In her book Beyond Anger, Carolyn Osiek analyzes what it means to be a feminist and a member of the Catholic Church, with herself as an example and as the subject for her own analysis. She first notes the varied definitions possible of "feminism" while also indicating that everyone has some vague idea of what the term encompasses. She finds that society is still largely geared to an old idea that for women the "most effective way of expressing themselves in the world is through a man" (9), while feminism sees this notion as both antiquated and simply wrong. Osiek finds that the Church is still tied to this antiquated view and that women see this in the fact that only men stand at the altar, only men wear clothing showing that they belong there, only men are priests. The image enemies of feminism give the movement is one of anger, which Osiek says is a useful emotion, but as the title of her book indicates, also an emotion one must get beyond in order to be effective. In considering the issues involved and the feminist response to the Church, Osiek analyzes Church symbolism and iconography for what it says to and about women and for how women can cope with the Church's views and in time bring about change.
She considers the different ways she perceives women as coping and criticizes those aspects of each approach which shape the argument in an unfortunate way, prevent women from achieving more than the status quo, or otherwise fail to satisfy the need felt by women in the Church. The Marginalist approach usually involves an angry women who has lost identification with her faith tradition but who refuses to let go of the whole of it. She is one "who cannot escape from existence on the edge into a new place" (29). The Loyalist is one who sees her loyalty as nothing but a burden. Conversion is one way for the Loyalist to cope, but Osiek writes, "While long on patience and courage, the loyalist solution is short on rigorous int...