The Place of Women in Literature

In the novel Drugstore Cowboy by James Fogle, the character of Diane can be seen as exhibiting some of the characteristics associated with certain ideas of feminism, yet it is not clear that this makes her a feminist. In one sense, she insists on the right to be as wrong as males, and just as they are drug abusers and thieves, so will she be and make herself every bit the equal of the men with whom she travels. She is certainly a woman of her time and takes action whenever possible to assert herself as an individual, though at the same time there are also holdovers from an earlier time in the way the men treat her and the way she expects to be treated.

When Bob is negotiating with David, Diane is listening form the other room, and her reaction shows that she is not merely an adjunct to the males but an equal:

The talk of old ladies brought Diane out of the bedroom. She just couldn't contain herself any longer. She had to be in on the action, and if there was going to be any hassling done se wanted to be sure to get her share (Fogle 27).

Diane is not treated equally in certain terms, though, and is deferred to as a woman rather than as an equal:

Diane was more or less the queen of the group, and always got first consideration when anything was being fixed (Fogle 15).

The basic issue of equality for women centers on economic questions and the right of the woman to work, and freedom in society derives very much from the economic role one achieves. Charlotte Perkins

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eeking to use her abilities in the world. At the same time, though, it is evident that she has made herself dependent in a different way, dependent on drugs and even on the excitement of the way drugs are acquired by this group as they rob drugstores. In addition, she is very much tied to Bob Hughes, who is the leader of the group and who makes the elaborate schemes of which she is only a part, schemes to rob drugstores. The schemes are directed largely at distracting the clerks so the rest of the group can grab what they want--the narcotics that are locked behind the prescription counter. Diane is Bob's "old lady," in the parlance of the group, and he has her do such things as set fire to a part of the drugstore to distract everyone. At other times she plays a more singular role, as when she goes into a doctor's office for an examination and searchers the room for drugs before the doctor arrives: The first thing Diane did after entering the examination room was thoroughly shake down all the drawers and cabinets, looking for prescription blanks. This time she couldn't find any (Fogle 110). Again, though, Diane is very much controlled by Bob and is berated after her visit to the doctor's office because she complains about t

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