One aspect in Red Clocks that quickly caught my attention was the chapter titles. Void of numbers, they simply refer to the main characters by their roles instead of their names. In particular, the biographer and the mender are non-gendered titles. Starting the book off with the biographer, I perceived this effect as downplaying the importance of gender. It also makes readers instantly think about gender roles. A classic example: when you think of a nurse, what gender generally comes to mind? By referring to Ro as the biographer, Zumas allows readers to dip their toes into one of the prominent themes of the book. For example, even though Didier loves to cook, he usually insists on his wife cooking and cleaning. Alongside the theme of gender roles, tradition vs. non-tradition is also explored. Didier and Susan’s relationship is traditional compared to Ro’s intent to be a single mother, which is parodied through the ECNT act. The book’s dystopian political system is one that values extreme traditional beliefs, leaving readers to contemplate the consequences of such a society. A third theme that is most evident in the biographer’s story is science vs. socialization. Why does she desperately want to become a mother? This question is left to the readers to decide. I assumed it was mostly society since she is jealous of Susan. However, I have heard women say that the desire for motherhood is like a biological switch that gets turned on later in life, which may still be due to culture. For further reading, this article calls the phenomenon the “biological urge,” yet claims there is no evidence to support the claim that the desire to have a child is instinctual. It does, however, mention the “fulfillment assumption,” which is the idea that having a child leads to happiness in life. I personally believe this parental itch comes from cultural norms more than anything else. The fifth woman’s story, Eivør Mínervudottír, is inserted for at least two purposes. First, these entries compare and contrast older traditions with modern day traditions, calling into question gender roles. These extremely brief entries give insight into what are framed as antique, traditional views, yet are still common for these contemporary women. In the nineteenth century, women were for marriage, children, and domestic life. Second, they reflect different characters’ perspectives and situations. For instance, the polar explorer’s entrapment by ice symbolizes the biographer’s failed attempts to become a mother. Finally, Zumas plays with satire through dramatic irony. For instance, the daughter, Mattie, appears to have a strong parental instinct towards the beached whales, even though she does not feel the same for her own unborn child. This is taken to the extreme when she tries to save the whales, but aborts her own baby. In effect, this allows us to reconsider these extremist stances. Overall, these five very different women all challenge society’s traditional answers to Zumas’ question, “What is a woman for?” Ro’s intention on single motherhood, Gin’s sexuality and single livelihood, Mattie’s abortion, Eivør’s taking on a man’s role, and Susan’s emotions and desires all deal with motherhood yet make a similar statement: being a mother isn’t the only role for a woman. Illustration by Brooke Smart.
http://www.brooke-smart.com
3 Comments
3/21/2019 01:30:02 pm
Admittedly, I had trouble relating the portions about Eivør Mínervudottír to the rest of the text. Looking back, it makes way more sense as to why they were included.
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Lacey Ely
3/22/2019 09:03:57 am
Wow, I never made that connection, but I do think Zumas carefully planned Eivør's/Ro's sections so that readers could make connections like these.
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Trey Brown
3/22/2019 08:58:59 pm
I find what you wrote about the "biological urge" very interesting. I agree with you that the idea of some sort of primal need to have a child as purely societal. In "Red Clocks", Ro did seem to house some latent jealousy towards Susan but I view her pleas for a child as a mix of both F.O.M.O. and societal pressure in general.
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