WOMEN IN SOCIETY

The Life of Laetitia show different characteristics of "weak" and "strong" women in the story we will explore these characteristics.We will also look at some differences in the women presented as strong in the story.And how education affects the treatment of women by society

Women in Society

"To all the little girls who are watching this, never doubt that you are valuable and powerful, and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue and achieve your own dreams."
- Hillary Clinton.

01

Strong and Weak Women in the Novel

CHARACTERISTICS OF STRONG WOMEN IN THE NOVEL
Unconventional- not based on or conforming to what is generally done or believed.

Based on the novel, The Life of Laetitia, women are mostly subjected to and are expected to have children and do house chores.

Ma Zelline can be described as unconventional because she does not subject herself to the traditional roles of a woman. She does not have any children of her own nor is she in a relationship where she would be expected to carry out such roles. Evidence from the novel includes, ‘Ma Zelline had neither chick nor child nor regret to rankle her old age, Ma used to say, for Zelline belonged to Zelline.’

Independent- not subject to control by another nor depend on them for livelihood.

An independent woman is one who takes care of her responsibilities and herself without the help of another.
In the novel, Ma Zelline would be considered as independent. As stated before, she is not in a relationship. Predicted on the novel, one would assume that she pays for her own assets and her bills. It is also obvious that she does not allow anyone, let alone a man, to affect the way she lives nor the way she views herself. Read more

Selfless- concerned more with the needs and wishes of others than with one’s own.

Ma’s character depicts one of selflessness. It is seen throughout the novel that Ma houses and nurtures her grandchildren. While her daughter, Mammy Patsy is overseas working, Ma takes care of her children. Even with the choice to say no, she took them in and cared for them. This gave Mammy Patsy the opportunity to continue living and working overseas without worrying about the wellbeing of her children. Ma also had a pragmatic approach in ensuring that Laetitia would be able to further her education. Thus, showing Ma’s selflessness.

Dynamic- characterized by constant change, activity or progress.

A dynamic person is one who plays multiple roles.

In ‘The Life of Laetitia’, Ma is seen as a dynamic person. This is seen as she plays the role of both mother and father in her grandchildren’s lives. An example of this is shown in chapter 32, where a wad ‘Father Christmas’. This shows Ma being ‘father figure’, because ‘Father Christmas’ would normally be played by a male or father figure, however, Ma took on the role of playing ‘Father Christmas’,

Photo by anneofcarversville

CHARACTERISTICS OF WEAK WOMEN IN THE NOVEL
•They mask their insecurities.
• Their self-worth depends on how others see you.
• They suppress their emotions.
• They don't share their views or objectives.
-When Mr Cephas claimed that he, as Laetitia's father, was unaware of her suspension and that everyone else was aware, Miss Velma grew defensive. She held firm but once again showed her incapacity to defend herself properly.
-Anjanee's Mother was conforming and did as society dictated women should do even without the appreciation or support of her male family members.

02

Ma & Ma Zelline: Similarities & Differences

Similarities
In the novel, Ma and ma zelline are both portrayed as strong women and they don’t act in accordance with the gender roles of society. Ma takes the role of a mother and a father for her grandchildren as their parents might not be as stable for supporting them. She is a firm support system for them as she ensures they have all their necessary resources for school and other basic needs. She doesn't comply with societies gender norms and ensures that both gender must partake in activities around the house. “Ma zelline had neither chick nor child nor regret to rankle her old age” As for ma zelline this indicates that she isn’t gender role oriented as she doesn’t follow societies standards of staying home and having and taking care of children. Ma zelline is strong and no-nonsense as people cannot tell her how she should live her life. Evidence of this is “From since she was a young girl they couldn’t tell her what to do and what not to do”.

Differences
Ma is more family-oriented than Ma Zelline. Ma is married she also has children and grandchildren. Ma had children, which are: Uncle Leroy (Latetitia's uncle) and Mammy Patsy. Ma aslo had grandchildren such as Kenwyn, Charlene, and Ruth. Ma lived with her children and most of her grandchildren and unlike, Ma Zelline, she was not alone. Evidence states that Ma Zelline is not family-oriented like Ma is: "Ma Zelline had neither chick nor child nor regret to rankle her old age, Ma would say, for Ma Zelline belonged to Zelline." This states that Ma Zelline wasn't married or had children, Ma also mentioned that since Ma Zelline was basically alone, she belonged to no one but herself.

MA
vs
MA ZELLINE

03

Do you think that education plays a key role in society’s oppression and treatment towards women?

Yes. Education, in my opinion, plays a critical role in society's oppression and treatment of women. There are numerous double standards when it comes to the different genders and their education; women now, and especially in the past, were exclusively seen as child-bearers and caregivers, and that was their only role in society. When women lacked any type of education or skill, they were not considered as valuable contributors to society's growth and prosperity. Read more

As a result, there was a conflict between women who wanted to gain an education in order to influence or improve their lives society or just fitting in and dogmatic rules of society. Men were the builders, workers, and income generators of society, who were more than likely accepted in acquiring an education and working in the working world. Women were told to stay at home and help the children, clean the house, and wash the clothes, but they were also looked down on if that was all they had (if they lacked education) and they were unable to live independently, so women were subjected to harsh treatment from even their own husbands of source or income.

An example of this is:

Anjanee’s Mother
“I not going to end up like my mother, I rather dead. If you see how much work my mother does have to do when the day come! And only me to help her.”
"And they don't even see her, you know that? They don't even know how much work she doing. And she working day and night for them- she don't get to do one thing for herself.”
“‘Where I will leave them and go,beti? I ain’t have schooling. You want me go by the side of the road and beg?’”
Based on these lines, it demonstrates how a lack of education leads to women's subjugation and how society values women who are uneducated. Women who are not in the workforce or who have little to no education and are unable to find work because they are unqualified, like Anjanee's mother, are treated indifferently and are considered as having no worth in the construction and progress of society.

04

It's your time to shine!!

How would you describe society's treatment towards women?
What do you think of education and what how it affects women in society?
What do you think are characteristics of a strong vs a weak woman?
What are two(2) things that contribute to a woman being considered "weak"?