At a first glance, “The Rape of the Lock” appears to
portray women as useless individuals whose sole purpose is to serve as a prize
for the male population. Following a more thorough examination, however, we can
identify that the women of this poem are not as powerless as we had first
believed them to be, and that also their role in the poem is a rather
important one.
Belinda for example is at the very centre of the poem,
and without her there would be no story. Surrounding Belinda are several other
characters, which one must note, are mainly made up of females.
If we analyse with more detail the importance of
Belinda we can further support the argument that women are more powerful than
we first perceive them to be. The fact
that Belinda is in need of protection can at first be seen as a sign of
weakness. However, one could also say
that the attention and care that she receives is proof of her importance, or
even, her power.
Another example of the relevance of women is shown to
us through Thalestris’s words, “Already hear the horrid things they
say,/Already see you a degraded Toast,/And all your Honour in a Whisper
lost!/How shall I, then, your helpless Fame defend?/'Twill then be Infamy to
seem your Friend!” (Canto IV, 108-112). The persuasion used by Thakestri here demonstrates
to the reader her strength and power.
It is quite hard to take anything from Pope’s
mock-epic at face value, and the above examples can most likely be understood
in different ways. However it is fairly evident that Pope did not find the
women of his time to be entirely powerless. Rather, they were at the core of little
social storms, the catalysts for days of card games within their small groups
that were indeed their entire world and their only worry.
She's a bit of a manipulative bitch, that Thakestris. And you're right about not taking Pope too seriously.
ReplyDeleteDear Luis,
ReplyDeletethat's an interesting take on Pope's poem, besides, I share with you a fondness for gender issues. I agree with you in saying that women have a an important role in this poem. Belinda is at the core of it and so are gender stereotypes that situated women in a separate sphere from that of men. I believe also that one could argue that there are at least three "Belindas" in the text. The first one features in cantos I to III as a sort of indolent woman who fails prey to her flirtatious behavior while playing ombre; the second is described in canto IV as a desperate woman who is transformed by the end of this canto in the third Belinda, the vengeful virago who becomes the protagonist of canto V where her revenge takes place.
After reading your post, I also thought that in Pope's treatment of the war of the sexes men are left in a lower place than women. Men are described all the way through as cowards with no will to repent, while women are portrayed as victims of the system but willing to change and take action. I see this as crucial for a feminist approach to the text.
Thanks for your refreshing thoughts.
Diana
GRADE: 5