Margaret Atwood depicts as to how in society there are power issues between males and females as males tend to have more power than their counterparts and tend to frequently abuse and take advantage of their powers to solely benefit themselves. In this scene, Grace is in the governor’s wife’s parlor. She has been taken in as a maid due to her skill and efficiency with household chores.
As she is waiting for a doctor, she begins to wonder why women were not supposed to sit on a chair that had just been vacated by a man.She then remembers how Mary Whitney said, that when a man leaves his seat, it is inappropriate for a woman to go and sit in the same seat since it’d still be warm from the man’s bottom. She then compares how women are like swans and jellyfish; as if they were to be left out in the sun, they’d dry out. Thus leading her to notion how women are mostly like water. “Ms. Alderman Parkinson said a lady must never sit in a chair a gentleman has just vacated, though she would not say why; but Mary Whitney said, Because, you silly goose, it’s still warm from his bum; which was a course thing to say.
…)They are like swans, drifting along on unseen feet; or else like the jellyfish in the waters of the rocky harbour near our house, when I was little, before I ever made the long sad journey across the ocean. They were bell-shaped and ruffled, gracefully waving and lovely under the sea; but if they washed up on the beach and dried out in the sun there was nothing left of them. And that is what the ladies are like: mostly water. ” The setee in which Grace is not supposed to sit on can be seen as a symbol for feminism.Since it’s bad practice for a woman to sit on a chair that has just been vacated by a man.
A parallel character is present here as Mary Whitney is someone who is completely identical to Grace in many ways. Grace Marks is the protagonist in this story as she is leading character upon whom the story is based upon. In this Victorian era, it was very common for men to be in total control over women. Even if that meant abusing them in order for the women to respect and fear their dominant counterparts.It is quite clearly shown here as to how women were generally thought of as less than men. Especially when Grace was told to not sit in a seat that had just been vacated by a man.
This can be interpreted even further to reveal the reason; as women were not seen as a man’s equal. Thus limiting the ability of what women and could do and not do, based upon how it would affect men. Atwood generally writes her stories based upon real world situations. And this story is no exception.Atwood relates her story to the way women are generally viewed upon in society.
And in society, they are perceived as less than men. Their jobs, status, values, respect, etc. are all valued as less if compared to the jobs, status, values and respect of men. And this stereotype has been accepted as the status quo by all of society thus being the reason why Grace so easily accepted Mary Whitney’s explanation without any reasoning. In reality, women are not treated equal to men in many aspects including the workplace.
Even if they had jobs, they would most likely be low level jobs such as, being a maid, secretary, store clerk etc. And they could never move up the ladder in a sense. As it was difficult for women to find good paying jobs due to the inequality they faced over men. “25 years ago women were still second class citizens in the workplace, they had very few rights and could be sacked from their job simply because of the demands of pregnancy. Women were seen as mothers and housewives, but not business professionals.
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