Scandal in Bohemia, Gender Roles Essay - 893 Words

Scandal in Bohemia, Gender Roles In A Scandal in Bohemia, by Arthur Conan Doyle, society places women at an inferior level pushing them to the background therefore never allowing us, the reader, to know them, except for Irene Adler who shows the gender shift of the time period by becoming the main character in Sherlock Holmes investigation and the story. A Scandal in Bohemia speaks about the famous detective Sherlock Holmes and his adventure in retrieving a damaging photograph for a king from his ex-mistress. In the society Watson describes, the role of women is of little to no importance except for emphasis that focused on the Kings mistress Irene Adler. In this society, women were the nurtures and the protectors of the children†¦show more content†¦Rather than surrendering to the trickery of Sherlock Holmes, Irene Adler outsmarts him using his own tricks and makes her escape right under his nose. The narrowly defined roles of women were evident for the only means to discuss women in this story is through their relations with men. No woman, not even Irene Adler, has her own story. After all in the end, even Irene Adler runs away with a man. Out of the five female characters mentioned or referred to in this story, only one is given a name and a personality. This lack of female representation shows how dominant males were in the society of the story and in the society of the real world. Irene Adler exemplified the massive shifts in gender roles that were occurring during this time in many ways other than becoming the main character in the story along with being feared of having too much power by the men. Throughout the story there were many hidden examples of how Irene Adler was the main character of how the roles of gender were changing drastically in the period of this story. Adler is the character of changing gender roles which is revealed through a division of female physiology and male psychology. The king remarks that â€Å"she had the face of the most beautiful women and the mind of the most resolute men†. She also freely crosses gender barriers by wearing men’s clothing, confessing that â€Å"male costume is nothing new to me. I often take advantage of the freedom which it gives.† Adler’s activeShow MoreRelatedThe Role of Women in Doyle ´s A Scandal in Bohemia Essay897 Words   |  4 PagesDoyles A Scandal in Bohemia follows th e story of the famous detective Sherlock Holmes on his adventures to retrieve a disgraceful photograph of Irene Adler and the King of Bohemia. The king, now engaged to a different woman, is fearful that Adler may use the photo as blackmail. In A Scandal in Bohemia, the apparent role of women is minuscule. The only female emphasis is on one woman, who is the object of Holmes detective inquiries. In A Scandal in Bohemia, society places women at a subordinateRead MoreSocial Scandals in the Mystery Genre1538 Words   |  7 Pagessolved, a detective or someone who is playing as the detective, and, in most cases, murder. But in the short story â€Å"A Scandal in Bohemia,† by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, a social scandal is a part of the theme, which is also seen in â€Å"Witness for the Prosecution,† by Agatha Christie and â€Å"Amber Gate,† by Walter Mosley. Just as a murder or a crime disrupts an aspect of society, a social scandal functions the same way. Normally, what we view as the â€Å"private life† and â€Å"public life† is kept separately becauseRead MoreThe Struggle Of Women By The Sherlock Holmes Stories By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Essay1672 Words   |  7 Pagessociety, because they do not have the presence of a male figure guiding them in their everyday lives. In the stories, the issues caused by these women are redundantly resolved by marrying a man. This implies an unacceptable prejudice towards the female gender. Firstly, in the stories, single women who are alone appear to be problematic due to the lack of men in their everyday lives. Mary Morstan is isolated, and must be saved by men, whereas Irene Adler is presented as being a scandalous woman who mustRead MoreStatus Quo Of Sherlock And The Gang1383 Words   |  6 Pageshow they are written besides for the occasional exception. The easily flustered gender in distress scenario is repeated in many of the adventures. If he strays from that it is for a purpose. Typically, intensifying the story. Doyle illustrates the segregation of the three classes of people, the upper, middle, and lowest classes of society, in his â€Å"Adventures of Sherlock Holmes†. Plus, the sub-genre of Female gender roles in the Victorian times as well. Irene Adler is an exception to that making herRead More The Typical Detective Genre Portrayed in Sherlock Holmes Literature1735 Words   |  7 Pagesbut is still popular today; his Sherlock Homes stories were perhaps his most successful, in which he combines realistic situations of murders and scandals with the improbable situation of such a successful detective. Victorian London was an exceptionally dangerous place to live. Prostitution, opium dens and murders were inescapable. A womens role within the household was very much dependent on her class and her husband, purely due to the fact was that herr husband was the breadwinner. TheyRead MoreThe Social Class Structure Of Victorian England Essay1817 Words   |  8 Pageschallenge the issues of social inequality and gender roles, rather than to conclusively solve them. I believe that Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes is the embodiment of critique of class and gender roles, criticizing the status quo by introducing multiple villains that don’t mesh with the stereotypical â€Å"criminal class†, by depicting those of the upper class as irrational, silly and mean-spirited; while at same time, Doyle was headlining women in a gender role that put them out of the normal subservient standardRead MoreSusan Glaspell’s One-Act Play, Trifles: Men Vs Women1190 Words   |  5 Pagesoften anthologized work of early 20th century American literature is Susan Glaspell’s one-act play â€Å"Trifles.† Some see it as an example of early feminist drama, others the idea of the way small towns deal with issue s like murder, still others the gender differences in both the interpretation and analysis of facts surrounding a mysterious crime. In general, the play is based on the murder of a Mr. Wright, and the title of the play comes from the critique from the men of the town, who berate the womenRead MoreLanguage and the Destiny of Man12402 Words   |  50 Pagesthat the phrase had negative connotations only in some definite cases. I will focus in the beginning on a fact that must give us pause: the bizarre interpretation of Descartes’ writings continues to this day, at times with the purpose of creating scandal. It is a fascinating, even seductive spectacle at times. However, it manages to obscure two instances of interpretative dialogue, intentio operis and intentio auctoris, to borrow Umberto Eco’s established terminology. 2. The Fauvism of certain interpretations