Embittered Woman in Great Expectations, A Rose for Emily, and Sunset B

The Embittered Older Woman in enormous Expectations, A rose wine for Emily, and Sunset Boulevard The character of the delusional, embittered older cleaning lady is prevalent in literature and movies. Since Dickens created the memorable Miss Havisham in Great Expectations, she has evolved with the propagation into many other well-known characters, including Miss Emily in Faulkners A ruddiness for Emily and Norma Desmond in the film Sunset Boulevard. In each of these incarnations, the woman seeks vindicate after a mans betrayal pr pillowcases her from meeting societys expectations of women, but finds no calmness in her bitterness and ends up becoming a shriveled rag of the person she once was. By examining how the Miss Havisham archetype has been reinterpreted, one gutter see how societys expectations of women admit changed and how these changes affect the character. In Victorian terms, a womans identity operator and place in society were determined by who she married. T he woman was the holy person in the house, bringing moral purity to the household, and often had free time to pursue lighthearted activities such as crocheting and entertaining guests. She was withal responsible for raising the children and teaching them to be virtuous, as she was. Without marriage, however, a woman had few opportunities, and became a governess, an old maid, or a prostitute, none of which carried ofttimes if any social standing. Thus, a womans greatest fear was to end up without a husband, especially as a result of some event that brought embarrassment or a stain on her character. Miss Havisham has a Victorian womans version of great expectations she is about to become the epitome of the backer in the house, a wealthy wife of high societal status, when her dreams... ... give care Estella, who are able to survive those prejudices, even a lifetime of forbid experiences, and emerge with strength and hope. Though we pity Miss Havisham, Miss Emily, and Norma Des mond, they chose to employ themselves away from the world rather than trying to overcome their situations. Perhaps they could have done something more to help themselves, but it seems that they did not try. Perhaps what makes the deflexion between an Estella and a Miss Havisham is a rose, one person bid Pip who cares enough to reach out and take her hand, and show her that there is hope. Works Cited Dickens, Charles. Great Expectations. New York, Penguin Books, 1996. Faulkner, William. A Rose for Emily. The Story and Its Writer. Boston, Bedford/St. Martins, 1996. Great Expectations. Fox, 1998. Sunset Boulevard. Paramount, 1949.