The Field of Women and Literature/Literary Traditions

 In many decades, people look at women as the housewives or maids, they never thought women could established books or being educated. The literary canon is a collection of the major artists and works which are recognized by English scholars. Could women works be considered as the literary canon? This is very important for the women writers because they had not been equally represented and had not won any writing awards. The best way to find out the answer for this question is by looking at these two poems: "Housewife" by Anne Sexton and "The Young Housewife" by William Carlos Williams". It is very interesting to know how these two authors describe about the women in the role of housewife. I believe you will have different experience when reading these poems because one was written by a female author and the other was written by a male author. Now, let check it out:

The Young Housewife At ten A.M. the young housewife moves about in negligee behind the wooden walls of her husband's house. I pass solitary in my car. Then again she comes to the curb to call the ice-man, fish-man, and stands shy, uncorseted, tucking in stray ends of hair, and I compare her to a fallen leaf. The noiseless wheels of my car rush with a crackling sound over dried leaves as I bow and pass smiling. William Carlos Williams

Housewife Some women marry houses. It's another kind of skin; it has a heart, a mouth, a liver and bowel movements. The walls are permanent and pink. See how she sits on her knees all day, faithfully washing herself down. Men enter by force, drawn back like Jonah into their fleshy mothers. A woman is her mother. That's the main thing. Anne Sexton

In William Carlos Williams, “The Young Housewife”, it offers an outsider’s perspective on the young housewife’s situation. In the poem, it stated clearly that he has been observing the young housewife for awhile. His intentions and thoughts however, are not as clear. Williams simply views the young housewife as a sexual object in her “negligee,” behind “her husband’s house.” He seems to care more about her appearance with his detailed description of her as, “shy, uncorseted, tucking in stray ends of her hair.” He even states, “I compare her to a fallen leaf” and then proceeds to say, “The noiseless wheels of my car rush with a crackling sound over dried leaves.” To some Williams is like most other men in that society, sexually objectifying the women, while also acting and feeling superior to them. Similar to how a leaf holds on to a tree for as long as it can but eventually gives into life and falls dying, the women is coming to terms with her life circumstances. The young housewife no longer tries to be her own person, “tucking in stray ends of hair.” Here in his poem, Williams shows a tenderness and understanding in him. But he also acknowledges that he too, like all the other men in society at the time, is part of the crushing and passing by of women’s hopes, dreams and aspirations.

Unlike Williams, Anne Sexton, “Housewife” wants to point out that the women are not actually married to the men but rather to their role of the wives and mothers. For many years, women were pictured as the house keepers. They were married to the men, so they could take care of the families and bear children for the husbands. Sexton seems to be describing women as property, another addition to the house.  These particular women are described as robotic and somewhat like a dog, “faithfully washing herself down.” These interpretations lead to the fact that back then women’s identities were seen through their care of the household. In this context, Sexton comes across as sarcastic, cruel and demeaning. On the other hand however, it is thought that Sexton is much more understanding and slightly empowering. Sexton acknowledges that being a housewife is a very important and hard task and continues to point out the inner strength in women when she says, “A women is her mother. That’s the main thing.” I wonder if women are belonging to literary tradition or canon from the men view, as well as the women view.