Womens role in the 1950s was the basically be submissive is every way. They was brought up to think that everything revolves around their husband. They was expected to take care of all of the house work and raise their kids on their own. They was basically a servant in a way. Also, they was expected to be thought of in a positive way in society, By doing this they always looked nice, and participated in social events to stay undated. Perfection was the goal for these women. However, Katherine felt like woman had every right to do what men could. She wanted her students to be independent and to realize that they didn't need a husband to be happy. She also felt like women needed to do what mad them happy and successful. Basically Katherine wasn't the "basic" type of woman. Katherine did what made her happy, no matter how people felt about it. Through out the story Katherine's opinion reached out to one student in particular, Betty. Betty was one of her students who was currently married while she was in college. You could tell that Betty was only getting married to satisfy others, such as her mother. In the 1950s is was expected for woman to get married,it was the "proper" thing to do. This is why Betty tried to stick it out. However her husband started to cheat and that was the last straw. She started to realize that she deserved better and this was by Katherine help and honest opinion. Her mothers wasn't even there to help her because he was the "unproper" thing to do in society.
I agree that women strove to reach what was considered "perfection". They learned to dress, talk, walk, and sit like a lady should. They did this simply to catch the attention of men and eventually find the "perfect" husband for them. They set out to live the American dream of having a wealthy husband, nice home, and big family. This however, in most cases was not reality. Most women ended up stuck in an unhappy marriage, but were afraid to get divorced because of others opinions.
ReplyDeleteI like how you worded everything. very nice.
ReplyDeleteI like how you stated that Katherine wasn't the "basic" type of woman that everyone expected her to be back then. She made so many bold choices and wanted her students to understand that they could too if they really wanted to.
ReplyDeleteI think it's crazy how her mother wouldn't help her for the sake of "tradition". It's good that things are more open now.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that Catherine helped her students to know what they were capable of, especially Betty.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that Catherine helped her students to know what they were capable of, especially Betty.
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