her husbands death Louise felt as though a great burden had been removed from her shoulders. “She said it under her breath over and over, “free, free, free”"(Chopin, 243). Mrs. Mallard had finally received what she wanted; to be called Miss Louise once again. ” There would be no one to live for her during those coming years; she would live for herself”(Chopin, 243). For so many years Louise lived with the fact that she was not happy in her relationship. It is true that during this time there was not too much she could do about the relationship but live with it.. But something tells me that if givin a second chance she would do something to improve her life before it was taken away from her.

Zora Neale Hurston s character Missie May in The Gilded Six- Bits not only has a loving husband but also has a man on the side. It is not that she is dissatisfied with her husband Joe, for she loves him dearly. They have an incredible relationship with a strong bond between themselves. Often they played a special game that displayed a great deal of affection and enjoyment of each others company. ” the two were a furious mass of male and female energy. Shouting, laughing, twisting, tuning, and Joe trying, but not too hard, to get away”(Hurston,325). Missie May would do anything to please Joe and eventualy would sell her body to do just that. “Youse a pritty man, and if Ah knowed any way to make you mo pritty still Ah d take and do it”(Hurston, 327).

A new man by the name of Otis D. Slemmings had moved into town. He was a well traveled man who wore the best clothes and was doused with beautiful gold jewelry. He was adored by women and envied by men, especially Joe “He s got a five-dollar gold piece for a stick-pin and he got a ten-dollar gold piece on his watch chain and his mouf is jes crammed full of gold teeths. Sho wisht it wuz mine.”(Hurston, 327). Missie May then set out to negotiate a deal with the towns popular newcomer. In return for a gold peice, in which she would give to Joe, Missie May would sleep with Otis. She would follow through with her plan. One which would become the biggest mistake of her life. When she was caught in this adulterest act by her loving husband the stability of their relationship seemed bleak. But the love Joe possesed for his repentfull wife was strong. They remained together and through it all love prevailed with an important lesson learned.

Emily Grierson in William Faulkner s A Rose for Emily has the most distorted idea of a relationships among the three women discussed. She had only two men in her life in which she shared a relationship with. As a young girl her father sheltered her from all other men, leaving him as the only male figure in her life. ” We remembered all the young men her father had driven away “(Faulkner, 317). After his death it took Emily three days to accept the fact that her father was no longer alive. It took even longer than that before anyone saw her again. With her father no longer around to controll who she associated with Emily ventered out to meet Homer Barron.

Homer would be the first and last man, besides her father, in Emily s life. ” and we knew that with nothing left, she would have to cling to that which had robbed her (Faulkner, 317). Emily was not willing to loose yet another man she loved. Even though it was known that Homer Barron had no interest in her, or any other woman, she persisted to keep him in her life. ” Homer himself had remarked-he liked men, and it was known that he drank with the younger men in the Elks Club-that he was not a marrying man”(Faulkner, 318). Emiliy s dependency upon and sudden loss of her father left her unable to loose another man. She needed the love of the man currently in her life and could not survive the loss of, or even the thought of the loss of him.

With that in mind Emily Grierson set out to assure that her loved one would not be lost once more. Arsenic was the tool used to prevent Homer Barron from leaving her alone. In her mind the fact that he was only a liveless body did not matter. Homer would be with her for the remainder of her life, and that is all she ever wanted. She wanted someone who would be with her for all of eternity.