Gender Conformity And Expectations Through Time - 1306 Words

Orlando by Virginia Woolf addresses the issues of gender conformity and expectations through time; in this case, three centuries during the Elizabethan Era in the area around Europe. The main character, Orlando, experiences a gender change during his lifetime to become a female and that drastically modifies the way that she lives. Through the motif of Orlando’s gender change and androgyny, Orlando experiences both life and love, which is not common for men and women regardless of the time period. Orlando began life as a young boy, living in a house in the country before being taken into the city by the Queen. As a child, he encourages himself to chase masculine pursuits in life, as his father and other ancestors do before him. Despite the encouragement of masculine activities as his family is known for, during his isolation, he decides instead as an adult that â€Å"they and their deeds [are] dust and ashes† (Woolf, 81) and that he would like to live life the way that h e wants to, as a poet searching for love. Even as a man, Orlando has the power and authority to live his life how he wishes, but he always craves love. A poet at heart, Orlando has many loves, such as the girls in his sonnets, and he always writes about them in the way he finds best. He claims â€Å"Love [has] meant nothing to him but sawdust and cinders† (40) and he cannot find the love he is always searching for. Without love in his life, Orlando reaches out to experience new things and â€Å"thus†¦ this Nobleman [has]...Show MoreRelatedIndividuality Vs Conformity Essay1605 Words   |  7 PagesThere is a time in every mans education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better, for worse, as his portion.† As human beings, we always encounter the critical decision in our daily lives of whether to pursue individuality or conformity in various situations. Although I believe that individu ality is certainly more powerful than conformity, I noticed that many ignore the necessity of harmony between individualism andRead MoreRejecting Gender Roles In Sophocless Antigone1262 Words   |  6 PagesRejecting Gender Roles in Antigone Human nature dictates that conformity is a safer choice than expressing individuality. 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