There are various ideas raised by various authors portraying the distinct or somewhat similar attributes in regards to how gender is formed. Feminism arises where such factors of social, political, and economic boundaries are addressed. In a bid to evaluate and demonstrate how authors portray gender in their writings, this paper compares and contrasts different perspectives of psychoanalysts and novelist in evaluating how the child toys manipulate the criteria for gender.
Sigmund Freud
A tactical approach to feminism from Freud argues from a baseline that women are men without penises. Even though this argument marginalizes the full potential of women by simply revealing the plight of men in his comparison, Freud insists that women inherit their characters from the mother as they cannot compare with the father. Primarily, he believes that females are pervasive and only had sex to have children, especially the male ones.
According to Snowden, Freud established various concepts to distinguish between the attributes and personal concepts that characterize individuals (Snowden 113). Essentially, this establishment has been reviewed and applied by a considerable number of individuals who have given credit to this renowned father of psychoanalysis. His arguments lay the basis of technical support for three prevailing and chiefly availing attributes of a functioning mind under three aspects, termed as id, ego, and super-ego.
Freud described the id as a presence of instincts that are largely separated from their succinct collaboration allowing logic analysis before making decisions (Freud and Strachey 23). On the other hand, the ego is described as a coordinated and pragmatic individuality without complex analysis and critical evaluation of life aspects and arguments. Lastly, Freud identified the rearmost stage as the super-ego that had decisive evaluation tactics and argumentative justifications determined by moral principles (Freud and Strachey 24).
In this light, Freud’s ideas and arguments can be used to evaluate the characters of individuals in the current world and the visualized fictions and stories made by people. Freud’s Dora is in a context where civilization is apparent with movements of feminist and health facilities. The development of the theme of feminism is presented in a society where women want to acknowledge their potentials.
The arguments of Sigmund Freud are outstanding in the development of perception and analysis of logistics. Primarily, the human life is based on this ability to perceive, disintegrate, and analyze information in order to make a decision and understand issues. Therefore, Freud has made a contribution that can continue to characterize people’s psychological behaviors. In this respect, various manipulations can be enacted in the education system to teach people in accordance with decision making during this time.
In fact, raising children may have some foundations, including protecting the children who have not attained the age of making the right decisions (Sontag 488). In respect to this aspect, most governments have initiated age-related decision-making rights where people below a certain age cannot be held solidly responsible for their actions.
Silko
In a succinct perspective, the development of feminism is also evident in the development of the novel named the yellow woman. Primarily, Silko’s book is based on a cultural set-up where feminism is determined by the norms of society. For instance, Silko indicates that “…because the Creator is female; there is no stigma on being female; gender is not used to control behavior. No job was a man’s job or a woman’s job; the ablest person did the work” (1033). Like Freud’s argument, it shows that women are no different from men.
The dressing code also showed the same perspective. In this regard, Silko states, “a man could dress as a woman and work with the women and even marry a man…a woman was free to dress like a man, to hunt and go to war with the men, and to marry a woman. …The marriage did not mean an end to sex with people other than your spouse” (1034). In a statement, Silva points out that the ‘yellow woman’ does not understand when he indicates, “you do not understand, do you, little yellow woman…” (1032).
Essentially, they create a clear sense that women are not in the same social state as men. They are seen as inferior beings living at the essence of men. The book portrays a woman as spineless and without instinct of making a decision to be with the husband or not. The incident clarifies that women really rely on the decisions made by male partners.
In another perception, the women are seen to perverse the reactions of stringent situations and give up quite ardently. Each character of a female is outstanding in a way and ought not to be compared to a man because it belongs to a woman (Kilbourne 425).
It implies that a female should not be compared to a man and should take her roles to the latter without being driven at the manhood. In this respect, it is apparent the behaviors restrict the criteria for gender, which implies that the toys set the mind into unique forms of needs and requirements of boys and girls.
Works cited
Freud, Sigmund, and James Strachey. The ego and the id. New York: Norton, 2010. Print.
Kilbourne, Jean. “‘Two Ways a Woman Can Get Hurt’: Advertising and Violence.” Rereading America: Cultural Context for Critical Thinking and Writing. Ed. Gary Colombo, Robert Cullen, and Bonnie Lisle. 9th ed. Boston: Bedford St. Martins, 2013. 420-444. Print.
Silko, Marmon. “Yellow Woman”. Norton Anthology of World Literature 54.3 (1996): 1029-1036. Print.
Snowden, Ruth. Freud the key ideas. New ed. London: Teach Yourself, 2010. Print.
Sontag, Susan. “A Woman’s Power: Put Down or Power Source.” One hundred Great essays. 5th ed. Ed. Robert J. Di Yanni. New York: 2013. 487-490