The novelist Claire Messud promoted The Woman Upstairs, in which the protagonist is a woman of 42 years who rebels against the role of a nice girl which society has given her. Readers expectations with The Woman Upstairs were at a height had not reached, or Edmund Hillary reached Messud dreams not even muss. It is a book that humor dictates whether you like it or not and, like the sons of the emperor, create followers and detractors alike due to the lack of plot and characters that not everyone will fall into grace. It is a reading over appearance and reality, disappointment and betrayal, and self-discovery, which left reader emotionally exhausted at the end. The story revolves around Nora, an artist, or at least that is how you would like to see her and call her someone other than her. For others she is only a woman of middle age, primary school teacher, and single, responsible, quiet. The Woman Upstairs is a story that revolves around main character Nora, one who from feminist perspective understands the modern man a pack of single unsatisfied women who want to overthrow the men everywhere and win dominance in the world only in a little different practice.
Nora feels she has already successful to make everything readers pursue her art, take risks and live big and epic experience. It is located at a point of their existence in which she lives by inertia, boring and comfortably into daily routine, without suspecting that the arrival of the Shahids, an Italian family with Lebanese origins and spent years living in France, will make everything a change. Nora falls separately for each of the family members (and a not so murky way it sounds and awakens from its slumber. The husband, Skandar, a cult Harvard professor, sees her as someone other than the woman upstairs. Sirena is a renowned artist in Paris who, by chance, Nora will again focus on her art, and Reza's son eight years of Shahids and Nora student becomes the shoot she never had (Moore 75-77).
According to Moore (2013), “Nora shares it with an entire class of oppressed and overlooked women, for whom she invents a nifty post-feminist archetype: the Woman Upstairs: Women like us are not underground” (Moore 75-77). Feminism in this novel is presented as understanding of the modern man as a pack of single unsatisfied women who want to overthrow the men everywhere and win dominance in the world only in practice a little differently. She respects men; however, does not worship. In addition, even love with all readers’ heart; however, combined with a great sense of career and the desire for self-actualization (Moore 75-77). Nowadays, there are many manifestations personalities, one of which is feminism. Although the manifestations of feminism took place in the history of humankind, the most widely had received in recent years. Immediately it should be noted that feminism in this novel leads Nora to the loss of their natural instincts of women in this story who do have loving mothers and wives. As a result, families are destroyed, thriving sexual immorality, falling birth rate. Love for a woman is an instinctive act of self-sacrifice. Nora tried to give herself to family her husband and children and in return but she does not get joy in the form of gratitude, respect, and love. Nora devotes herself to one man, who cares for her and provides a family. Men instinct to perform this duty and this is the essence of marriage. Feminism makes women turn away from marriage, as of old-fashioned stereotype, despite the fact that he realizes their natural instincts. Both men and women should live up to its nature. That is, and women should be feminine, and men - manly. In this case, one should not compete with the opposite sex. That is, and a man should be a man and a woman is a woman. Strong floor should patronize weaker sex. In this case, a woman should do men courageously their faith in him (Jacobs 68).
Now, when love and family have been discredited, then Nora has nothing more to do but to engage in free love, which can be expressed in a constant change of partners in a civil marriage. That is why many women today are concerned about their appearance. Do not be mistaken if we say that feminism is the birthplace of modern-day Europe, where, along with feminism, under the guise of democracy and civility, successfully promoted homosexuality (gay marriage), which is contrary to the natural instincts. At the same tools initiation to civilization are film, television, print media, pop and rock music, and even advertising and news. One of the leaders of the American feminist Betty Friedan liked to say: Career is very important for self-esteem and self-respect. Feminism is at the root of deception. After all, in fact, the goal of feminism is not feasible, unnecessary and even harmful.
Get at least a career. Statistics shows that the majority of unmarried women - those who initially wanted to unlearn, and then to work and make a career. At the same time, they go along wanted to own his own apartment, expensive cars, and fashionable clothes. Well, what is wrong with that? It is human needs. Under the influence of career stress and unbridled independence, mentality does not change for the better. Add to that the lack of a number of her husband and family. Agreeing career growth, compared to family happiness, looks like a faded. In addition, this exciting freedom of sexual intercourse with time moves far into the background of a constant relationship with her husband. Yet, as soon as some women, under the banner of feminism got on someone else's half, have received many charms of the male lifestyle: heart attacks, strokes, alcoholism, suicide, crank psyche, infertility and childlessness, reduced life expectancy (Jacobs 68).
Praise be to God, and there is still a truly valid are defined as those women who were able to get married, give birth and raise children. That is, have achieved that from which so ardently discourage feminists. However, this is a complete failure of the feminist ideology! Therefore, it is necessary to understand that the world is permeated with ideas of feminism, designed primarily for single women (Messud 33). The Woman Upstairs is one of those stories that a reader love about characters without much plot and focusing on their debacles and internal troubles, and how small and unexpected events of daily life make change. Jacobs shows that with an introspective, intimate and first-person narrative style, “Messud gets us into Nora's head and makes us complicit in her thoughts, feelings, and that whirlwind of emotions, confusing at times, but always vibrant, which breaks with the arrival of the Shahids” (Jacobs 68). Nora entrusts us all like never before had told anyone, without fear that the judge and ahead on more than one occasion what crosses our head to resolve any questions or get us out of our error. Many have described as an unsympathetic character that is not able to generate sympathy in the reader, but while she is able to make a reader feel what he and she can feel, whatever, all is well, and Nora Aldridge has succeeded.
The term feminism as some feminists and feminists is presented in story, but the reader cannot say that we have the feminist movement. For the reader of this story, feminists, and feminism are people who stand for equality between men and women in different spheres of life - social, political, economic and even family. It should be understood that feminism or the idea of gender equality is not aimed at people to become biologically or anatomically identical to each other. This is a special ideology, which implies not only equality in rights, but also opportunities. Today is not enough to have been de jure equality in the Constitution and other laws of our country. It is essential that men and women lived in conditions of de facto equality, and that is, each person should know how to practice the use of these equal rights.
Nora, as she has told us very beginning of the book, is an elementary school teacher in Cambridge, Massachusetts with (now more or less secret) artistic ambitions never fully develop next at 40, living alone, but she has a few good friends, and is beginning to realize that many of the life chances of enjoying a woman are closing. Nora recalls bitterly when her mother opened her fortune cookie at a local Chinese restaurant and read that is what we have not done is what will haunt you, and reader dares to add for the rest of days. At the beginning of a new course enters a child class of unusual appearance, Reza Shahid. A few days later, Reza is under attack with xenophobic dyes by a pair of brainless, and thanks to that incident, that Nora meets her mother, Sirena (the name is no coincidence). Nora immediately attracted to the Italian Sirena and gradually enters the orbit of Shahid family. The fact that Sirena is an artist whose reputation began to spread throughout the western hemisphere motivates yet to approach them. Reza's father, Skandar, is working, as a visiting professor at Harvard for a year is so sophisticated and illustrated partner. ` They could be a model for anyone, right? Nora is fascinated by the kind of multicultural aura of Shahid (Skandar is of Lebanese and Palestinian origin, Christian and Muslim) and shyness and beauty of Reza, and when Sirena offers the possibility of sharing a large atelier, do not hesitate for an instant.
While Nora works in their own dioramas (tiny reproductions of rooms writers or famous artists, as could a girl imaginative and creative tendencies), Siren embarks on a great creative project, Wonderland, based on the most famous work of Lewis Carroll; Sirena naturally enlists the help of Nora, who falls for the artist. The problem is that at the same time, after offering to babysit Reza some nights, start with Skandar long walks at night, and also his personal charm and strong intellectual appeal begin to make a dent in it. His obsession with Shahid reaches almost unhealthy levels. What does look Nora in Shahid is satisfaction of a sexual desire, with either Skandar or Sirena. Artistic inspiration is the paradigm of an idea that has aspired to be all her life without reaching power she feel Reza’s mother before age preventing it. In the many reflections that dot her monologue (the narrative that forms at the end of the day, The Woman Upstairs) Nora mentions repeatedly of a hunger that nothing can quench, which is fundamental aspect of their existence (Wood 26).
The suspense around the complexities of relationship with both adults Shahid not fast-forward one might prefer at times, Nora has exasperated a reader and she and Skandar seem to consummate some sexual appearance in the atelier, within the art installation created Sirena, and decides Messud wrapped in an aura of vagueness that many will find it a little frustrating. There is also an episode in which Nora, alone in the studio with a bottle of red matador, masquerades as Edie Sedgwick and masturbates on the artificial turf of Wonderland.
The story of The Woman Upstairs transmitted (only at times) a certain uneasiness air, which in my opinion has more to do with the impression that sometimes the protagonist narrator proves an annoying hint that the story itself. Messud perfectly calibrated progress of the plot to a certainly unexpected outcome surprised a reader a lot). Creativity repressed, voyeurisms, the ease with which the human mind can snag an obsession are fascinating, but through the narration of Nora issues (however plausible it is, by its very brave resulting admissions), the protagonist seldom awakens our sympathy, not our understanding. As, reader one may have another opinion, and if you have read the novel, certainly interest reader know the opinion (Witt n.p.). Until Nora takes a sabbatical and decides to travel to Europe and match her days in Paris with dates, that Shahid will be in the French capital, where they have their habitual residence. As part of their tour, the American teacher decides to visit the exhibition of the videos Sirena has recorded the reactions of visitors to Wonderland. In the article of Wood, it clear to that the “exhibition will discover the unforgivable and abominable treachery, which has been the cause of Nora’s unquenchable anger” (p. 26).
Attitude to the institution of the family within feminism ambiguous; thus, liberal feminists support the right to abortion and contraceptive development of culture, the fair distribution of responsibilities, but hardly oppose formal marriage. Radical feminists are also in favor of a non-hierarchical structure of the family. Feminists believe that traditional patriarchal family, the cell must be replaced by free associations between men and women, based on the equal for both sexes decision rules on the harmonious relationship between the individual and group autonomy. In society, there is another myth: the man frivolous infant, the family need not to him but a woman who should be using manipulation and gimmicks to lure him to the registry office. Such stereotypes, which contribute to the destruction of the family more than anything feminist theorists, combined.
This novel is very entertaining and very intense. It is the story of a single woman living in the upstairs of a family. For things in life, a woman develops a relationship with each of the members of that family the husband, wife, and young son. When she starts writing this book is extremely angry. He says several times, and the task of the reader discern all things in the world (the little son bullying, problems at work, disappointment in love) which is what this woman has so offended. The answer comes in the back pages, and it is fascinating. Is so well written that pays the ballot fully. It would be favorite part of the book, and that is why a reader reproduces here for whoever wants to read it for yourself (warning: may reveal secrets of the book). This little gem of anger culminated with needs a murder suicide when there was brave.
Works Cited
Moore, Fernanda. "Shut Up, She Explained." Commentary 136.1 (2013): 75-77. Literary Reference Center. Web. 23 Nov. 2014.
Wood, Felicity. "Claire Messud: Felicity Wood talks to Claire Messud about her latest novel The Women Upstairs, and what it means to be angry, frustrated and female." The Bookseller 2013: 26. Literature Resource Center. Web. 23 Nov. 2014.
Jacobs, Rita D. "Claire Messud. The Woman Upstairs." World Literature Today 6 (2013): 68. Literature Resource Center. Web. 23 Nov. 2014.
Witt, Emily. "How," 35.10 (2013): n. pag. Web. 12 Dec. 2014.
Messud, Claire. The Woman Upstairs (Vintage Contemporaries). Vintage, 2014. Web. 12 Dec. 2014.
