Simone de Beauvoir startled the world by presenting the idea of Other for womenfolk
Simone de Beauvoir startled the world by presenting the idea of Other for womenfolk. For example, the story of Adam and Eve is the best illustration of it. The help of religion is taken in this regard. Adam was driven out of Paradise just because of Eve’s mistake. If she had not persuaded Adam to eat the fruit of forbidden tree, both of them would have been living happily in Paradise. Moreover, Greek mythology presents the story of Pandora who could not protect a jar full of all the evils of earth thus became a source of spreading all the evils on this planet. She has given these examples to show that a traditional approach is responsible for creating loathsome attitude towards women. Since woman startd her existence, a kind of reproach started to make her realize that she was inferior.
She is of the view that female gender has always tried to get rid of every type of exploitation. It is no denying fact that they have always been stopped from thriving monetaliy by keeping them restricted to their homes, by sexual exploitation and by not giving them political rights. Since cultural values are not in their favour so their emancipation seems to be a dream which is difficult to be materialized. She gives the idea that we shuld embrace this fact that men and women are equal despite the fact that men and women are different in fact she has tried to impress upon women that they have to pay attention to establish their own identitities. Her ideas craeated a roar and feminist theory achieved a new dimension.
She is against the idea that women should act in the matters of life as men do. Equality does not mean that they should follw men’s footsteps in oreder to gain position and sttus in society. She gives importance to the idea that biological differences of men and women are an unalterable reality. So while talking about equality, their importance cannot be negated. She emphasizes this by saying,” “Women simply are not men” (The Second Sex, xiv). Women should consider this fact that they are human-beings. Along with this, they also establish ther identities as being women.
She urges women that they should not accept the positin which society grants them.they may have goals in life but to achieve their goals they should not take the help of men in aspiring their ideals. She is against the stereotypical role a wom plays insociety that is to depend upon men while neglecting their identities. Sadly, women have accepted their passive role in social structure as : “It is an easy road; on it one avoids the strain involved in undertaking an authentic existence… Woman may fail to lay claim to the status of subject because… she is often very well pleased with her role as the Other” (The Second Sex, xxi). Women must resist the temptation to remain inferior by acting docile, complacent, or infantile.
She also holds that women cannot be held held responsible for being other. Infact cultural values which have been made by men keep them in this position. They want to proceed in life but society does not give them ample opportunities for doing so. This results in making them low in the socity. “Yes, women on the whole are today inferior to men; that is, their situation affords them fewer possibilities” (The Second Sex, xxiv). Due to their limited roles, it is difficult to re structure or re-model their society to which they are a part of. However, they can do so if they get chances to do so.The unequal trestment creates troubles in social set up so she gives a solution to this problem. First women have to embrace this fact that they are biologically different from men. The other is that women must be given political rights and in doing so men must show opnmindedness. This will create mutual respect aand a sense of brotherhood among them.
