Struggles To Be Free Of the Patriarchal Household

Joyce’s Eveline and Mansfield’s Constantia and Josephine (The Colonel’s Daughters)

Both these photos were found on wikipedia. Joyce’s photo is in public domain. Manfield’s photo was originally taken at Adelphi Studio.

Both James Joyce and Katherine Mansfield offer us stories about women who want to be free of patriarchal rule, and who seem to be given a choice to do exactly that. Ultimately though, neither of the women in these stories can make the choice to be free. Why not?

Is the choice given to them really a choice? To find out, Joyce and Mansfield have given us stories about women that focus on issues in their personal lives that lead up to their final choices.

Each woman comes from a patriarchal household that controls their worlds. That control can be seen by their economic, social, familial, and personal dependence on the men in their lives. In both stories that man is their father.

Eveline herself is working class. She has a job but very little money. She will never be economically independent. She will always have to work. Within her current job she is often belittled. She never challenges her situation, but maintains it so that she can continue to feed those she considers to be her family.

Economically Constantia and Josephine don’t seem to be in dire straits. There is no sign that because of their father the Colonel’s death, these women are totally impoverished and must rely on…