Social and Cultural limitations

Social and Cultural limitations

Society imposes unreasonable social and cultural restrictions on women because of their sex. The novel plot reveals how Del hates living with her mother in the country and longs to reside in the semi-country. The narrator shares her home experience with her mother and younger brother, Owen. A social and cultural shift is necessary to stop gender inequality and respect women’s rights, just like men. Adherence to certain barbaric cultures and social expectations have denied many women the opportunity to expand outside domestic roles and be inspiring figures in society. It is, therefore, crucial for women to wake up and pursue their dreams and be objects instead of being subjects. A protagonist, Del Jordan, in the book Lives of Girls and Women, negotiates growing up in a small community where women are limited to domestic roles. By virtue of being a female child, she had to struggle and overcome the obstacles to be a figure that other women can learn from. This article, therefore, focuses on how Alice Munro presents Del Jordan’s life story to show how women can break the social and cultural walls.

Lives of girls and women novel are plotted to reveal the significant character Del’s hatred for living with her mother, Addie. Del hates residing with her mother in the countrysides and longs to live in the city. Her father seems comfortable living in the semi-country existence. The novel shows how the young female girl, Del, desire the opportunity and permission from her parents to go to the city and explore her potential to the maximum.  Alice uses her book to reveal the stumbling blocks that women and girls face in society when they want to explore their abilities. The author uses the primary character Del to show the social and cultural limitations that females undergo. The story if Del starts with her growing up first in the rural area, center, a small town, and later moved to southern Ontario without her parents’ approval. Alice uses Del to show the limitations that come in the small communities and parents that are unwilling to accept change. Del does not long to stay in the small community forever; instead she wants to move to Ontario to explore and expand her knowledge and experiences, a move that her parents do not authorize.

Despite the parent’s restrictions, Del negotiates through her struggles until she finally moved to the city to pursue more in life. She breaks out of her father’s farming routine that would limit her and moves for a better life in the city. When Del decides to travel to the city, Ontario, she does not only break from her social walls and stereotyped roles in the Jubilee community, but she also runs away from the cultural block that would limit her potential. For example, as noted by Alice, a girl of Dell’s age would have the responsibility of performing domestic roles and nothing more. Del Jordan would be expected to adhere to the societal expectation of getting married even if she was not ready. As she moves to Ontario, Del opens a new chapter of exploration and knowledge expansion in various aspects of life.

Throughout the entire book, Del Jordan struggles with her desire to break away from the restrictive rules of her hometown. From her statements, “the skin of everyday appearances was stretched over such shamelessness, such as consuming explosions of lust” (144) Del was longing for a change. She wanted to be cut loose to explore her potential like her male counterparts. Del desired to be free from violence and cruelty that were common in Jubilee.  As a kid, all she has ever witnessed is the harsh nature of society represented by her father’s farm, where animals were captured and slaughtered. Due to frustrations that women in Jubilee undergo, they suffer mental problems such as stress, anxiety, and fatal depression leading to suicide cases, as seen in Miss Farris’s scenario (144). Alice shows that women can easily cut loose social and societal barriers to realizing their full potential in all aspects. In agreement with Alice’s argument, women have the ability and potential in them to overcome barbaric and unnecessary expectations.

In chapter two of the book, Munro presents a society that undermines, disrespects, and abuses women in every aspect. This is evident when Del gets into a romantic relationship with Garnet French, a relationship full of sexual harassment and erotic desires.  Falling in love with a man puts Del in danger as the relationship is full of perversity, violence, pregnancy threats, and forced an illegal abortion. Intertwined within the theme of escape, Del’s desire to disappear from Jubilee and explore a more extensive and free world is highlighted. She longs for a place where she can know her true identity pursue her dreams. By being females, Del and her mother Ada are restricted to domestic roles and gatekeeping duties. They are not to be heard complaining or get involved in other responsibilities meant for men. Women in Jubilee have no freedom of expression and are for sexual desires. As Del grows up, her curiosity and view of the world expanded. Her first glimpses of a real free world make her realize the kind of trouble women undergo. This makes her develop a curious and rebellious nature towards her mother’s command to adhere to the social conventions and propriety.

In conclusion, a social and cultural shift is necessary to stop gender inequality and respect women’s rights, just like men. Adherence to certain barbaric cultures and social expectations have denied many women the opportunity to expand outside domestic roles and be inspiring figures in society. It is, therefore, crucial for women to wake up and pursue their dreams and be objects instead of being subjects. Through the protagonist, Del Jordan, in the book Lives of Girls and Women, Alice managed to reveal how social and cultural practices can limit women to domestic roles, prohibiting them from achieving their dreams. In the end, Alice shows how women can negotiate through such social and cultural restrictions and surpass social expectations. At the end of the novel, Alice forwards that social and cultural blocks are not necessarily women’s limitations.

Works Cited

Munro, Alice. “Lives of Girls and Women. 1971.” England: Penguin Books (1982): 132-156