From the beginning of time up into present day, a woman's place in society has evolved tremendously. Whereas the first woman was very reliant on the man, and was there to serve his every need and wish, the woman of today is very self sufficient and does not rely on the same things as her ancestors. But is this what a man looks for in a woman? Does he want her to be this pretty little non-speaking object attached to his arm that just nods and agrees with everything that he says? Alexander Pope's The Rape of the Lock takes a look at the woman figure and her idiosyncrasies, and makes fun of her vanity. Today's woman has come a long way since then, and may be proof that what a woman thought a man wanted in the past, is really complete fiction.
The woman began as a companion to man.
Arabella Fermor (1696-1737)
"The New Star," Illustration by Aubrey Beardsley f...
Belinda_4639They would be counterparts, whereas what he lacked in mentally, she would fulfill, and what she lacked physically, he would fulfill. Since the time of Adam and Eve however, there has been a drastic evolution of both the female species and the relationship between woman and man. The woman began as a worker, slaving over a hot stove and making a family and home for both her and the man. She was almost an equal to him in the amount of work that was done. But somewhere along the way, the female became lazy and greedy. She became too involved with her looks and money, and not involved with anything having to do with work. The purpose of a woman changed from helping her man, to being an ornament for him to display.
In The Rape of the Lock, Pope tells the story of a young girl,