An opossum is considered by many to be nothing more than a dirty, scavenging rat. Ruth Parsons in Tiptree, Jr.'s The Women Men Don't See compares herself, and all women by extension, to this large rodent. Mrs. Parsons says that "What women do is survive. We live by ones and twos in the chinks of your world-machine." (271). This is a pretty clear statement on the condition of women and the roles they play in society, and while those roles may appear to have evolved over time, Mrs. Parsons feels that women are a "toothless world", able to drone on and on about "women's lib", but not really able to do anything to improve their condition. The Parsons are only two in number - Ruth and Althea - like the opossums Mrs. Parsons likens women to. There is no man in her life, and that seems to be preferable to her. She later implies that women have no brighter future to hope for - that they are merely present in a man's world, or "just part of the battlefield." Her view on the role of women leads her to express her desire to "go away".Convinced that the status quo will only change if men see fit to change it, she would rather just leave everything behind than try to make a difference. Mrs. Parsons has her wish granted in the end when she strikes a deal with a group of strange extraterrestrial beings. She and her daughter are, presumably, whisked away to live out the rest of their lives on some alien planet. We've seen this idea of leaving Earth in order to escape tragedy and find a fresh start on another planet come up before in some of Bradbury's stories. In one of them, Spender is so thoroughly disgusted with Earth that he'd rather live out the rest of his days on Mars. Is it worth trying to make significant changes in our lifetime or is the world such a hopeless place that it might be simpler to pack up and leave it all behind?
Like a number of the prior stories we read, this one is also about escaping earth for something better "out there". As Mikey said, the Parsons, particularly Ruth, are intent that prejudice against women is permanent, and men will not be willing to make changes. As a result of this, Ruth jumps at the chance to move her and her daughter away from their life as "opossums" on earth.
ReplyDeleteHowever, was her life on earth really as bad on earth as she seems to think, or is she just really cynical about the chances for improvement of women? Life for women now appears to be pretty good, and women can do almost anything if they work hard enough for it. Ruth's idea that women only got the rights that men give to them may be correct, but she views men as too selfish to really allow for practical equality. Overall, I think she is too cynical about the chances for change, and decides to give up on earth sooner than she should have. She should have kept fighting for equality on earth rather than losing faith in humanity and giving up, hoping to experience equality in some alien world that she knows nothing about, and doesn't really have any reason to believe will be more equal.
Jimmy, I think it is an interesting question that you are asking (does Ruth really have such a terrible life filled with oppression?). However, I believe that the answer is nearly impossible to find since the narrator of the story is ultimately unreliable. Learning the events of the story through Don Fenton’s perspective seriously skews the ways in which we see Ruth and her problems. It is no secret that Fenton has trouble comprehending Ruth’s points of view on equality and oppression. That he describes her as “a furtively unconventional middle-aged woman with an empty bed” reveals his inability to see her as anything other than a confusing stereotype (271). As a result, he repeatedly questions her decisions and even calls her “insane” at the end of the story after he fails to comprehend why she would want to flee Earth (279). Therefore, since the only account of the story we have is from the narrow-minded Fenton, I believe that it is impossible to determine whether or not Ruth’s actions are justified.
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ReplyDeleteI agree with Mikey that this short story presents a bleak future for feminism, especially as it hints that women can only be represented in science fiction as a sexual object. Fenton initially views the girls as a “double female blur…registering nothing” which immediately gives the impression that he judges women based solely off appearance (255). Nonetheless, his sentiments about the women completely change when they crash land together, now noting, “my eyes take in the fact that Mrs. Parsons is now quite rosy…Miss Parsons is even rosier and more windblown” (261). These perceptions of the women exemplify the belief that a girl is only around as a potential love interest. Fenton misreads everything that’s happening around him because of such a narrow perspective.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to Jimmy’s question, I didn’t get the impression that Ruth was cynical about her chances on Earth, but rather annoyed with the consistent inferior views of women. I believe Tiptree used Ruth’s plea to go with the aliens to symbolize an escape from a degree of societal repression. She deviates from the normal woman and looks to be viewed as equally as a man, especially since she doesn’t give in to being objectified. Personally, as a whole, Ruth opposes the stereotypical, sensual, science fiction girl we have previously seen, but serves as an independent female that is courageous enough to not be degraded my men.