In Adrienne
Rich's poem, "Living in Sin," a woman, entering a life full of hope
and promises with her lover, assumes that "no dust" will fall upon
her home, nor her perfect relationship.
Her life, however, does not fit this ideal. Both a deteriorating home and relationship
afflict her life; these unexpected results of her efforts in addition to the
lack of her lover's efforts lead to resentful feelings. Because of society's expectations, the woman
accepts her unbearable role. Rich
reveals the woman's attempts to improve her physical environment and emotional
life, and her ultimate acceptance of both situations.
The woman's and
her lover's responses to living in a run-down home contrast sharply. The
"dust[y]" atmosphere creates an aura of decay. The reality of the woman's broken dreams is
inescapable. The home, in disrepair, has
roaches coming out of their colonies in the moldings and grimy window
panes. Society dictates that she must
take on the domestic drudgeries of life.
In the male dominant society, she alone must fulfill the role of
housekeeper. With the absence of her
lover, the woman takes sole responsibility for maintaining a pleasant
household; she alone makes the bed, dusts the tabletop, and sets the coffee on
the stove. The portrait of her miserable
life contrasts sharply with that of her lover.
While she struggles with the endless monotony of house chores, he loafs
around, carefree and relaxed. During her
monotonous morning routine, the man flippantly goes "out for
cigarettes." Although he too notices the problems in the
house, he satisfies himself with merely complaining. Rather than taking action and tuning the
piano, the man merely "declare[s] it out of tune, [and] shrug[s]"
indifferently. The woman does not even control her home's furnishings. The food and painting are both results of the
man's whimsical desires. In order to
maintain some semblance of order, she sacrifices her environmental preferences
by accepting the situation.
Because the man
lacks commitment, the woman takes the burden for both housecleaning as well as
improving the couple's relationship. A
problematic relationship requires much "dusting." She solely contributes the energy that is
constantly necessary to create and maintain a pleasant relationship. She submits to this role of absolute
responsibility without resistance, keeping her resentment and anger to
herself. Her constant expenditure of
energy with no satisfactory results leads to disappointment. As she feels the "daylight coming
" while lying beside her sleeping lover, the woman dreads the life she
must face the next day. The coming of
the daylight illuminates the harsh reality of her life. Both her surroundings and her lover
ultimately fail her.
Rather than
escape her dismal life, the woman stubbornly continues to bear her burdens and
live as she feels obligated to. Although
she resents her situation, she takes no action to liberate herself and embrace
individual pursuits. She feels any
efforts to change her environment are futile. Submitting without resistance, the woman must
keep her anger inside. Her futile efforts result in her "living in
sin." She sinfully accepts what
society dictates and does not try to escape and improve her circumstances. By allowing this dismal life to continue, she
denies herself and her individuality.
This self-sacrifice is the greatest sin of all.
Society uses
various ploys to achieve conformity. As
a means to manipulate women into conforming and submitting to housekeeping
roles, society promotes a male-dominant view.
Society further expects all women to feign fulfillment in this
"natural," biological role. By
demanding conformity to expectations and customs, society conspires to minimize
a woman's satisfaction. Thus, like the
woman in the poem, many women in society accept this homemaking role. Although an individual must accept her
unchangeable circumstances, she should renounce her society-given role.
--------------------------------------------------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment