A Vindication of the Rights of Woman 1167One gets a sense that people in the community
are not simply passionate about God but consumed
by religion, and they seem to lose some of their
humanity. When Jeanette and Melanie are discov-
ered, they are both demonized and publicly humili-
ated: “ ‘These children of God,’ began the pastor,
‘have fallen under Satan’s spell.’ ” The tone of the
accusations borders on fanaticism, and the scene is
reminiscent of the witch trials portrayed by Arthur
Miller in The CruCible. Later, Jeanette is forced
to go through a grueling “exorcism”, where she is
given no food and no light for 36 hours.
Not everyone in the community is guided so
strictly by religion, and there are a few who stand
by Jeanette, like Elsie, and remain steadfast in their
friendship. Even though she is expelled from the
church, Jeanette’s relationship with God remains
strong. She never blames God for other people’s
inability to accept her homosexuality: “I miss God.
I miss the company of someone utterly loyal. I still
don’t think of God as my betrayer. The servants of
God, yes, but servants by their very nature betray. I
miss God who was my friend.” What she rejects and
criticizes is the ways in which people make use of
God to impose one set of views on others, refusing
to accept others for who they are.
Wern Mei Yong
woLLSToNECraF T, mary A
Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792)
Mary Wollstonecraft’s treatise on the education
and rights of women has been called one of the first
feminist texts. While the word feminist was not in
use during Wollstonecraft’s lifetime, and while many
of her ideas would seem at odds with the beliefs
of 20th- and 21st-century feminists, this impres-
sive, eloquent argument for treating women as the
rational beings they are was radical for its time.
Wollstonecraft’s main argument is that both men
and women are children of God, and as such, both
are rational beings. Women, she believes, have been
taught from infancy that their physical appearance
and their ability to bear children are the only tools
they have to contribute to their husbands, their fam-
ilies, and society at large. A Vindication of the Rights
of Woman argues that this is false, even immoral,
and that because women are the primary caregivers
of children, society will fall apart if women remain
the uneducated, limited creatures they are. She calls
the silly women who succumb so willingly to this
system “spaniels” and “toys” and claims that educa-
tion would make them better mothers and wives
who could serve as suitable “companions” to their
husbands.
Wollstonecraft (1759–97) was writing in the
wake of the French Revolution, a time when many
philosophers were calling for enlightened men to
consider the equality of all people, regardless of
social class. To these ideas she adds that the ratio-
nality of women should be considered. She writes
in an interesting style that combines the structure
of a typically “masculine” argument with a more
feminine tone that uses personal pronouns such as
I and we and works to provoke the emotions of its
audience.
Jennifer McClinton-TempleeducatIon in A Vindication of the Rights
of Woman
When the French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rous-
seau and other philosophers of the time argued
that women do not have the capacity to be rational
beings and think in abstract ways, Mary Woll-
stonecraft rejected their argument. She used A
Vindication of the Rights of Woman to reject much
of the thinking of the time, especially concerning
education. Arguing against the notion that women
should be dependent on the education of their
husbands due to their weak and sensitive nature,
Wollstonecraft attempts to prove otherwise. Edu-
cation is a focal theme throughout A Vindication
of the Rights of Women. In looking at the education
of women, she uses a concept of education that
reaches further than simply attending an educa-
tional institution; rather, it is one that endorses
women’s ability to be educated rationally. There-
fore, we see the theme of education appearing
when she writes about not only schooling but also
relationships, parenthood, power, independence,
relationships, and equality.
Wollstonecraft writes about women in rela-
tion to their husbands and the role of education in
such partnerships. Speaking against a “dependent