Character Commentary:
Coming across this verse in the Bible, I feel so wretched, so miserable, how can one explain this feeling of defiance? My God should love me, as I am his creation, however I am deemed inferior to man. Why shall women be bound to the restraints of idiocy? It is ever since the creation of humankind that women are regarded as lesser than, as transgressors, as submissive twits, unable to accomplish any title greater than wife and mother. Why must women be confined to knowledge of only maternal and spousal duties? I yearn to learn of art, history, and science. I am unconcerned in finding a partner and bearing children, slaving away for the delight of others. My desires lie in selfishness. I long to be selfish, to see only the course guiding me towards my own luxury, to disregard the authority of man and find happiness within only myself. If Adam was created first, then I shall be the transgressor, I shall be the deceiver, and I shall transcend over all. Adam is of no concern to me, and if God does not permit women to assert themselves, then his authority no longer commands me. I shall quench my thirst for knowledge and explore my passions, defying so called femininity; if man is the only rightful scholar, then it is man I shall become. Rather than tending to children, polishing the home, and taking the last name of another, I shall work, as a mathematician, an astronomer, or whichever occupation enables my discovery of solace. It is with this vexing bible verse that I find myself able to breathe, realizing that my true governess is myself.
Editorial Commentary:
During the wave of 19th century Victorian feminism, women's education was an extremely contemplated issue. Many women felt similar to this “Girl of the Period”, yearning for higher education. This thirst for knowledge is deeply rooted in Victorian men’s beliefs that “women’s natural place [was] to be in the home- in a state of purity and exemplary morality which depended on their ignorance of the outside world” (Wollstonecraft). After hundreds of years of being isolated from knowledge of the outside world, Victorian women took initiative to stand up for themselves. The bible quote found in this commonplace book describes the outdated ideals of men, that women should remain submissive and inferior, learning quietly only of household duties. The disgust displayed by the writer over this verse, as well as her furious condemnation, shows insight into the radicality of Victorian women over the issue of education and man’s superiority complex. The struggle for liberation took place in a manner that “the way to self fulfillment depended on the dissolution of the foundations of society” (Wollstonecraft). The writer of the commonplace book describes the foundations of society at the time and her desire to defy them. Societal norms indicated that women should stay in the home, be educated only in maternal and spouse related duties, serve under men and for men, and put all others contentment above their own. It was made so that men exhausted their rule over women. In her writing, the author disobeys these ideologies, believing that each gender is equal to one another. Women of this time period were often successful in their arguments when chastising the societal norms that violated Victorian feminism. It is through the beliefs of men on women and the foundations of society that women began to fight for equal education and equal rights during the 19th century.
Works Cited:
New International Version. Bible Gateway, https://www.biblegateway.com/versions/New-International-Version-NIV-Bib…. Accessed 11 October 2023.
Wollstonecraft, Mary. A Vindication of the Rights of Woman : “Strengthen the Female Mind by Enlarging It, and There Will Be an End to Blind Obedience.” A Word To The Wise, 2019. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,shib&db=e870sww&AN=2205893&site=eds-live.