Misogyny in John Steinbeck's Books

This is the more common form of misogyny in the art and literature of the 20th century, and its less obviously virulent form does not mean that it is not deeply problematic. If among the purposes of art is an attempt to unify the people of a given time and place, then such a clear bias against women abrogates any possibility of such a unifying force to art. Moreover, the near ubiquity of subtler forms of misogyny in art help to maintain the culturally sanctioned myth that art is a realm that is properly male. It is the man who is the artist, and woman may be subject or muse but not author. The woman may take off her clothes and stand before the artist to be the loving subject of his gaze, she may be immo

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ckÆs most articulate û or perhaps it would be more accurate to say least silent û women, and this is in some large part because she has commodities to sell. The seller of commodities is for Steinbeck (at least in Cannery Row) a fundamentally masculine character, and therefore one who has a voice in the narration. But Steinbeck makes it clear that even the ever-competent Dora needs a man û not only in terms of the fact that she needs the men who come to her as customers, but she professes to her bouncer, Alfred, that she doesnÆt like to try to run the place without him, without a man around at all times (Steinbeck, 1945, p. 113). Steinbeck describes Dora as someone who: àthrough the exercise of special gifts of tact and honesty, charity and a certain realism, made herself respected by the intelligent, the learned, and the kind. And by the same token she is hated by the twisted and lascivious sisterhood of married spinsters whose husbands respect the home but donÆt like it very much (Steinbeck, 1945, pp. 9-10). Dora is the woman who ensures that men get what they need. The sex she sells is straightforwardly geared to meeting menÆs desires. Men at a whorehouse (unlike when they are in their own house) donÆt have to worry about the
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Cannery Row, Tom Talbot, Beatty Hayashi, , Steinbeck Doc, Women SteinbeckÆs, Meyer Hayashi, John Steinbeck, Dubious Battle, Tableö Steinbeck, female characters, cannery row, steinbeck 1945, natural world, hayashi 1979, beatty hayashi 1979, beatty hayashi, steinbeckÆs women, female character, male characters, hayashi 1993, hayashi 1993 57, steinbeck 1945 pp, steinbeckÆs female characters, meyer hayashi 1993,
Approximate Word count = 4290
Approximate Pages = 17 (250 words per page)