Book #4: The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir

What a better time in history to read a feminist text than now? In a few short months, we may have our first female president and more women are taking charge in fields across the board. Gilmore Girls itself could be considered a feminist text, although not to the same extent as The Second Sex which has been coined “The Feminist Bible.” I have had some experience reading feminist texts and even took a Women’s History course in college in which I had tor read The Feminine Mystique. Although this book was not my specific cup of tea (it was eight hundred something pages long with no plot), I can appreciate it as an important historical text and one that paved the way for the feminist movement.

What does it mean to be a feminist?

The topic of feminism and being a feminist can cause quite a controversy. In the media, there are celebrities calling each other out left and right for not living up to the feminist name Because they have different ideas of what feminism is, they may disagree with each other. Oftentimes, I find these arguments trivia;. If someone is willing to call themselves a feminist and believes in the equality of the genders, why would someone propel a conflict that only causes more of a problem? After all, aren’t we working towards getting along?  Merriam Webster defines feminism as “the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities.” Therefore, feminism doesn’t have to be the bra burning, non shaving stereotype. Feminism is believing that women and men are equal in all regards. I am one to admit that men and women are not always treated equally in our modern world. I see it every day as a 24 year old woman in the workforce. There are certain ways people talk to me that would be different if I were a man.

Be a Free Woman

One of my favorite quotes from de Beuvior is “free women may refuse to be owned without wanting to renounce her yearning to be possessed. To me, this seems like a paradox. How can a free woman refuse to be owned yet still want to be possessed? As a free woman, you have to choice to do what

you want to do with your life and who you want to have in your life. A woman can still be free and have agency over their life but have that one person they allow to call them “theirs.” This compromise is a difficult one for both genders. How do you keep your individuality while building a life with someone? I’m not sure. I haven’t worked that out yet

A Broad Overview

Symone De Beuvior touches on various subjects throughout her eight hundred page book. Many of these subjects are still ones that are discussed today.

            -Why is it an insult to call someone a woman? People cringe when someone says “You run like a girl!” It automatically has a negative connotation when it should be a positive thing because us girls run fast!

            -Men are considered the taker while women are considered the taken. Why can’t       women be the takers? Or the pursuers in a relationship? If a woman comes onto a man, it is typically considered unattractive. This has changed slightly over the years, but not enough for this thought to   completely dissipate.

            - Woman as the Other. “The Other” is often the foreigner, the savage, and the unknown in literature. It is considered unnatural and inhuman in these stories. Women were considered the unknown, almost lesser creatures in de  Beuvoir’s time. Maybe men were just confused by women because we are so highly intelligent that they couldn’t understand.

            -Men want women pure, but not past a certain age. Men want women pure and untouched, but they also want her seen as desirable. To be desirable, they have to be touched by another man and interact with other men. However, the moment she is seen interacting with men, she is             considered a whore and is unwanted. It is a double standard that is still around today.

            -Marriage is the epitome of adulthood. Women are not fully considered an adult until they find a husband. Once a woman hits a certain age (her early twenties, directly after college), people pressure them to find a husband. If   they are single, people give you a pitiful loo

k and say your time will come someday. They do not treat men this way. They are expected to be single and play the field and if they are single in their twenties, people do not pity them.
It is frustrating because our lives are not defined by having a man.

As a young millennial woman, I felt like this was a beneficial text to read as it propelled self-reflection. It made me think of what it meant to be a woman. Many of the situations she talks about in her book are still prevalent in the 21^st century just in a different way. She was also very forward thinking for the 1940s. She wasn’t afraid to talk about touchy topics such as sex and female masturbation. Furthermore, she never married or had children of her own, yet her life seem fulfilled, something that was very rare in her time period.

First picture:https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/d4/5f/e0/d45fe0719a0ee761cc837322328ba907.jpg

Second picture: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/bb/f9/1d/bbf91dab9daca045bc030e3cd9928f74.jpg

Third picture:https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/02/44/9f/02449f204d7762401ba1840ec3b1cabc.jpg

Book #3 Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin

When people meet me, they assume I am the type of girl who loves, loves, LOVES, romantic comedies. Maybe it’s my perpetually happy demeanor or my resting nice face; I’m not completely sure. However, my favorite type of movie is not the romantic comedy. It is the horror movie. This shocks people. They ask “Why would such a sweet, joyous girl like you enjoy scary movies?” (well, they might not phrase it exactly like that). The reason I love horror movies is because I enjoy the adrenaline rush. I always say that it reminds of the feeling of having a crush and your heart beats uncontrollably. People look at me like I’m crazy when I make that comparison. They may be right and I might just have a twisted sense of romance. But think of it this way, it is also the same feeling I have on the top of a roller coaster. All of these situations involve an uncontrollable variable for which it makes the situation exciting and full of suspense.

            I know that was a tangent, but it was necessary to describe my love of scary movies (and stories) in order to express my thoughts on Ira Levin’s novel Rosemary’s Baby.

Tall, Dark, Stranger

            Rory mentions Rosemary’s Baby when she first meets her boyfriend Dean in the halls of Stars Hollow High. He bumps into her and she drops her books. The first thing she says to Dean is “God! You’re like Ruth Gordon just standing there with a tannis root. Make a noise.” Not really the most polite thing to stay to a cute boy who is trying to talk to you. Luckily, Dean knew exactly what Rory was talking about and proved that he could keep up with her. For myself, I definitely find this a plus in a boy. It is difficult to find one who can keep up with me, not just in pop culture references, but one who understands my humor and challenges me intellectually. 

Books vs. Movies

The reference Rory made above was to the movie version of Rosemary’s Baby and not the book. But because I am a big nerd and it was a book first, it was included on the official list. (It also took me awhile to find a copy of this book because someone else had it on hold before me at the library. Rosemary’s Baby, but perhaps I would like it better than the book in this instance.
Grrrr…So I read it on my phone instead). Whenever a book is adapted into a movie, there are always changes made because page and screen are different mediums. Therefore, fans of the book are never going to be one hundred percent pleased. I always abide by the rule that the book is better because it is the original source, but that is subject to debate. I have never seen the movie version of

What is horror?

            The reason I did not particularly enjoy Rosemary’s Baby is because it was not scary nor was it suspenseful and it did not live up to the hype. On the cover of the novel, it reads “The Masterpiece of
Modern Horror.” With a subtitle like that, you can’t help but think the book is going to be scary. Maybe it was because it was written in 1967 or I’ve seen too many horror movies and I am desensitized to scary stories. I do not think it is the second and I do not believe it is the first either, as Edgar Allen Poe stories scare me and they are much older. Perhaps, if I had had a child, I would find this story scarier. The idea of an evil fetus growing inside of you is creepy, but this idea was not made present till the end of the novel. In my opinion, I thought the build up was too slow and the characters were frustrating. Rosemary was very one dimensional and was kind of bland. I could not find a connection with her and therefore did not sympathize with her struggles. She relied on her husband and other characters too much and did not trust herself when she needed to. If Rosemary trusted her instincts in the beginning of the novel rather than other peoples' words, the entire conflict could have been avoided (but there would be no book then). 

Good versus Evil

            If you have not read the ending or seen the ending of the movie, I suggest you do not read this next part if you do not want to be spoiled. Although I did not think this novel was scary, I do hold an appreciation for the ending. The beauty of the ending is in the simplicity of the writing. Rosemary’s baby is revealed to be the son of Satan and Rosemary is torn between loving her child and running away from evil. In the end, Rosemary chooses to stay with her baby but it is unclear if she is going to raise the child to be good or if she is going to succumb to the dark side. Levin leaves it purposefully ambiguous with this ending which frustrates some readers and pleases others. I enjoy ambiguous endings because it leaves room for interpretation and keeps you wondering. You are more likely to think about a story if part of it is left open-ended. Why else do you think this trend of television reboots and revivals are so popular?

Rosemary’s Baby, although, not my favorite read, was an essential one. As a horror buff, it is one that I needed to continue my education on the genre. It is also one of the novels/movies that the Gilmore girls reference several times throughout the series so therefore it was an important one. One of the lessons I have learned in my life, is that a story does not have to be your favorite in order to learn from it.

***The next book, The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir, is really long so the next post might take longer than others.


Citations
Book cover:https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/b3/64/36/b364362c81418d379a7b344e4d7e9835.jpg
Movie Still:http://az795576.vo.msecnd.net/bh-uploads/2015/12/rosemarys-baby-still-1050x700.jpg

Book #2: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

Book #2! Rory reads Huck Finn during her last week in public high school before transferring to Chilton, an elite private school. Of course, she is one of the few students who actually reads the book and references it later in life. As a high school English teacher myself, this makes me very happy. Maybe there are a few Rories or myselves in my classes who actually enjoy reading the books I assign. Huck Finn is a staple of high school reading; I was assigned to read this during my sophomore year of high school and it was “highly suggested” for the summer before I started college so I read it again. I’m pretty sure I am the only one who read it that summer. Instead of reading it again; I took this time to reflect on my life during my times reading it and my life now.

           

Huck <3

Looking back on this novel, I realized that Huck Finn was exactly the type of boy I would have a crush on in in my teenage years (and my friends will tell you it’s the type of boy I still find myself interested in today). I always had a thing for troublemakers; those with a mischievous smile and a touch of the devil in his eyes, as my grandmother would say. Obviously, these boys are not the most reliable for a relationship, but a good girl cannot resist. We like the bit of excitement they bring and,

for some reason, they have a knack for making you feel special. Huck fits this mold to a T. He’s constantly getting into trouble, but people can’t seem to help but fall for his charm. While people fall under his spell, they also desperately want to help him and take care of him. This is similar to how when we are attracted to these troublemakers, we hope we can be the one to change him. I have found myself in this situation countless of times. I hope that I am the one that will be different for these boys; that I am not just another girl passing by, but one actually worth sticking around for. But you cannot force someone to change or be the way you hope them to be in your imagination. The most you can do is just accept people for who they are and love them for it, which is exactly what Jim does with Huck. Jim accepts Huck for all of his mischievous ways and sticks wit him until the end.

Life on the River: Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summertime

One could argue that the Mississippi River is as an important character as Huck and Jim. Huck and Jim travel up and down the Mississippi River throughout the novel; it is a constant in their lives when nothing else is. Water has a profound impact on people. I had a river in my life, although I was not constantly travelling amongst it. My college was right on the river and I spent four years of my life within walking distance of it. Freshman year, I could see the river from my dorm room window. I was very lucky. Throughout my years at college, the river was a constant. Boys came and went; fights with friends faded away; and stresses from school eventually became manageable. The river was there through it all. It relaxed me and was a means for fun. It allowed many rebellious moments for college kids such as skinny-dipping. The river made us feel free the moment ; it unleashed an inhibition that we never knew we had. The river worked in a different way for Huck (as we know, he was way more rebellious than I), but remained a constant in his life throughout the novel when he had nothing else.

Humor Haha

Samuel Clemens, aka Mark Twain, is well known for his use of humor in his writing. However, this humor is not always discernable to the naked eye. Twain purposely hides his true humor underneath the slapstick humor of the story. Of course, it is hilarious to see Huck dress up like a girl to try to full adults, but the true humor lies in how Twain portrays life on the Mississippi River on the verge of the

Civil War. While Jim is not always portrayed in a positive light and Huck might not always treat him well, the focus on Jim as a character is very progressive of Twain. Twain uses this slapstick character as a means of commenting on how horrible the situation was around the Civil War and how people have not progressed as much as they thought since. Many people were appalled by Twain’s writing, claiming it was not politically correct. But what exactly is politically correct? Today, people walk on eggshells to not offend anyone; and it seems like many people walked around thinking this way. Humor was considered low brow, but, perhaps people did not understand Twain’s brand of humor which was ahead of its time.

Approved Book List

As a high school English teacher, I could not end this post without discussing banned books. If you are not aware, teachers do not have free reign to choose any book they want to teach. One, they have to fit the unit and overall theme we are supposed to teach (which is decided by the board). Two, they have to be on the pre-approved book list. And, third, there has to be enough copies in the school book room to be given to each student. My focus right now is the pre approved list. I do not have a problem with any of the books on the approved book list because, as of today, it is a very long list and contains many progressive books. However, Huck Finn, is still one of the most challenged books. This is mostly because of the use of the n word and Huck’s resistance to authority. While this book has not been banned in recent history, a world win of controversy always follows it. One of the best things about books, in my opinion, is that they expose us to a world that we may not be award of otherwise. Parents (who are the ones who usually challenge books in schools) may not want to expose their children to certain situations or examples, such as Huck’s disobedience. Huck, though, can provide a good example as he teaches young teens to be independent and creative (albeit, not in the most adult approved ways).

Pictures

Book Cover  https://mybookbagblog.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/huckfinn.jpg

MarkTwain 

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