Woolf, Silko, and the Perception of Women

It's no secret that the other writers from this unit would agree with Virginia Woolf's basic theme in A Room of One's Own-- that women's freedoms have been restricted. It's a prevalent phenomenon across both cultures and time periods, and feminist writers have put great effort into exposing its wrongness, albeit in their own unique ways. Woolf's novel focuses on how women's lack of proper resources have suppressed their creative endeavors, while Leslie Marmon Silko's short story "In the Combat Zone" deals with the physical violence that men often exert upon women. Despite the differing topics, connections to Woolf can be found in Silko's work. Men see women as easy targets, she says, and believe it's within their right to intimidate women, but a rather surprising note is that she doesn't place the blame for this violence solely on men. Consider the following passage:

"Only women can put a stop to the 'open season' on women by strangers. Women are TAUGHT to be easy targets by their mothers, aunts, and grandmothers who themselves were taught that 'a women doesn't kill' or 'a woman doesn't learn how to use a weapon.' Women must learn how to take aggressive action individually, apart from the police and the courts."

This passage immediately makes me think back to Woolf's commentary on Fernham's financial standing. In both cases, there's a perceived "right" way for a woman to live her life that's ultimately detrimental to her being. Moreover, it's a perception that's ingrained in our society and passed down across generations. With Woolf, the phenomenon is explicitly stated: women are limited because they're expected to bear and raise children as well as look after the house. In Silko's case, it's implied, but the message is the same-- that women need not bother with man's work. Gender roles work to reduce and pigeonhole women's societal value in both cases.

If there's a difference in the two arguments, it's with regards to the action that should be taken to correct society's gender disparity. Throughout her novel, Woolf argues that women need to be provided with the resources to flourish. In her mind, the belittling of women should be recognized, and reparations should be arranged accordingly. Silko takes a more direct stance-- she thinks that women need to take hold of their situation and act to blur the divide between men and women. Their solutions may take different forms, but the message contained in them is the same: women are equal beings, and deserve to be recognized and treated as such.