A "coy" Distress

In our current society we praise one another on our great achievements with gender equality. We see women proud of their sexual prowess and we believe they embody our transition from the past to our existing state. However, all three works, “The Gilded Six-Bits”, I, Being Born a Woman and Distressed and To His Coy Mistress depict women’s role in society. All three pieces are different in their time periods and yet are all still relevant to our present condition.
Zora Neale Hurston’s “The Gilded Six-Bits” is a short story depicting a newly married couple’s struggle. Immediately the theme of deceiving appearances is established with the description of the home, “…something happy about the place. The front yard was parted in the middle by the sidewalk from gate to doorstep, a sidewalk edged on either side by quart bottles driven neck down into the ground on a slant,” (Hurston) in contrast to the stark first description. The main characters Missie May and Joe soon meet a rich Chicagoan who eventually works his way into their bedroom with Missie May. Joe walks into Missie May having the affair, and it is clear that money is a main factor. Missie May wishes she would have the riches this man appears to have. However, once it is learned that he is not wealthy Missie May is overcome with sadness and guilt. Eventually Joe forgives her and they seemingly end up living a happy life with their new child. This story is very relevant to any city or any family. Wealth encompasses everything the “American Dream” strives for in many regards. In Baltimore I see people wishing to have more, and I see people pretending they do. This story also depicts the stereotypical woman: she is passionate and lets her body get the best of her. The woman is put under the limelight for wanting money, and the man who actively pretends to be so, is only a secondary character. This theme is also prevalent in the two other poems.
Edna St. Vincent Millay’s poem I, Being Born a Woman and Distressed, portrays a heart wrenching reality. The woman described in the poem is one who is talking about a past lover as rationally as possible. Millay states that women are, “To bear your body’s weight upon my breast: So subtly is the fume of life designed/ to clarify the pulse and cloud the mind/And leave me once again undone, possessed,” (lines 8-11) which is a depressing role for a woman. This passage shows that men expect a woman to carry the burdens of his life, to “clarify the pulse” while “clouding the mind” so that woman are making him feel better mentally as well as emotionally. In the end, the man leaves the woman and she is expected to “…remember you with love…” showing that her feelings are never considered. This poem, written in 1923, still reflects certain aspects of our society. Women are expected to hold the burdens of their significant others, and because they are brushed aside for being “emotional” their opinions not to be taken seriously. This poem written during the Women’s Rights Movement displays the poignant truth about women in relationship to their spouses. This is also seen in the previous story, “The Gilded Six-Bits” as Missie May is expected to hold all of her husbands worries and to live solely through his wishes.
Andrew Marvell’s poem To His Coy Mistress reflects on a man’s expectation of a woman and his celebration of her sexuality. The Rhyme scheme is a typical one; the patter is aa,bb and so on. In direct contrast to Shakespeare’s My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun this poem is very superficial and provincial. The man seems to be luring a young woman into bed with phrases such as, “That long preserved virginity/ And your quaint honor turn to dust/ And into ashes all my lust” (lines 27-30) also showing her possible lower social status. The poem indeed reads like a celebration of sex, and is split into three parts. Each section of the poem leads up to the eventual message, which is to enjoy life and take advantage of youth. However, it also displays a haunting power that men have over women.
All three poems depict women’s reality in the eyes of men. It is haunting how the last poem, written in 1681, carries the same themes described nearly three hundred years later. This is still apparent in our current society and as a young woman I see it happen every day. In the city of Baltimore I am sure others feel this same way. I am sure there are those in the lower middle class who wish to have more. Women, however, are not the ones to only blame. All of the works analyzed show the reader that accepting disappointment is necessary, and that women are not simply objects.