Wednesday, February 18, 2015
The Humor in Fern
As many of my other classmates, I really enjoyed Fern and "Hints to Young Housewives." Fern is such a feminist, that it's funny, and I don't mean that negatively. The part that really had me laughing in this piece was towards the end in parenthesis. Fern finds the love letter and proceeds to drop things, one of these being the "baby (it was a female and I thought it just as well to put her out of future misery)" (2102). Fern is so anti-man, that she's perfectly content with dropping the child. I think that is so absurd! Then again, men can do some pretty unspeakable things, and I've told girls and women to stay away from them, but in reality, I'm only kidding. I can't put my finger on exactly what I want to say about this quote, aside from the fact that it made me giggle. Fern really despises men so greatly, that she doesn't wish their presence on any woman, even an infant.
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I agree with you Paige. Fern has a funny way of making a feminist point while still using humor. I think when I read that quote about her dropping the baby I literally laughed out loud. However, there is a very unsettling tone when she adds, "I thought it just as well to put her out of future misery" (2102). It's sad that the narrator has the preconceived idea that all women will eventually be made miserable by their husbands.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Paige and Rachel. The humor that Fern brings to her work makes it much more interesting for me as a reader. I am a very sarcastic, witty writer, so her work makes reminds me of myself. She has a way of showing that she doesn't care for the way men are, but I don't feel as if the tone is angry at all. I appreciate the comedy linked with it.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Rachel, I don't think that she was trying to say that all women will eventually be made miserable. I got the distinct impression that she was saying all women will go into the relationship miserable and if they aren't, they aren't doing it right. I feel like her humor is used to contrast the sadness at the message and is made to highlight the issues she sees with marriage.
ReplyDeleteI feel like she is coming at it from a protective angle. I liken it almost to when you have a friend and she is dating a guy that is "bad" for her. We do everything we can to prevent that relationship from happening so our friend will not get hurt. By dropping the baby, Fanny feels like she is protecting her from the inevitable which is falling in love with a man only to end up disappointed and miserable.
ReplyDeleteRemember too that this is just "Fern" in one column. In other columns she could (and often did) say very positive things about men. Remember: she has shifting personae in these texts.
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