GENDER STEREOTYPE AS EXPERIENCED BY EVA
IN TILLIE OLSEN’S SHORT STORY “
TELL ME A
RIDDLE”
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
IMAN JUNIARTO RAHARJO
Student Number: 124214040
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA
ii
GENDER STEREOTYPE AS EXPERIENCED BY EVA
IN TILLIE OLSEN’S SHORT STORY “
TELL ME A
RIDDLE”
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Sarjana Sastra
in English Letters
By
IMAN JUNIARTO RAHARJO
Student Number: 124214040
ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAMME DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS
FACULTY OF LETTERS SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA
vii
기적은
노력의
다른
이름이다
.
–
강태준
,
아름다운
그대에게
viii
FOR
THE ALMIGHTY GOD
PO DUITT LISTYAWAN
TAN ENG SIEN
LENNY YULIASARI RAHARJO
PO GIOK IE
ix
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
As I have finished writing this research, I want to say thank you all my
teachers. To my Professors in the English Letters Department, especially Bu Sri Mulyani. Thank you for believing my weirdness as well. Thank you for the patience, guidance, and help! You are the best! I have started this project since
2014 and I am completely aware that I cannot go through all of these years without the help from all of the people who support me. I would like to thank God
who has been guiding my way since I was born. I thank God for His love and guidance in every step I take in my life. This would be impossible without You.
I would also thank my parents for all their patience and support. I am sorry
that I cannot make you guys proud sooner than this. For mom, thank you for the life lessons and patience. I’m so sorry that I cannot be home as often as I used to,
but I am and always be the little kiddo back home. Please bear my randomness and stay healthy. For dad, don’t get old too fast, I beg of you. For Wak Ie, thank you for taking care of me in Jogja. Moving to a whole new city was hard at first,
but you always make sure that I am in my best condition everyday. I could never repay your love. Further, I would like to thank to my sister, Lenny. Thank you for
x
I also would like to thank Laura, Soraya, Ame, Laras, Lolita, Nimas, and Arum. You guys are always there for me in school. For Nikki, thank you for the
help while I was doing this research. For Menyon and Rico, thank you for staying up late and accompanying me when I have to rewrite this all over. For Lembaga
Bahasa Universitas Sanata Dharma and my new little family of KKN 47, you guys are one of my miracles in the process of finishing this Undergraduate Thesis!
To Professor Na Younsook in Handong University, Hanna Lee, and Nancy
Qunqar, a lot of people helped me to finish this, but you guys are the ones who inspired me to start it. Thank you for the awesome ideas! To Lee Heekyoung
seonsaengnim and Seo Daeyoung seonsaengnim, thank you for always reminding me to finish this research. Saranghaeyo, seonsaengnimdeul!
Iman Juniarto Raharjo.
xi
1. Theory of Characterization ... 10
2. Women as “Angels” and “Monsters”... 11
3. Theory of Liberal Feminism ... 11
4. Theory of Gender Hierarchy ... 13
C. Review of Related Backgrounds ... 15
D. Theoretical Framework ... 17
CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY ... 20
A. Object of the Study ... 19
B. Approach of the Study ... 20
xii
CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS ... 23
A. Eva and Her Roles Related to Gender ... 23
1. Eva as a Housewife ... 24
2. Eva as a Mother ... 30
3. Eva in the Context of Gender Hierarchy ... 35
B. Eva’s Reaction: Eva as “Angels” and “Monsters”... 39
1. Eva as a Woman ... 39
2. Eva as an “Angel” and a “Monster”... 46
CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ... 48
BIBLIOGRAPHY ... 51
xiii ABSTRACT
IMAN JUNIARTO RAHARJO. GENDER STEREOTYPE AS
EXPERIENCED BY EVA IN TILLIE OLSEN’S SHORT STORY “TELL ME A RIDDLE” Yogyakarta: Department of English Letters, Faculty of Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2017.
“Tell Me a Riddle” is a short story written by Tillie Olsen. It was published as a part of a four story collection in 1961. The story focuses on the marriage of an aging Russian immigrant couple named Eva and David. As the story took place in the 1950s –1960s, after the big depression, women’s roles are not that big in the society. The society views that women should focus on taking care of the family and their houses as the men and boys were sent to wars. The research is about gender stereotype experienced by Eva as the main woman related to her roles in the society.
This thesis is divided into two main analysis. The first is the portrayal of Eva as a housewife and a mother in the story related to the gender role existed in the society and the second is Eva’s reaction to the stereotypes set by the society addressed towards her as a woman. As a woman, Eva is bounded to the roles of being a mother and a housewife after marriage. The story then tells about Eva, the representation of women, and her struggle to deal with the stereotype in the society.
In making the analysis, the method that is used to collect data for the thesis is library research. The study collects and examines data from library and web articles. There are two big steps taken in analyzing this research. First, the researcher starts with reading and understanding the whole short story using the feminism approach. The second step is collecting data, references, and theories related to this short story both from library and online sources.
Based on the analysis, the researcher presents two findings in this thesis. The first one is related to the stereotype addressed towards Eva related to her roles in the society. The society stereotyped her as a housewife and a mother and she is oppressed in the process of the stereotyping. The second finding is related to how Eva reacts to the stereotype. She does not fall into the stereotypes as she yearns for freedom and stands up for herself at the end of the story. Women are depicted into either one of the two different figures in the 1960s. It is affected by the categorization of women according to men and the Victorian values adopted in America. Women are seen as either the angels or the monsters. Eva is presented as
xiv ABSTRAK
IMAN JUNIARTO RAHARJO. GENDER STEREOTYPE AS
EXPERIENCED BY EVA IN TILLIE OLSEN’S SHORT STORY “TELL ME A RIDDLE”. Yogyakarta: Jurusan Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2017.
“Tell Me a Riddle” adalah sebuah cerita pendek yang ditulis oleh. Cerita ini diterbitkan pada tahun 1961 sebagai salah satu begian dari empat cerita pendek yang dikumpulkan menjadi satu. Cerita pendek ini mengisahkan kehidupan sepasang imigran dari Rusia yang telah lama menikah. Berlatar belakang tahun 1950-1960an, peran perempuan dalam masyarakat tidaklah besar. Hal ini dipengaruhi oleh zaman malaise. Masyarakat berpendat bahwa perempuan sebaiknya menetap di rumah dan merawat anggota keluarga mereka sementara laki – laki pergi ke medan perang. Penelitian ini berisi tentang stereotipe gender yang dialami oleh Eva sebagai tokoh wanita utama dalam cerita ini dan representasi wanita pada umumnya.
Analisa dalam penelitian ini dibagi menjadi dua. Bagian pertama adalah penggambaran Eva sebagai seorang wanita yang memiliki kewajiban sebagai ibu rumah tangga dan seorang ibu dari tujuh orang anak. Hal ini terkait dengan perannya dalam masyarakat. Bagian kedua menunjukkan reaksi Eva terhadap stereotipe – stereotipe terhadap wanita yang ada dalam masyarakat patriarki.
Dalam melakukan analisa, peneliti mencari dan mengusut data dari buku – buku di perpustakaan. Penelitian ini menggunakan sumber tertulis dan situs web yang kemudian dianalisa dengan pendekatan feminisme. Ada dua langkah yang diambil dalam melakukan analisa dalam penelitian ini. Pertama, Peneliti memulai dengan membaca dan memahami seluruh isi cerita pendek “Tell Me A Riddle”. Langkah kedua adalah pengumpulan data, referensi, dan teori yang berhubungan dengan cerita pendek ini dari buku – buku di Perpustakaan dan sumber daring.
Berdasarkan analisa yang ada, peneliti menyajikan dua penemuan dalam penelitian ini. Pertama, Eva dideskripsikan distereotipekan sebagai seorang istri dan ibu rumah tangga dan dia mengalammi tekanan dalam proses pembentukan stereotype tersebut. Kedua, Eva tidak jatuh ke dalam jerat stereotipe tersebut karena ia tetap membela dirinya di akhir cerita. Perempuan dideskripsikan menjadi dua figur dalam masyarakat. Mereka disebut sebagai “Malaikat” atau
“Monster”. Hal ini dipengaruhi oleh penilaian laki – laki terhadap perempuan dan nilai pada era Victoria yang diadopsi oleh Amerika. Meski demikian, Eva memiliki perkembangan tersendiri dalam cerita pendek ini. Dia adalah seorang
1 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
A. Background of Study
As Britain still struggled to rebuild a devastated country caused by World War II in the 1960s, women had a hard time back then. According to Nicholson (2015: 4), they were years of frustration at wartime gains lost, whereas others
preferred to go back to the certainties of their pre-war lives. Nicholson stated that women might have had the vote on the same terms as men since 1929, but for
most that was pretty well the limit of their equality: working women were paid much less than men and despite the responsibilities and sheer hard graft many had endured in wartime, were still regarded as submissive and inferior beings.
Furthermore, Nicholson also explained that Educational opportunities were limited. The 1944 Education Act, formally known as An Act to reform the law
relating to education in England and Wales, was supposed to give everyone equality, but that is not how it worked out. Many teachers and parents had narrow expectations for girls whose destiny was to be married. Women are still depicted
to be housewives or mothers. They had the duty to take care of their husbands and children respectively.
Faced with such social background as the foundation, the short story “Tell Me a Riddle" written by Tillie Olsen, focused on the marriage of aging Russian immigrant couple named Eva and David. The short story was first published as a
they got estranged in their forty-seventh year of marriage. At the moment, they had the conflict of how to spend their retirement. David wanted them, both David
and Eva, to move out of their house to a place called Haven as their children were all adults now. David tried his best to persuade Eva, but to no avail. Eva still
wanted to stay in the house even if it meant that she had to take care of the house by herself. The reason was simple, Eva sees her house as a comfort zone and doing house chores becomes something that she is comfortable with.
David does not care about her wife’s opinion and even threatened to sell
the house without Eva’s agreement. Here, Eva is shown as a woman with no
rights to voice her own opinion. As the story took place in the 1950s – 1960s,
after the big depression, women’s roles are not that big in a society. People still
have the medieval mindset about how women should focus on taking care of the
family. This kind of mindset came out because boys were sent to wars and they were seen more precious and useful than women.
Despite her current situation after marriage, Eva herself used to be an activist before she was married to David. However, she completely focused her life to be a full time housewife. From this point, it could also be seen that Eva’s
life changed completely after the marriage. Related to the situation in the 1950s – 1960s stated in the beginning, Eva lost her freedom as a woman in the society.
Concerned with women’s role in 1960s, the researcher uses the feminism approach to focus on Eva and see what are the stereotypes addressed to her as a women after marriage, and how she reacts to the stereotypes. The term feminism
of rights for women first became prominent during the French and American revolutions in the late eighteenth century. This movement becomes a literary critic
as the characterization of woman and woman’s authorship in literature are being
questioned.
According to Madsen (2000: 3), feminism is a social and political movement. Feminism is about changing the way that people see male and female rights, and campaigning for equal ones. Some feminists believe that all genders
should always be treated in exactly the same way. They also believe that there are important differences between men and women as they are also categorized by
gender. However, they believe that these differences should not lead to any unfair treatment of women by men.
The researcher also relates Eva’s condition in the short story to Gilbert and
Gubar’s theory of women as “Angels” and “Monsters” (1984) to see how she is presented in the story as a woman. Then, the researcher looks back to the
Victorian era and through the poem “The Angel in the House” as this poem is the
fundamental and initial beginning of how women are expected to be in the society.
The researcher is interested in this topic because in this era, some men still talk about how women are meant to do specific tasks based on their gender. For
example, cleaning the house and preparing meals for the family. By doing this research, the researcher tries to find the stereotypes experienced by the character Eva. The researcher also tries to show how she reacts to the stereotypes addressed
As the short story takes place in the US during the 1950s and 1960s, the researcher hopes to show the readers if the standards of ideal women in the
Victorian Era actually affect how women are expected or seen to be in the next
century. In the end, the researcher also hopes for men to have better view on
women and women can be encouraged not to fall into the similar possible
stereotypes shown in the story.
B. Problem Formulation
In revealing the gender stereotypes through the story, the researcher focused on
problems stated below.
1. How is Eva presented in Olsen’s “Tell Me a Riddle” related to her gender
roles as a housewife and a mother in the society?
2. As a woman, how does Eva react to the stereotypes set by the society addressed towards her in Olsen’s “Tell Me a Riddle”?
C. Objective of the Study
This research’s goal is to find out how the character Eva as a woman,
without the influence from the society, reacts to the stereotypes given by the
society in the nineteenth century. The first objective is to understand further about
Eva’s characterization in the novel and what kind of gender stereotypes that she
undergoes. The second objective is to reveal the influence of social stereotype
D. Definition of Term 1. Gender
Lisa Unger (in Brannon, 1948: 8) states that gender describes the traits and behaviors that are regarded by the culture as appropriate to women and men.
Gender is thus a social label and not description of biology. Carolyn Sherif (in Brannon, 1948: 8) also shares the similar definition of gender, saying that it is a scheme for social categorization of individuals.
On this, Ridgeway (2011: 13) states that many people still stick to the traditional ideas that men and women should behave in ways that fall into specific
categories determined solely on their socially constructed identities, their gender. However, male or female gender-specific identities are irrelevant in modern society. Gender is socially developed over time and are not based on natural
human behavior.
2. Stereotype
Patterson (1991: 8) states that stereotyping is an oversimplified, usually pejorative, attitude people hold toward those outside one's own experience who are different. They are a result of incomplete or distorted information accepted as
fact without question.
Based on this, Patterson defines a stereotype as a widely belief that an
individual is a member of a certain group based on characteristics (1991: 8). Stereotype is needed in order to acknowledge the characteristicss of certain groups. However, a great deal of inaccuracy in social perception may happen due
3. Gender Stereotype
By combining the two definitions above, gender stereotypes can simply be
defined as a widely belief that an individual is a member of a certain group based on traits and behaviors that are regarded by the culture as appropriate to women
and men. Brown (2014: 9), shares that gender stereotypes are generalizations which start when children are introduced to certain roles that are typically linked to their biological sex.
Furthermore, Brown (2014: 11) also explains that the term "gender role" is used to refer to society's concept of how men and women are expected to act and
behave. Gender roles are based on norms, or standards, created by society. Gilbert and Gubar (1984: 57), also share the thought that such grouping can be positive or negative, but they rarely communicate accurate information about others.
Based on the definitions given above, it can be concluded that a gender stereotype is a generalization about the gender attributes, differences, and roles of
individuals and/or groups.
4. Victorian Values in America
According to victorian-era.org, the Victorian era is often thought of as a
time when society and its rules were rigid and strict. It is based upon a group of principles or standard of moral conduct including practicing sexual restriction and
zero acceptance of criminal activity. Other characteristics that describe the values of the Victorian Era include hard work, honesty, the sense of duty and responsibility towards people in regards of their gender
The term Victorian America is used to refer the Victorian values adopted in the America. According to Bayley (2008), the elite were in total control of
society and its politics at the start of the Victorian era. The elite were made up of about 300 families which were firmly established as the traditional ruling class.
However, new values, such as individualism developed throughout the Victorian America. Similar to the American Dream, the idea is that, if they work hard enough, all men can become wealthy. Eventually, it can be concluded that
Victorian values refer to the social condition which conducts the standard of moral during the Victorian era. It also includes separation of people in regards of
8 CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
The researcher divides this chapter is divided into four sections. The first
section is the review on the related studies of Tell Me a Riddle. It can be related to
the topic. The second section is the review on the theories that are applied to
analyze the problems stated on the problem formulation. The third section talks about the review on Victorian era related to the poem “Angel in the House”
written by Coventry Patmore, and the last section is about the application of the
review on related studies and theories.
A. Review of Related Studies
Set in America during the 1960s, “Tell Me a Riddle” tells the struggles of
creating individuality different from stereotypical images of mid-century women.
The situation is explored through Eva. The short story was published as a part of a
four story collection in 1961. Tell Me a Riddle became the main title of that
collection and it received the 1961 O. Henry Award. In 1980, “Tell Me a Riddle”
was adapted into American drama film directed by Lee Grant.
Some students of Sanata Dharma University have discussed the topic of
feminism as well. Didikyudono (2003) in his thesis, A Portrayal of Liberal
women and men in every aspect of life by means of education. Didikyudono
focuses on how women gain equality from the education that they have. Della
Putri (2011), in her thesis The Ideas of Feminism in the Victorian Era Revealed in the Characteristics of Women Characters also shares the similar idea by stating that the idea of feminism is equality and opportunity as the women characters are
given the opportunity to be equal with men.
On this, Jabbra (2008) in her journal entitled Theories of Gender Hierarchy for an Introductory Women’s Studies Class states that gender hierarchy
plays an important role in discussing women’s role in the society. Gender
hierarchy focuses on how cultures in a society influenced the view of a gender. In
some societies men may dominate over women. In others, women may dominate
over men. The knowledge of how a specific gender is placed in the society not
only makes it easier for people to see if there is any gender inequality, but also
helps people to understand the cultural background of a society better.
While it is true that Eva fulfils her duties as a housewife and a mother, she
still finds herself alienated from her husband and her children, with whom she has
nothing in common. She does not fit in despite the fact that she tries to play along
with what the society expects her to be. The main concern in the story is with
resentment between generations and unfulfilled expectations. The story probably
relate more directly to Tillie Olsen’s own life
The thesis and journal stated above helps the researcher understand the
values in the Victorian era adopted by the Americans and the story better.
However, the researcher wants to be more specific with the feminism and the
Victorian background in this undergraduate thesis. So, instead of focusing on the
literary work during the Victorian era, the researcher is doing the research on how
women have to deal with stereotypes in the work written in the 1960s. It is done to see if the standards of an ideal woman made during the Victorian era actually
affect the future condition, especially in the 1960s.
B. Review of Related Theories
These are some theories to find the answers of the problem formulations
1. Theory of Characterization
According to Forster, there are two types of characters; those are “round” and “flat”. Round characters are usually can be found in the main characters. They
usually change into someone better, or worse. Meanwhile, the flat character usually can be found in minor character, but not all of the minors are flat characters. “To the degree that round characters possess many individual and
unpredictable human traits they may be considered as dynamic; that is, they demonstrate their capacity to change or grow” (1987: 121).
Murphy in Understanding Unseen (1972: 160-173) stated that there are nine ways to understand and explore about a character. They are personal description, character as seen by another, speech, past lives, conversation of
2. Theory of Women as Angels and Monsters
In The Madwoman in the Attic, Gilbert and Gubar (1984) examine Victorian literature from a feminist perspective. Gilbert and Gubar note the
perception that women writers of the nineteenth century were bound in their
writing to make their female characters either embody the "angel" or the
"monster." This struggle is caused by male writers' tendencies to categorize
female characters into two figures. Women are seen as either pure, angelic women
or rebellious, unkempt madwomen.
In their argument, Gilbert and Gubar point to Virginia Woolf, who says
women writers must kill the aesthetic ideal through which they themselves have
been killed into art (in Gilbert & Gubar, 1984: 18). It means that they have to get
out of the angelic stereotype of women set by men. By then, they can be free like
the monsters and able to make arts with no limits.
While it may be easy to figure that feminist writers embody the
"monsters", Gilbert and Gubar stress the importance of killing off both figures
because neither accurately represents women or women writers. Instead, Gilbert
and Gubar urge female writers not to fall to the said stereotypes, which they see as
imposed by a reductionist patriarchal view of women's roles (1984: 18).
3. Theory of Liberal Feminist
Liberal Feminism began in the 18th and 19th centuries and has continued
through to the present day. Throughout the history, the liberal feminist movement
has been and continues to be focused on eliminating female subordination.
rooted in a set of customary and legal constraints that blocks women’s entrance to
and success in the so-called public world. To the extent that society holds the false
belief that women are, by nature, less intellectually and physically capable than
men, it tends to discriminate against women (in Tong, 2009: 2). Its long history is
a testament to how well it has been able to adapt and change to the many issues
confronting women.
Mary Wollstonecraft represents the beginning of the liberal feminist
movement. According to Tong, she wrote A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, in which she makes the case that women need to be educated just as well as men so that they can grow up to be moral and autonomous human beings (2009:
12-13). Then in the 19th century John Stuart Mill and Harriet Taylor wrote about
women needing to be more involved in society.
While Harriet Taylor called for women to work outside the household as well as raise children, John Stuart Mill believed that women should be recognized as fully rational and worthy of the same civil liberties and economic opportunities
as men (in Tong, 2009: 17). Though many of their thoughts differed, both Mill
and Taylor supported the suffrage movement.
After the passage of the 19th amendment liberal feminism was quiet until
the 1960's when it awoke during the civil rights movement by realizing that similar to race discrimination there was a great deal of sex discrimination in the
system. There are several critiques of liberal feminism. One is that liberal
feminism focuses too much on women becoming like men and it unnecessarily
Another critique attacks liberal feminism because it emphasizes the
rational above the emotional while humans need both. It also questioned liberal
feminism's focus on the individual and not on the community (2009: 38). A
combination of historical approach and liberal feminism focuses on its racist,
classist and heterosexist past (2009: 40). It concerns on the past lives of women in
the society.
Mainly, liberal feminism focuses on gender justice. Liberal feminists
believe that their philosophy positively answers each of these critiques and though liberal feminism at one time was racist, classist, and heterosexist, it has overcome
these issues.
4. Theory of Gender Hierarchy
Before the 1950s, the term “gender" was used only in terms of grammar, and only to distinguish a category of words that are called 'feminine nouns' from
other words that are masculine nouns. Many European languages that come from
Latin like Spanish, French, and Italian have nouns that are either feminine or
masculine in gender. For example, in Spanish, house (casa) is feminine, and day
(día) is masculine. Some languages like German even have three genders. Outside
of their grammatical category, the word 'gender' was not used to refer to people.
At that time, when one spoke about someone being either male or female, the
word used was sex. In 1955, the word gender is used referring to people. It refers
According to Jabbra, the meaning of the word gender began to change in
1955. A scientist studying the similarities and differences between men and
women began to use the word gender in new ways that referred to people's
behavior (2008: 229). John Money created the term gender role and began to use
it to mean something different from sex. As mentioned earlier, there is a
difference between sex and gender. According to Money, the word sex describes
the body. Sex organs and sex chromosomes show what sex someone is. The word
'gender' describes someone's personality or character (in Jabbra, 2008: 229). It
says if someone feels or acts more like a female (feminine) or more like a male
(masculine).
In response to this, Peterson & Runyan assert that gender should be
understood as a social, not physiological, construction: femininity and
masculinity, the terms that denote one’s gender, refer to a complex set of
characteristics and behaviors prescribed for a particular sex by society and learned
through the socialization process (1993: 17). In other words, society confines
males and females to particular masculine and feminine character profiles, not
biology. This means that gender is not fixed. Gender should be considered an
adjustable and flexible concept, as opposed to the more static tendency of biology.
The nature of hierarchy in general requires ones to be dominant and the
others to be subordinate. Different people performing different functions in
cooperation with each other will form themselves into a hierarchy. As it is clearly
another in the first place, they will naturally fall into a hierarchy. However,
hierarchy is indeed important because it allows for cooperation instead of
competition between men and women.
Based on the understanding of gender stated above, gender hierarchy indeed focuses on how cultures in a society influenced the view of gender ina
hierarchical manner. As mentioned earlier, men may dominate over women in
some societies. In others, women may dominate over men.
C. Review of Related Backgrounds Women’s Role in Victorian Era
The Victorian era when Queen Victorian reigned was between 1837 up to 1901. This period is marked by the reform act in 1832 and the extreme diversities
with the industrial reforms, cultural progress, scientific advancement on one hand and poverty and wars on the other.
According to Flanders, the Victorian era identified four classes as a part
and parcel of their social structure which was the Nobility, Middle Class, Upper Working Class and Lower Working Class. People in the respective categories
were expected to remain within their class and any slight change from one class to another was considered to be a serious offence. In all these categories, the role of the women remained unchanged. They were supposed to live a highly restrictive
Women who belonged to the nobility class lived and enjoyed a life of luxuries. These women spent most of their time attending tea parties and balls and
the remaining time they would spend in knitting and horseback riding. Women had several attendants to look after them. They were expected to be highly
educated. Their main job was to effectively instruct the servants on what is to be done and to groom younger girls of the same class (nobility) to become women.
After the noble class, came the middle class. These people were not as rich
as the nobles though many of the people of this class tried mingling with the noble class people. The women belonging to this class were expected to take education,
help in the family business and try to get married into the nobility.
At the close of the Victorian era, few women of this class were self employed by being a nurse or a writer. Women of the Upper-class usually got
married and had jobs and run the family. Lastly, the Under-class women, who came from extreme poverty and took up low jobs like that of prostitution,
laborers, or any activity which involves physical exertion. Unlike the Upper-class women, these women mostly remained single all their lives as they were more in number as compared to male.
The only duty cast upon a Victorian woman was to keep her husband happy and raise her children for which they groomed right from their childhood
days. The rights which the women enjoyed were similar to those which were enjoyed by young children whereby they were not allowed to vote, sue or even own property. They had no choice but to accept all that which was already
While in America, the influence of Victorian period on the lifestyle, culture, religion and other aspects on America is addressed as the Victorian
America. According to victorian-era.org, The Civil War in America was responsible for bringing about a change in the American culture. The impact of
the Victorian culture can be clearly seen after the Civil War. Some of the popular cities with the influence of Victorian values related to the forms of the buildings in America are Boston, Chicago, Buffalo, Albany and some areas of Brooklyn
(http://www.victorian-era.org/victorian-era-america.html) (20 November 2016).
D. Theoretical Framework
The researcher studies about the gender stereotypes experienced by Eva as a woman in Tillie Olsen’s short story “Tell Me a Riddle”. The purpose of this
undergraduate thesis is to answer the problems formulated in the previous part.
Thus, the study of the related theories and studies will be taken as a data to solve
the problems. The researcher uses library research to gather the data and uses
liberal feminism approach as the topic is related to how women are treated and
expected to be in the 1950s – 1960s.
First, the researcher uses the theory of liberal feminism as a foundation to
view the whole short story, especially on how women are being treated. Then, the
researcher shows how Eva is portrayed as a woman, a housewife, and a mother in
the society with the theory of gender hierarchy and liberal feminism perspectives.
The theory of gender hierarchy is also used to see Eva’s position in the society.
To answer the second the second problem, the researcher relates Eva’s
conditions in the story with the theory of women as angels and monsters. This
then gives clearer information on how women are basically categorized or
stereotyped as angels and monsters. After that, the researcher’s analysis on Eva’s
reaction gives better idea on which group she belongs to according to those
categorizations. However, there is a slight reminder that Gilbert and Gubar
19 CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
A. Object of the Study
The object of this research is “Tell Me a Riddle”, a short story written by Tillie Olsen. It was published as a part of a four story collection in 1961. Tell Me a Riddle served as the main title of that collection. The research is about gender
stereotypes as experienced by Eva, the main woman character in the short story.
This short story consists of 116 pages. As it received the 1961 O. Henry
Award, Tell Me a Riddle has been called "a powerful study of the politics of voice", "an American Classic, and described as "beautifully crafted and painfully
real in the issues of family that it raises” as a whole collection. The version used
for this research is the Dell-Laurel Edition published in 1976 by Dell Publishing
Co., Inc. This version of Tell Me a Riddle consists of 125 pages in total and the
short story “Tell Me a Riddle” alone consists of 54 pages.
As mentioned, the story focuses on the marriage of an aging Russian immigrant couple named Eva and David. As the story took place in the 1950s –
1960s, after the big depression, women’s roles are not that big in the society. The
society thinks that women should focus on taking care of the family and their
houses as the men and boys were sent to wars. In the story, Eva becomes a housewife and she falls into the gender stereotyping on how a woman is expected to be after she gets married. The story then tells about Eva’s struggle to deal with
B. Approach of the Study
To analyze the short story, the researcher uses the liberal feminist
approach. According to Madsen, this approach concerns with gender justice as
second-wave feminism started to take place in the twentieth century. Liberal
Feminists believe that women must maintain their equality through their own
actions and choices. They also argue that society holds the false belief that women
are lower than men (2003: 8). Basically, liberal feminists refuses to accept the
thought that men and women are not equal despite the fact that they are biologically different. Liberal feminists also believe that women can make their own choices and those choices represents their freedom. Women are considered as
free if they are able to choose and not being told what to do,
This approach is the most suitable because the short story itself has a
woman as the heroine and it happened in the 1950s-1960s. From the explanation
given, this criticism helps the researcher easier to find how Eva is portrayed as a woman with the roles of being a housewife and a mother. Later, her reactions to
the stereotype towards her roles can also be seen as one of the results.
Madsen also states that feminism is a social and political movement.
Feminism is about changing the way that people see male and female rights, and
campaigning for equal ones (2000: 3). This research then focuses on the relation
between the short story and the reality happens in the society at the specific time,
C. Method of the Study
The method that is used to collect data for the thesis is library research.
The study only looks from and collected from library and some from trusted web
articles. There are two big steps taken in analyzing this research. First, the
researcher starts with reading and understanding the whole short story. The
second step is collecting data, references, and theories related to this short story
both from library and online sources. The researcher tries to find other sources
and apply the theories based on the feminism perspectives.
From the reading, the researcher is interested with how women are treated
in the society during the 1950s – 1960s. Thus, the feminism approach is specified
into liberal feminism approach. After understanding the short story, the researcher
applies the gender hierarchy theory and finds that there is a specific standard on how women are expected to be or act since they live in a strong patriarchal society
at that time.
Through the liberal feminism perspectives, the researcher tries to see how
women are being treated during the era. Then, the researcher will relate Eva’s
condition with the theory of women as angels and monsters. From here, the
researcher finds that as a woman, Eva is seen as a figure whose only duties are to
keep her husband happy and take care of the children. It goes accordingly to how
women are expected to be during the Victorian era. In relation to the theory of
are either stereotyped as angels and monsters with the angel being the one who are likeable to men and the monsters are the ones who cause anxiety towards men
since they are rebellious. The poem “Angel in the House” provided in the
previous part then also gives clearer information on how women are basically
categorized or stereotyped as angels and monsters.
The researcher concludes that Eva is treated unfairly since she has no freedom to even voice her own opinion and her husband gets to decide everything
for her. Based on the analysis, the researcher sees that Eva belongs to the angelic
type since she is formed and depicted as the ideal type of wife in the era of 1960s.
The poem “The Angel in the House”, the short biological review of Tillie
Olsen, and the understanding of women’s role in Victorian Era are provided to
understand the context easier. With these, the researcher looks back to the
Victorian era and use the poem “The Angel in the House” as this poem is the
foundation and initial start of how women are expected to be in the society.
While the understanding of women’s role provides better understanding of
how women lived during the era, the poem gives the background information on
why women are expected to be who they are even. This poem will be the
foundation on how women is seen and expected to be during the 1950s – 1960s,
23 CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS
In this chapter, the problems formulated in the earlier chapter are
answered. Based on the problems formulated, this chapter is divided into two
parts. The first part describes how the character Eva undergoes related to her roles
as a housewife and a mother in the story “Tell Me a Riddle”. The second part is
how the character Eva react to the stereotypes, set by the society, addressed
towards her as a women in the story Tell Me a Riddle written by Tillie Olsen.
A. Eva and Her Roles Related to Gender
As mentioned, “Tell Me a Riddle” was published as a part of a four story collection in 1961. Tell Me a Riddle served as the main title of that collection. Out
of the four stories, “Tell Me a Riddle” is placed the last and the story tells about
the marriage of an aging Russian immigrant couple named Eva and David. In
spite of the fact that the collection consists of four different short stories, the first three stories are related to Eva’s family. The previous three separated stories tell
each of Eva’s child and their struggles with their own family and the society in
relation to racism. The three stories then lead the readers to Eva as the heroine. With that said, researcher discusses about the characteristics of Eva as she is the
protagonist of the short story “Tell Me a Riddle”. The researcher chooses Eva as
This subchapter shows two of Eva’s different sides as a figure in the society. Even though it is divided into two small parts accordingly to Eva’s role in
the society, Eva’s roles are interrelated. As a person, the society stereotyped her as a woman with the duty as a housewife and a mother. So, Eva here is presented as
David’s wife and a mother of her seven kids.
1. Eva as a Housewife
Eva has been married to David and she has been a victim of gender
inequality in the process as she is treated unfairly and is at lost compared to David. She has limited access in the society and she has no room to express her opinion.
As a housewife, she is expected to be in the house and run the errands. This part explains how Eva’s relationship with David is portrayed related to the gender stereotyping which exist in the society.
As a woman, Eva is expected to be a housewife by the society. As the
story is written in the nineteenth century, the standard of a “good” woman is
affected by the devotion of Queen Victoria. The Queen’s domestic life sets the
ideal life for the women of this age. It includes women to take care of her husband
and her children above all else as a sole purpose of living.
The poem “The Angel in the House” by Coventry Patmore shares the
similar view and gives contribution on how to treat women in this era. As a
woman, Eva is given limited access in the society and limited chance to voice her
opinion. She also bears the responsibility to take care of her husband and her
children while David gets to go out and socialize. There are some parts which
“I will sell the house anyway,” he flung at her one night.
“I’m putting it up for sale. There will be a way to make you sign.” (Olsen, 1976: 78)
David tells Eva that he is going to sell the house. Rather than telling Eva in
advance and discussing it together, he just tells Eva that the house is up for sale.
From here, it can be seen that David does not consider Eva’s opinion and feeling.
This act also shows that David sees Eva, who is a woman, as a second-class
citizen. He does not appreciate Eva or sees her as a person. It shares the similar
thought that men are considered superior compared to women. Such
understanding is very common at that time. When Eva tries to voice her
disagreement, David’s reaction is no different.
“You cannot sell the house”
“I will. We are going to the Haven. Then you would not hear the television when you don’t want to. I could sit in the social room and watch. You
could lock yourself up and smell your unpleasantness in a room by yourself –for who would want to come near you?”
“No, no selling.” A whisper now.
(Olsen, 1976: 78)
This is the occasion where Eva’s opinions are being ignored by David.
From this part, it is indicated that he does not give Eva any room to voice her
opinion and she is left without any other choice. David’s reaction with harsh
words also does not show any respect to Eva as his wife. There is a hint of gender
inequality addressed towards Eva as a woman. She is oppressed and she has no choice but to listen to her husband. More than that, she is not even allowed to go
As mentioned earlier that being an ideal woman includes taking care of her husband and her children above all else as a sole purpose of living, women also
have limited access to actually go out and socialize. The same situation is also experienced by Eva as a woman. David, the man, forbids Eva from leaving home
as she has to take care of the family. However, he can go out and have meetings with his lodge, playing cards as the men are allowed to go out whenever they are pleased. The following is one of the proofs that David forbids Eva from going out.
“A reading circle. Chekov they read that you like, and Peretz. Cultured
people at Haven that you would enjoy.”
“Enjoy!” She tasted the word. “Now, when it pleases you, you find a
reading circle for me. And forty years ago when the children were morsels and there was a Circle, did you stay home once so I could go? Even once?
You trained me well. I do not need others to enjoy. Others!” Her voice
trembled.
(Olsen, 1976: 75)
David tries to convince Eva to move in to Haven by telling her that there is a reading club, addressed as a circle, in Haven. Eva likes to read and the reading club discusses the books that she likes. However, Eva gets mad when she hears
David’s offer. She claims that only now David acknowledges Eva’s fond of
reading. Other than showing the grammatical errors in their conversation as
Russians, the conversation also shows that there used to be a reading circle that Eva wants to join, but she cannot do so as she has to take care of the children and David never helps. Eventually, Eva becomes more comfortable being alone and
the house has become her comfort zone. The proof can be seen from the following.
“And her social duty (for she will not o out to luncheons or meetings) the boxes of old clothes left with her, as with a life practised eye of finding what is still wearable within the worn (again the magnifyingglass superimposed on the heavy glasses) she scans and sorts – this for rag or
rummage, that for mending and cleaning, and this for sending away.”
Researcher notes that Eva does not go to luncheons or meetings to socialize. Instead, she is scanning and sorting the old clothes as a form of
socializing. She sees her daily routines as duties she has to finish rather than a call of heart. As she sorts, it is seen that such duty requires a skill which gets better as
the time goes by. It implies that she has been doing this for a relatively long time and she is used to it already.
In relation to David’s action of purposely not acknowledging Eva’s
interest of reading in the past, a similar act is also done by David. As a man in the house, David pretends not to hear what Eva says. This kind of situation also
shows the impact of the traditional thought that men are considered as superior figures compared to women. Men do not listen to anyone but himself, just like
how David sells the house without minding Eva’s opinion.
“You are the one who always used to say: better mankind born without mouths and stomach than always to worry for money to buy, to shop, to
fix, to cook, to wash, to clean.”
“How cleverly you hid that you heard. I said it then because eighteen hours a day I ran. And you never scraped a carrot or knew a dish towel
sops.”
(Olsen, 1976: 74)
This part happens on one of the many times when David convinces Eva to
move in to Haven. This part shows that Eva’s words are being ignored by David
while he actually can hear them all clearly. However, this part also conveys more
meaning than what it seems. Other than showing David’s ignorance, Eva’s reply actually reveals the unspoken rules of the patriarchal society. There is a structure in the society in relation to gender. Men have privilege as they are the dominant
“She is going to find every speck of dirt”
“Don’t, Nancy, I’ve told you – it’s the only way she knows how to be useful. What did the doctor say?”
“A real fatherly lecture.”
(Olsen, 1976: 80)
In her days as an old woman, Eva and David are often invited to Paul’s
house on the weekend to have dinner together. Paul is one of Eva’s kids and he is married to Nancy. It is just after a regular Sunday dinner with Paul’s little family that Nancy insists on cleaning the kitchen instead of Eva. Nancy tells her that she
does not need to do it because she will do it later. Actually, Nancy knows very well that Eva is a meticulous person. She will not stop cleaning the kitchen until it
is clean thoroughly. However, David tells Nancy not to stop Eva from cleaning the kitchen as it is the only way she knows how to be useful. It indicates that there is a traditional way men see women during this era. Women are seen as figures
that are useful only when it comes to doing house chores and doing chores itself is considered as a low job. Men are better just because they get to do other things.
Eva gets weaker as she gets older. She is later diagnosed a small kidney
disorder. Paul, one of Eva’s children, invites David and Eva for a regular Sunday dinners together with Paul’s wife, Nancy. On their third Sunday together, Paul
notices that Eva looks different lately from the way she crumples on the couch. “Have you thought maybe Ma should let a doctor have a look at her? Asked their son Paul after Sunday dinner, regarding his mother crumpled
on the couch, instead of, as was her custom, busying herself in Nancy’s
When Paul asks David’s opinion if Eva should be checked by a doctor,
David sarcastically replies that the President should see her too. Then, Paul tries
to convince David by asking if that is the way Eva usually acts around the house.
David only says that she regularly has an affair with the bed as an answer.
From David’s reply, it implies that Eva is indeed weak that she only lies
on the bed regularly. However, instead of showing concerns, David sees her as a
woman who fails to do her duty as a wife as she just sits around on the bed. It also
shows that David does not have any interest in Eva despite her significant
difference in appearance. David thinks that they seem to be estranged as a couple.
After that third dinner, David tries to convince Eva to move to Haven by
saying that she will be healthier there. After trying for some times, Eva is still going strong on her decision. One night, David leaves for a meeting in spite of
Eva’s weak condition after the test results comes out. Eva begs David to stay
because she feels like she needs him. Instead, he mocks her for constantly changing her mind, and leaves her behind, sobbing and cursing him.
“One night, she asked him: “You have a meeting tonight? Do not go… Stay with me.”
He had planned to watch ‘This Is Your Life,’ but half sick himself from the heavy heat, and sickening therefore the more after the brooks and woods of the Haven, with satisfaction he grated:
“Hah, Mrs. Live Alone And Like It wants company all of a sudden of
solitary when she was a girl exile in Siberia. ‘Do not go, Stay with me.’ A new song from Mrs. Free as a Bird. Yes, I am going out, and while I am gone, chew this aloneness good, and think how you keep us both from
where if you want people, you do not need to be alone.” “Go, go. All your life you have gone without me.”
After him, she sobbed curses he had not heard in years, old country curses from their childhood.
When he returns, Eva lies on a cot on their sun-porch. She stays there for a week, and she refuses to talk to or go near him. He finds the bed seems empty
without her. One day, he hears her singing an Old Russian love song as she gets wet from the rain. He insists she come inside, but has to help her because she is so
weak. At this time, David realizes that they are estranged as a couple indeed. David feels like he does not know Eva anymore. Only after Eva is dead does David realize that Eva has been alone all along from the way she chooses to
sing old songs. Eva does not consider David’s existence in her days. He is never there and he regrets it, but it is too late. To conclude, Eva is oppressed as a
housewife as she cannot do what she wants and she is shown as a weak figure compared to David. It is related to the unspoken rule of the patriarchal society mentioned earlier. There is a structure in the society and men have the advantages
as they are higher in position compared to women.
2. Eva as a Mother
As a mother, Eva has the duty to raise seven kids. Their names are Clara, Lennie, Hannah, Vivi, Paul, Sammy, and Davy. Later in the story, it is also revealed that Davy, the youngest, dies in his childhood. He is rarely mentioned in
the story. Being a mother of seven, Eva is shown as a busy mother. Her daily routines are filled with hectic house conditions.
“Mother, I told you the teacher said we had to bring it back all filled out this morning. Did you even ask daddy? Then tell me which plan and I’ll
check it: evacuate or leave the city or wait for you to take me away. (Seeing the look of straining to hear.) It’s for disaster, grandma.”
“Vivi in the maze of long, the lovely drunkenness. The old noises; screaming of a mother flayed to exasperation; children quarrelling;
children playing; singing; laughter.”
Morty, Vivi’s little son always comes near his grandma whenever she is
around. He climbs up to Eva as he wants to play with her. He tells her about one
of the assignments in school that needs to be filled up by tomorrow for disaster. After Vivi sees the two interact, she immediately recalls her old days in the past.
She remembers the atmosphere and the condition back then. The house is noisy and the children are up to their own things. They play around, laugh, sing, and quarrel. Eva wants them to stay silent, but she seems to have a slight problem in
nursing them as she is the only adult and there are seven of the kids. Even from
Vivi’s point of view as one of the children, Eva is flayed to exasperation at that
time.
Despite the fact that Eva has a hard time in doing some tasks as a mother, she always gives her best. She takes care of them all by herself and she even
breastfeeds them all. The children, except Davy, also grow up to be healthy and well-mannered. Vivi also looks up to Eva as she also becomes a mother.
“Nursing the baby: My friends marvel, and I tell them, oh it’s easy to
become such a cow. I remember how my mother seemed nursing my brother and the milk just flows... Was it Davy? It must have been Davy...”
“Lowering a hem: How did you ever... When I think how you made everything we wore... Tim, just think, seven kids and Mommy sewed everything... Do I remember you sang while you sewed? That white dress
with the red apples on the skirt you fixed over me? Was it Hannah’s of Clara’s before it was mine?”
“Washing sweaters: Ma, I will never forget, one of those days so nice you washed clothes outside; one of those spring days it must have been. The bubbles just danced while you scrubbed, and we chased after, and you stop to show us how to blow our own bubbles with green onion stalks... you always...”
“Strong onion, to still make you cry after so many years, her father said to turn the tears into laughter.”
Vivi recalls her childhood days with her mother a lot. It shows some of the
chores that Eva has to do as a part of raising her children. Despite the fact that Eva
sees her house chores as a duty that has to be done rather than a call of heart like mentioned before, she is doing it happily and she does not take her emotion on
her children. Instead, she is able to play and communicate well with the children. From Vivi’s perspectives, it is also shown that she sees Eva as a successful
mother. She looks up to her as a role model of a “good” mother. Even though she
seems to have a bit of problem in nursing the children as shown in the previous
part, she does great in general. She sews all of her children’s clothes, and finds
comfort in the middle of her chores by playing with the bubbles. From here, it can
be seen that David is never really in the picture to help Eva and she does all the
work alone.
David’s reaction to Eva’s hard work also indicates that David is indeed not
impressed and he looks down on Eva as a mother. Instead of feeling grateful, he
turns Eva’s work and Vivi’s memory into laughter. It is not the first time David
reacts that way. He acts in the similar way multiple times as showed in the
previous part when Paul suggests taking Eva to the hospital and when Eva begs
him not to leave her. Later that night, Vivi also invites David and Eva to spend
some nights with their family. It is done to help Eva feel better about her condition. David accepts the offer, but Eva shows the otherwise after she sees that
“Blind to around you as always: the little ones sleep four in a room
because we take their bed. We are two more people in a house with a new
baby and no help.”
“Vivi is happy so. The children should have their grandparents in a while,
she told me. I should have my mommy and daddy….”
“Babbler and blind. Do you look at her so tired? How she starts to talkand
she cries? I am not strong enough yet to help. Let us go home.”
(To reconciled solitude) (Olsen, 1976: 95)
As it is mentioned that Vivi sees Eva as a successful mother, Vivi looks up to Eva as how a “good” mother should be. As a result, Vivi acts like Eva when
it comes to her life as a woman. She focuses on running errands around the house while taking care of her children and husband. Despite the fact that Vivi asks Eva
and David to stay with her little family for a while, Eva is the only one realizes that the newlywed has given up their main bedroom for the parents. It is done so Eva and David can stay in a more comfortable way in the house.
More than that, Eva is also the only one to see that Vivi is actually tired. Her tiredness can be seen from her appearance and the way she acts. However,
David claims that Vivi is happy with her current condition and fails to see Vivi’s hardships as a housewife. The researcher sees that Eva wants to help Vivi as she receives similar treatments from her husband in being a housewife. However, she
Eva is too weak to do so. She then calls David blind and she invites David to go back to their old place. Her action shows that she cares about Vivi as her mother
and she does not want Vivi to experience the same hardships Eva experiences in
As a mother, Eva is also shown to have an estranged relationship with Clara, the oldest child in the family. At first, Eva does her job as a mother without
affection involved at first. As she becomes more comfortable with becoming a mother, the connection with her other children also grows naturally. However,
Clara has become the victim as she receives the least care from her mother. Now one by one the children came, those that were able. Hannah, Paul, Sammy. Too late to ask: and did you learn with your living, Mother, and what do we do now?
Clara the eldest clenched:
Pay me back, Mother, pay me back for all you took from me. Those others you crowded into your heart. The hands I needed to be for you, the heaviness, the responsibility.
Is this she? Noises the dying make, the crablike hands crawling over the covers. The ethereal singing.
She hears that music, that singing from the childhood; forgotten sound –
not heard since, since… And the darkness breaks like a cry: Where did we lose each other, first mother, singing mother?
Annulled: The quarrels, the gibing, the harshness between; the fall into silence and the withdrawal.
I do not know you, Mother. Mother, I never knew you. (Olsen, 1976: 116)
On the day Eva dies, Clara is one of Eva’s children who happen to be able to come. Upon seeing her mother lying down lifeless, she recalls her old days
being the oldest child in the family. Clara sees Eva as a mother who cherishes the other siblings better than her as the oldest child, even though it is not really the
case. A part of Clara wants her mother to pay back all the times she has lost, when she needs Eva the most. Another part of her, however, also regrets it. Clara is even curious on how they become estranged as a mother and a daughter themselves.
In conclusion, Eva is seen as the epitome of how a “good” mother should be by her children. She goes along with what the society wants her to be. She
always does her best despite the fact that she does her job out of obligation in the beginning. She shows cares to her children and she does not want her daughters to
experience the same stereotypes related to women’s roles.
3. Eva in the Context of Gender Hierarchy
As explained in the previous part, gender hierarchy focuses on how cultures in a society influenced the view of gender in a hierarchical manner. Men
may dominate over women in some societies. In others, women may dominate over men. In the case of patriarchal society, the men dominate over the women.
Patriarchal society commonly takes place in 1960s. Liberal feminists describe it as a systemic bias against women. The society perceives women in relation to their
role in society. Later, liberal feminists conclude that oppression of women came from the underlying bias of a patriarchal society.
It is mentioned earlier that there is a certain structure in the patriarchal
society. The structure is gender itself. Gender denotes the social phenomenon of distinguishing males and females based on a set of identity traits. Men and women
are constructed to behave and interact in ways that reflect their gendered identities. The gendering process then produces socially constructed differences. As the
Since the story of “Tell Me a Riddle” takes set in the 1960s, the story portrays the current situation set during the era. Eva, as a woman is receiving the
unfair treatment from the society based on her gender. She is expected to act like how a woman should act in the society. The women during the era are supposed to
live a highly restrictive life with their life centered round their husband and subsequently their children. As explained in the second chapter that there is a categorization of women, the roles of these women remain unchanged. The only
duty cast upon a woman is to keep her husband happy and raise her children for
which they are trained right from their childhood days. The rights which the
women enjoyed were similar to those which were enjoyed by young children
whereby they were not allowed to vote, sue or even own property.
Out of the four category explained in the second chapter, the researcher
concludes that Eva belongs to the Upper Working Class. The reason is because she is married to David. She also has the duty to raise her children. Eva comes from a family with poverty as the background and has to do the house chores
which require physical works. However, she is different from the Lower Working Class women as these women come from poverty and took up low jobs like
prostitution, laborers, or any activity which involves physical exertion. These women also remain single all their lives, mostly. As a woman of Upper Working
