Freeman’s “The Revolt of the “Mother”” can be considered pro-feminist because of its representation of “Mother’s” moment of consciousness.
In my initial consideration of the question posed in class about if Freeman’s story could be considered pro-feminist, I looked up “Uplift” in the Oxford dictionary. The definition is “The fact of being raised or elevated.” This idea of being raised reminded me of something that I had read in Manifesta, which is a novel about third wave Feminism and its history. “In the 1970s, groups of women began coming together intentionally to focus on consciousness-raising, or CR, which was a staple of Second Wave feminism ... women shared their secrets, stories of injustice, and mundane frustrations” (Baumgardner 13-14). This made me see Freeman’s story in a new light.
Mother’s story is one of consciousness-raising. Initially, “Father” will not speak to her about the building of the barn. Mother says “we know only what men-folks think we do, so far as any use of it goes, an’ how we’d ought to reckon men-folks in with Providence, an’ not complain of what they do any more than we do of the weather” (Freeman 1348) So, in the beginning she is frustrated with her husband, but seems resigned to her fate.
But, when he leaves to go pick up the horse, she “changed, her perplexed forehead smoothed, her eyes were steady, her lips firmly set” (Freeman 1352) This was Mother’s moment of consciousness because she became aware of her own position and how she could potentially improve it. She decided that she would take action, and she subsequently moved her family to the new barn that Father had built.
She uses the few resources that she has because “nobility of character manifests itself at loop-holes when it is not provided with large doors” (Freeman 1348) and because she was finally aware of her own power. So, because Mother became aware of her own inner strength in Freeman’s “The Revolt of “Mother,”” this story represents both the idea of consciousness-raising in feminism and the idea of “Uplift” from our unit.
Baumgardner, Jennifer, and Amy Richards. Manifesta Young Women, Feminism, and
the Future. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2000. Print.
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I would like to comment on Adrienne's post because I agree her "the idea of consciousness-raising". Adrienne says that "in the beginning she is frustrated with her husband, but seems resigned to her fate". As she said, we can see that the mother is bound to the invalid claim in spite of the fact that she would not convince the idea that "You ain't found out yet we're women-folks, Nanny Penn," and "You ain't seen enough of men-folks yet to" (1347) in the works.
ReplyDeleteProbably, at that time, the reason why women considered such invalid idea would be based on their usage that had not changed in long years. That people overturn the existent idea must be difficult because they never doubted the existence idea which it was already presented in front of them as long as they could remember it. Therefore, one of the important and clear ideas would be "consciousness-raising", as Adrienne explains. That having a doubt in order to appeal their original way of life as a human and woman is the message in this works.