Hundreds of years ago, an unconscious culture diseased the female population. Similar to Shakespeare”s sister, women were conditioned to conform to a feminine ideology. This concept of femininity spread through out the country essentially defining the nature of a woman and robbing them of their innate sense of self. While women may have dreamed about the day when their creative spirit could be unleashed, those dreams were quickly interrupted by the powerful grasp of male dominance. By repressing women, the feminine role of dependency and obedience was maintained. In return, society”s power structure became refueled and the patriarchy was perpetuated. Through time the power structure has broken down, however, I believe Shakespeare”s sister continues to exist in many women, still in search of a room of one”s own.
Virginia Woolf stressed the importance of having a room of one”s own or a place to discover and explore the creative self. She encourages the young women to develop the habit of freedom and the courage to write exactly what they think. More than seventy years later, Woolf”s words remain applicable. Women are still struggling to confront the courage and …face the fact…that there is no arm to cling to…. For, while the societal barriers have disappeared, the mental barriers have not. Though few women are expected to be submissive and obedient, the ideology of the feminine role continues to starve women”s souls. The pressure to get married and have children while pushing one”s personal desires and passions aside persists.
Thus, when a woman”s soul is in a state of starvation, she becomes a walking skeleton, merely existing through life. As the natural gifts she is born with stay buried and unnourished, she becomes a complete stranger to herself. In order to reawaken the sense of self, she must express her instinctive cravings. When this is accomplished Shakespeare”s sister will emerge and a room of one”s own will be discovered.
