Gender Criticism on `On the Waterfront`

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Gender Discriminations as Portrayed in Budd Schulberg 's On the Waterfront

Literary forms reflect most of the time social conditions and scenario This is because most have the gift of being sensitive to their surroundings . A lot of have already wrote about the pains of war , the stories of success , and criticisms about the existing flaws of the society . When narrating about war , never forget to touch the of patriotism . When it is a story of success that they want to write

, they always incorporate the keys to success . However , when criticizing the society , most focus often on two themes : the struggles between the wealthy and the poor and gender discrimination For example , in Budd Schulberg 's On the Waterfront , gender criticism is one of the compelling themes the author has presented and embedded in the story . However , unlike other gender-based novels , `On the Waterfront ' does not mainly focus on one gender but tackles both criticisms pointing to males and females . The novel suggests that gender-defined roles damage both gender along with greed for power

Criticisms on Women

In the society that Schulberg has created , the D and D society , women seem to be victims of double jeopardy . Here the women are being discriminated in two levels . First , they are abused as being women in general and second , they are abused by their own society led by Johnny Friendly . In the novel , women already experience household violence specifically coming from their husbands or other members of the family For example , Edie , has experienced to be limited by his own father . It could be remembered that Edie 's father wants her to continue pursuing college

But Pop , I 've seen things that I know are so wrong . Now how can I go back to school and keep my mind on . on things that are just in books that-that-that aren 't people living

Although one way of empowering women is to educate them , it is more empowering for them to follow their own will and not be dictated by others . Edie 's decision to stay in Brooklyn to search the truth behind the death of his brother could be considered as more rewarding than to attain a degree in college . Her father , on the other hand , might not be aware of what he did . Nevertheless , his action could be considered an act of limiting the rights of women to think and act on their own

Criticisms Against Men

Clearly , the novel shows more cases of criticisms and abuse against men than women . Unlike women , men in the D and D society are not victims of two-level criticisms . However , the abuse they experience seems to be as heavy as the abuse those of women . In their society , those who are in power mainly abduct their rights - the members of the mob-connected union , particularly their leader Johnny Friendly . The novel clearly shows how the rights of men to live and to speak the...