Willing Victims

The early works of Fay Weldon, British novelist, playwright, and screenwriter, focus on the domination of male rulers and the plight of women in the patriarchal society. Many of her books exhume “the lives of women trapped by domestic duties, abusive, adulterous or neglectful husbands and the demands of small children” (Patten). Generally, the scapegoats of these situations are men. In some of her latest works, however, she begins pointing the finger at women as those to blame for their submissive, unequal role in society. For years, the male rulers of the patriarchal society have been blamed for the unequal status of women. This argument was valid when men were withholding the right for women to vote; however, Fay Weldon argues that the subtle sexism and the continuing inequality of today are actually caused in part by women.
In Wicked Women, one of Fay Weldon’s latest collections of short stories, Weldon explores why—after so many years of constitutional equality—women are still largely dependent on men, and why “women spend on average 25 hours on childcare and 20 hours on housework a week; men, 256 minutes on childcare, 10 hours on housework” (Dubino). Her investigation confirms that yes, women are the victims of a patriarchal society; however, their dependent mindsets make them the culprits. Although women are free to explore an endless amount of opportunities in society, many women still believe they must find a husband and be morally bound to him forever, they must have children and wait on them hand and foot, they must sacrifice their careers and dreams for the home. Women have been released into society with unlimited freedoms deemed by the government, men, and other women; nonetheless, this dangerous mindset of a woman can take her back centuries.
In End of the Line, the same conflict of women versus women is seen. A woman named Weena Dodds is a notorious seductress who breaks up multiple families. She is described as “the victim of no more than her whiteness, her privilege, as loving a family as she would allow, her education and her looks, all of which have helpless spoiled her until now she is as poisonous as a pampered rattlesnake” (40). In the story, she seduces Defoe Desmond, an aging man who once had glory days in his career, by flattering with him with her superficial interests. Weena immediately sets herself against the wife of Defoe, while encouraging him to be averse to his wife, as well. Weena fights Defoe’s wife, Elaine, through Defoe, who makes a complete 180 degree turn throughout the novel, from first loving his wife and then calling her a bitch, saying he hates her, and wishing she did not live with him. Weena also ruins her best friend’s relationship by sleeping with the girl’s boyfriend. At the end of these affairs, the women are weaker, insecure, and severely hurt. They are degraded and victimized not by men, but by their fellow women.
Nobody likes to be blamed for their own misfortune, but this mindset of women is what is victimizing the female gender. Women cannot fight for their rights, for they do not have a strong, unified front. Ironically, they fight amongst themselves by sleeping with each other’s lovers and calling each other “bitch” and “whore.” Additionally, women suffer from an inferiority complex that leads them to think of themselves as needy and dependent. Because their thoughts place them in this position, they find themselves in dependent relationships in their lives. In order for the female gender to advance, not only must women unite collectively, they must individually change these confining mindsets.
SW