Outcomes (Things demanded at college) LiTeRaTuRe - Power in women's character

This essay was demanded as part of the English Literature III discipline, in which two short stories are analysed: The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry, and Sultana’s Dream by Begum Rokeya. I tried to connect both short stories throughout the influence women have in society and how strong they are in order to achieve their goals.

Women who chase and fight for their ideals are always represented in Literature. In fact, these women display power, courage, and a massive will of being part of the world; most of them sacrifice what society considers a “comfortable life” in order to achieve their goals. In The Gift of The Magi (1905 by O. Henry) it is noticeable how strong a woman can be; the female character Della is willing to give away her most precious belonging in order to buy her husband a nice Christmas gift.

O. Henry

            Della is a beautiful woman with such a pretty long hair, it is so precious that “had the queen of Sheba lived in the flat across the airshaft, Della would have let her hair hang out the window some day to dry just to depreciate Her Majesty’s jewels and gifts.” Some women consider the fact of having long hair as a way to demonstrate femininity in society and, based on that, Della goes to a store and sells locks of her beautiful hair to a wig shop.

            By doing so, Della not only shows her sacrifice but how far she can go for love. Her act is sincere and honest and, because of that, she is a strong woman who is capable of anything to get what she wants, even though sacrifice is involved.

            On the contrary, in Sultana’s dream (Begum Rokeya, 1905) a certain society is ruled by women tired of being mistreated and neglected. The strength that bonds these women together is the key to create a society in which women have their opinions and questions heard. Based on education and science, these women were capable of demonstrating their power by creating modern ways of defending their place.

 According to the short story, “women’s brains are somewhat quicker than men’s” and they were capable of living in harmony, sharing knowledge, science and power among women. Men would just laugh at what they considered “a sentimental nightmare”, however, women were engaged in scientific research and that was the way women demonstrated their power.

            These women are strong once they have demonstrated their strength in different ways. It does not matter if it is throughout sacrifice or education and knowledge, the fact is these women imposed themselves and accomplished their goals.