Meg Wolitzer’s 2019 novel "The Female Persuasion" explores the past, present and foreseeable future of the women’s rights movement in the USA, which is commonly categorized into three Waves. The author focuses on the Second Wave and the Third Wave, for which she exemplarily uses two protagonists of not only different generations but also with very contrasting personalities - Faith Frank and Greer Kadetsky.
Wolitzer, given her birth year of 1959, is to be allocated with Second Wave feminism and says that she "feels like a feminist and therefore writes like a feminist". She portrays the difficulties the two generations need to overcome to unite for the same cause. This paper explores to what extent the protagonists align with the characteristics of the Waves they are ought to represent, and in what ways they might act contrary to them. Furthermore, it will analyze the relationship between Faith and Greer which represents the attitudes of Second Wavers and Third Wavers towards each other. This paper will include the definition of the Second Wave and the Third Wave, as well as the main analysis of the novel. The analysis will not only include the points mentioned, but will also contain a general analysis of each of the protagonists' personalities and behaviors which will continuously be drawn back to the individual Waves.
The aim of this paper is to show the parallels between Wolitzer's novel, which is oftentimes based on facts just as much as it is fiction, and the patterns of real-life feminism in the USA. It is supposed to underline the dynamics of the movement and how changing times may change people’s beliefs as a result.
At a glance
- Grade: 1.0 (1.0 is the best grade)
- Analyzes Faith Frank and Greer Kadetsky in Meg Wolitzer’s The Female Persuasion
- Examines the protagonists’ relationship as a representation of attitudes between feminist waves
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Defining Second- and Third Wave feminism
2.1 The Second Wave
2.2 The Third Wave
3. Primary Analysis
3.1 Faith Frank as part of the Second Wave
3.2 Greer Kadetsky as part of the Third Wave
4. Conclusion
Objectives and Themes
This work examines how Faith Frank and Greer Kadetsky in Meg Wolitzer’s The Female Persuasion correspond to or diverge from the characteristics of Second- and Third Wave feminism. It also explores their relationship as a representation of intergenerational tensions and continuities within the women’s movement in the United States.
- Definitions and limitations of the feminist wave metaphor
- Second Wave sisterhood, liberation and activism
- Third Wave diversity and generational identity
- Faith Frank’s career, values and mentorship
- Greer Kadetsky’s development as a feminist
- Relationships between generations of feminists
Excerpt from the Book
2.2 The Third Wave
The Third Wave can be defined as a direct product of the Second Wave movement. Pilcher & Whelehan characterize it as „the feminism of a younger generation of women who acknowledge the legacy of Second Wave Feminism, but also identify what they see as limitations“ (2004: 169). Harnois (2008: 121) stresses that Third Wave feminists frequently identify themselves by contrasting their agenda to the agenda of the Second Wave. Another frequently mentioned aspect to being a Third Wave feminist is growing up „massively influenced by feminism“. For instance through the presence of feminist mothers or other relatives and therefore being familiar with related issues such as race and class as well (Pilcher & Whelehan 2004: 169).
The main limitation identified in Second Wave feminism is the lack of diversity and the assumption that “white experience could stand for all experience“ (Heywood & Drake 1997: 43). Therefore it is a quite prescriptive movement which not only excludes women of color for instance, but also prescribes being a feminist and enjoying feminine aspects of self-expression as contradicting. Race, ethnicity, class, religion, gender, and nationality are all significant factors when discussing feminism at this day and age and certainly have been since the Third Wave evolved in the 1990s (Drucker 2018). Third Wave feminism proceeded to „include people who had previously been excluded from social justice movements“ (Harnois 2008: 122).
Furthermore, Third Wave feminists voice their concerns about the historical and political conditions of the Second Wave no longer existing (Pilcher& Whelehan 2004: 169) and therefore the movement no longer resonating with younger women. The Second Wave, on the other hand, certainly used to be a young movement too, consisting „mainly of women in their twenties and thirties during its height“ (Pilcher & Whelehan 2004: 172). However, these women have since grown older and presumably cannot imagine that the issues that were essential to their generation might not be easily communicable to Third Wavers. Therefore, Pilcher and Whelehan identify a generational conflict as central to the Third Wave in the form of „claiming their own space and fashioning the movement in its own image“ (2004: 171).
Chapter Summaries
1. Introduction: The introduction presents the novel, its two protagonists and the question of how they relate to their respective feminist waves. It also outlines the analysis of their relationship and its parallels with the women’s movement in the United States.
2. Defining Second- and Third Wave feminism: This chapter describes central concerns of the two waves, including liberation, sisterhood, diversity and generational differences. It also discusses the limitations of using waves to categorize feminist history.
3. Primary Analysis: The analysis examines Faith Frank and Greer Kadetsky in relation to Second- and Third Wave feminism. It considers their personalities, activism, relationships and the tensions between their approaches.
4. Conclusion: The conclusion brings together the character analyses and reflects on the roles of age, mentorship and generational change in the movement.
Keywords
The Female Persuasion, Meg Wolitzer, Second Wave feminism, Third Wave feminism, Faith Frank, Greer Kadetsky, feminist literary analysis, women’s rights, sisterhood, mentorship, diversity, generational conflict, gender equality
Frequently Asked Questions
What is this work about?
It analyzes feminist generations and their relationship in Meg Wolitzer’s novel The Female Persuasion.
What are its central themes?
The central themes include feminist activism, sisterhood, diversity, mentorship and the tensions between generations.
What is the main research question?
The work asks how far Faith Frank and Greer Kadetsky align with or depart from the characteristics of the feminist waves they represent, and how their relationship reflects attitudes between those waves.
What method does the author use?
The author uses literary analysis, interpreting the protagonists and their relationship in light of definitions and scholarship on Second- and Third Wave feminism.
What does the main analysis cover?
It examines Faith’s and Greer’s personalities, experiences, activism and interactions alongside the defining concerns of their respective waves.
Which keywords characterize the work?
Key terms include Second Wave feminism, Third Wave feminism, feminist literary analysis, sisterhood, mentorship, diversity and generational conflict.
How does the work examine Faith Frank?
It considers Faith’s activism, her emphasis on sisterhood and mentorship, and her efforts to remain relevant as the movement changes.
How does the work examine Greer Kadetsky?
It considers Greer’s introduction to feminism, her relationship with Faith and her development as an activist in the context of Third Wave concerns.
Why is the relationship between Faith and Greer important?
Their relationship provides a way to explore mentorship, generational differences and connections between the two feminist waves.
- Quote paper
- Katharina Spreier (Author), 2019, The Wave metaphor and beyond. Feminist agendas of female protagonists in Meg Wolitzer’s "The Female Persuasion", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/511458
