& # 8217 ; s Mines Essay, Research Paper
Analysis of King Solomon & # 8217 ; s Mines & # 8217 ; undertone of Sexism
During the 19th century, adult females were viewed as inferior to work forces. Work force besides saw adult females every bit awards every bit good as ownerships. We can see this undertone in the book King Solomon & # 8217 ; s Mines by H.Rider Haggard. Here, the author uses Lyn Pykett & # 8217 ; s essay & # 8220 ; Gender, Degeneration, Renovation: Some Contexts of the Modern & # 8221 ; as the anchor for the comparing and treatment.
As Allen Quartermain and company gets closer and closer to the diamonds, the description of the scenery is really feministic: & # 8220 ; For the mammilla of the mountain did non lift out of its exact center. & # 8221 ; ( Haggard 101 ) As person had pointed out that the map included in the book besides has a intimation of a female organic structure, if turned upside down. The Sheba & # 8217 ; s chests resemble the chests of a female, and the location of the diamonds and hoarded wealths, which is further down the map, signifies the private of a female. & # 8220 ; Woman is a entirely sexual animal, to be defined wholly in footings of sexual dealingss and the generative function. & # 8221 ; ( Pykett 23 ) When a adult male meets a adult female, his ultimate end is to acquire, as Haggard implied in the book, the hoarded wealths of the adult female ; hence, one can besides associate to the scene where Allen Quartermain and company makes a great attempt to make Sheba & # 8217 ; s chests. During that stage of the trip, they face many adversities, such as famishment and desiccation. This portion of the book could be interpreted as the clip when a adult female tells her adult male to decelerate down because she is non ready to be intimate, yet adult male, like the characters in the book would go on to endeavor to their ultimate end. It is besides of import to observe that after the characters reached Sheba & # 8217 ; s chests ; they found a watercourse, killed an inco and had a large banquet. Here is a quotation mark from Allen Quartermain after the dainty, complementing the position of Sheba & # 8217 ; s chests: & # 8220 ; I know non how to depict the glorious view which unfolded itself to our ecstatic regard. I have ne’er seen anything like it before, nor shall, I suppose, again. & # 8221 ; ( Haggard 104 ) Another point that should be observed is the fact that the route to the hoarded wealth becomes broad and smooth: & # 8220 ; It was a really different concern going along down hill on that brilliant tract? . Every stat mi we walked the ambiance grew softer and balmier, and the state before us shone with a yet more aglow beauty & # 8221 ; ( Haggard 107 ) . This portion of the literature signifies work forces & # 8217 ; s ideas when they get to that first phase of familiarity. Men rejoice, which is tantamount to holding a large banquet. Men besides think that the route to the following phase of familiarity would be smooth seafaring after he has broken the first barrier. During the ulterior portion of the narrative, when Quartermain Company are close to happening the Solomon & # 8217 ; s hoarded wealth, they encounter more troubles. For illustration, they were in the center of the war confronting the wrath of Twala & # 8217 ; s ground forces, and besides hex doctress Gagool & # 8217 ; s trap, to which encounter about be them their lives. Again, these obstructions portray the thought of how a adult female does non desire to give, while the adult male would, even at the hazard of deceasing, effort to get it. Finally, Allen Quartermain, Sir Henry Curtis, and Captain Good, acquire what they sought after. They had conquered the obstructions and attained the diamonds. One is safe to state that, work forces finally conquers adult females and gets what they desire harmonizing to the concealed intension of the narrative.
At the decision of
the narrative one can add that, merely work forces had survived. Both evil Gagool and just Foulata perishes over the class of seeking for the hoarded wealths, which, brings up the subject of endurance of the fittest, where, merely the strong continue to be.
& # 8220 ; How adult female or adult females should be represented was clearly really closely linked to the inquiry of who represents woman/women. & # 8221 ; ( Pykett 20 ) In Haggard & # 8217 ; s book, the manner he wanted to stand for adult females was clear and apparent. Notice how he describes the adult females when Allen Quartermain and company foremost entered the small town:
These adult females are, extremely fine-looking. They are tall and graceful, and their figures are wondrous all right. Their hair, though short, is instead curly than woolly. Their characteristics are often hooked. What struck me the most was their exceedingly quiet dignified air? They allowed no ill-mannered looks of admiration or barbarian unfavorable judgment to go through their lips. ( 129 )
Haggard thinks that adult females should be tall, all right figured, graceful and, their mode should be elusive and refined.
Haggard chose the evil Gagool and the fairest Foulata to stand for the female gender. Many speculate that the function of the enchantress doctress truly symbolizes adult females of high position in society. Gagool is depicted as the old but awful adult female: & # 8220 ; Monkey like figure, shrunken in size due to age. Her face was made up of a aggregation of deep yellow furrows & # 8221 ; ( Haggard 147 ) . The subtext of this quotation mark is apparent that no adult female should be in the high topographic point of society for her visual aspect would be unsightly, every bit good as her bosom. One can see that, Gagool & # 8217 ; s character resembles that a few British Queenss. They were adult females with unmerciful reigns and doubtless made people suffering. Which leaves a deep imprint in the heads of the people in the Victorian epoch.
As for Foulata, she gives a image of what a adult female should resemble. Allen Quartermain describes Foulata as extremely beautiful, individual of good service, enormously thoughtful, but most of all, her obedient and loyal to the characters. One can see that by the narration of Allen Quartermain while she watched over Captain Good & # 8220 ; executing all the merciful errands of the sick-room as fleetly, gently, and with every bit all right inherent aptitude as a trained infirmary nurse. Day and dark she watched and tended him. & # 8221 ; ( Haggard 246 ) Besides, Pykett & # 8217 ; s try stated that during that clip of the century, adult females & # 8217 ; s motion was contending for the political and societal place of adult females. & # 8220 ; The developing scientific civilization of the 19th century provided a scope of really important discourses which claimed to talk about adult female and by extension, approximately and for women. & # 8221 ; ( Pykett 20 ) This motion is certainly against & # 8220 ; adult male & # 8221 ; and the norm during that clip period. It seems like Haggard does non to the full hold with this motion. Therefore, one can surely place the where approximately, the birth of this stainless character Foulata.
In all, one can acquire an feeling of anti-feminism from Haggard. For he believes the old traditional manner. Where, work forces dominate. Such believe can be interpreted through his narrative and characters in King Solomon & # 8217 ; s Mines.
Bibliography
Work Cited
Haggard, H. Rider. & # 8220 ; King Solomon & # 8217 ; s Mines. & # 8221 ; 1989. Oxford, New York: Oxford World Classics 1998
Pykett, Lyn. & # 8220 ; Gender. Degeneration, Renovation: Some Contexts of the Modern. & # 8221 ; In Engendering Fiction ( London: Arnold, 1995 ) : 14-
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