How Was Emily Constructed to Be a Woman Noblesse? ---An Interpretation of Emily's Identity from Feminist Gender Studies and Marxist Gender Criticism

Abstract

By using the theory of Feminist Gender Studies and Marxist Gender Criticism, the writer analyses how Emily was constructed to be a woman noblesse. Woman noblesse refers to females in upper wealthy class in the Old South. They were symbols of the Southern aristocracy and prisoner of the past, and they were also dependants. Through analyses, the writer concludes that the Emily's identity was constructed by her family in three aspects: cognition, economy, and emotion. The identity was also constructed by the whole society in its marriage norm and social obligation. Her family and the society formed micro and macro environment trapping her inside and depriving her of love. The identity, woman noblesse, were both like a badge and a chain, bringing her a sense of superiority and prisoning her in the Old South.