Oedipus the King Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Oedipus the King - Essay Example Both need the company of each other to satisfy their desires. This connection further generates many relationships between man and woman which show the interdependence of each gender on the other. This man-woman relationship has become a part of the thematic content of the play â€Å"The Piano Lesson† where women of the family have been shown as strong combining force which has brought the family together. Apart from that the play has tried to dispel traditional notions that women cannot live without men as the protagonist of the play, Berniece has proves that she can live alone in this world and has the capacity of run her family without the aid of any male member. The play shows Berniece a woman without a man. Her husband Crawley is dead long ago and now she is living a lonely life. The play depicts the plight of lonely woman in the world. Male dominated thinking scorns at the idea of seeing woman living on their own. This traditional thought believes that women are weaker s ex and they cannot live on their own. They need the company of a strong man who is always there to protect them and take their side. The idea of world where women are strong and independent is not entertained in a male dominated society. The world of Berniece seems to be a male dominated world. In this world woman is taken as a toy whose only job is to please its male companion. Woman is considered inferior to man. It was though that serious decisions of life cannot be taken by women as they were looked upon as emotional and frail beings. This thought makes Boy Willie take the decision of selling the Piano in place of a piece of land. He in order to fulfill his masculine dreams of becoming a land owner is willing to sacrifice all that is so dear to his family. He does not care about the opinion of his sister. Biased views of men about women Men have a biased view of women and they think that women are meant for men’s pleasure. The following remarks of Boy Willie show what men think of women. Boy Willie: "All [Lymon] want to talk about is women. [†¦] Talking about all the women he gonna get when he get up here." (1.1.94). The remarks summarize the philandering nature of Lymon who is always in search of nightstands. His affair with grace has been depicted during the course of the play. Winning boy sells his suit to Lymon by telling him that the suit has magical powers and can attract women. The men of the story think that the women of the story like typical women are in search of male companions with huge sum of money with them. The financial security ensured by male members of the society is a common notion held by patriarchal ideology. They think that men are the breadwinners and women are their pleasure toys. Doaker, a mature person , also thinks that women remain in search of a man with a stuffed purse. They show love and affection for rich men and are delighted in their company. He remarks. "I ain't thinking about them women. [†¦] All them women want is somebody with a steady payday" (1.1.179). Woman as a cohesive force in family Home is the domain of woman where she tries to act as a cohesive force to combine her family. She does this through her sacrificial behavior and is willing to shed her bled for her family. In a fond memory of her woman ancestor, Berniece recalls how the women of the family took care of piano ( a symbol of family cohesion) through their tears and blood. Berniece says, "Mama Ola polished this piano with her tears for