WOMEN INFERIORITY OF PATRIARCHY IN POEM MY LIFE HAD STOOD – A LOADED GUN’S EMILY DICKINSON

The poem of My Life had Stood-a Loaded Gun by Emily Dickinson is one the famous poems. Although, this poem is a kind of difficult poem. From the tittle itself, Emily Dickinson gave various meaning. From the word of title “Loaded Gun” and using term “Owner” and “Master,” it told a story about gun and its owner, but then the term of “My Life,” it showed that it can be interpreted as the author’s life as a woman. So, it relates to see a literary work from the Feminist perspective.

Feminism discuss about the male and female or man and woman tension of their role in the society. It is about the differences between men and women. So, if talking about woman and man roles and differences in society, it is close with the word patriarchy.

“Patriarchy as an ideology has created a world in which women are always inferior to men. Before the word of feminism appeared in 1890s, women had been unconsciously put under the control of men and only few of them were capable to fight this ideology in order to gain their own rights as human beings.” (Suhendi, 2010)

            An ideology of “women are under the man” is always embedded of the society, due to men’s physical appearance that looks strong, so men are stronger than women. A man or can called as a father as the head of a family always steers and control the family, which there are women as the wife and daughter. As a wife or a daughter must obey and follow what her husband or her father asked. This patriarchy doesn’t come alone, it come with a gender stereotype.

According to United Nation Human Rights in 2014,

"A gender stereotype is a generalised view or preconception about attributes, or characteristics that are or ought to be possessed by women and men or the roles that are or should be performed by men and women. Gender stereotypes can be both positive and negative for example, “women are nurturing” or “women are weak”. ".(United Nation Human Rights, 2014)

            Gender stereotype in society has the perspective that men are strong, a leader, and independent; which women are weak, and dependent. These gender stereotype come along with an ideology of “Woman inferiority,” looking at the perspective that a “women are the inferior creature” (p.103). A woman inferiority including about the educational background that women don’t need school because of the only job that a woman did is nurturing and take care of children.

            Patriarchy is a system which put women under men. So, it produce women inferiority. According to Gaido, “Women’s inferiority is the product of a social system which has produced and fostered innumerable other inequalities, inferiorities, discriminations and degradations. But this social history has been concealed behind the myth that women are naturally inferior to man.” So, at that time women are underestimated and felt some discriminations. These women inferiority also can be known that ever happened in the period of Emily Dickinson. As a poet, Emily Dickinson infrequently to publish her own work, as she didn’t want to get many critics at that time. From this can be conclude that women are an inferior soul.

The poem “My Life had stood-a Loaded Gun” by Emily Dickinson was made with having the hidden interpretation about women inferiority of the patriarchy behind her diction that she used in her poem. So, this writing discusses about women inferiority of the patriarchy in the “My Life had stood-a Loaded Gun” by Emily Dickinson.

A women inferiority can be interpreted from hidden meaning perspective in the poem of Emily Dickinson’s My Life had stood-a Loaded Gun. Start from the first stanza.

                            “My Life had stood - a Loaded Gun -

In Corners - till a Day

The Owner passed - identified -

And carried Me away-” (1-4)

In this first stanza, Dickinson used the word “My Life” that can be interpreted to be authors’ life as a woman. Tell about how the author’s life as women had been walking. Then next, “a Loaded Gun.” This can be interpreted that a woman life is like a loaded gun, it was ready to use. The second line, “In Corners – till a Day” described that this gun or a woman has waited in home. It means that a woman cannot do anything, if she is not with a man. Even it is until a day long.  The third line, “The Owner passed-identified-” can be interpreted that the owner of the gun, that means a man, can be a husband. It showed about a woman that has been owned by a man, like a gun and its owner. A possession of woman puts a woman as an object like things, and woman in the inferiority. A woman who is put under a man stated obviously about women inferiority in a patriarchy.

            In the second stanza, from line 5 until 8 stated,

                            “And now We roam in Sovreign Woods -

And now We hunt the Doe -

And every time I speak for Him

The Mountains straight reply-” (5-8)

The second stanza can be interpreted that a gun can be useful to hunt something, when it was used and brought by its owner. It depicted a woman who is only useful that she was with a man, under controlled by a man. Emily Dickinson as an author also choose the diction of “Doe” which means a female deer that can be implied that a woman who has been killed in Sovreign Woods, an independent place. So, women cannot be independent. On the next lines “And every time I speak for Him” and “The Mountain straight reply-” imply as a women was silenced. She cannot speak up for her own thought. If woman speaks then a mountain or something big will reply and keep her silent, because he thought that women are inferior person.

            In the third stanza written,

                            “And do I smile, such cordial light

Opon the Valley glow -

It is as a Vesuvian face

Had let it’s pleasure through-” (9-12)

Word “I” as a woman do a smile, “such a cordial light” can be interpreted that a woman do smile very warm and friendly like a light that light up until a valley, so it is a metaphor and hyperbole of smiling so bring, so bright, and warmly. “Had let it’s pleasure through-” can be interpreted as like a woman has let all of her pleasure had gone, and she still smiling. This can be meant that even her independence, all of her tiredness, and annoyance come and taken, she can smiling.

            On the forth stanza, from line 13 until 16 can be seen,

                            “And when at Night - Our good Day done -

I guard My Master’s Head -

’Tis better than the Eider Duck’s

Deep Pillow - to have shared-” 13-16)

The word Night and Day gave a meaning about the time that they were together, so it can be interpreted that they were together every time every day and night long. No time for her own self, as a gender stereotype in that society that women are an object for men. Women’s human rights are cannot be claimed. Then on the 14^th line, the author used word “Master” as a means of man. Women inferiority are shown here. A husband is a master to his wife. Then, patriarchy stated clearly. How a woman claims and tell about her husband that has been shown by this poem is one of the evidences of women inferiority that has been found in this poem. The line of “Deep Pillow – to have shared” was used to explain that men and women shared the same bed as a husband and wife.

                Next, in the last stanza there are

“Though I than He - may longer live

He longer must - than I -

For I have but the power to kill,

Without - the power to die -“(21-24)

 “For I have but the power to kill/Without - the power to die -” can be interpreted that a thing which have power to kill but not to die, is her words, her thought, that can stand longer like stated in the 21st and 22nd lines “Though I than He - may longer live/He longer must - than I -” and bring a power for women to fight women inferiority.

            As the conclusion, women inferiority is a perspective to see a woman as an inferior soul. The women inferiority can be found in the “My Life had stood-a Loaded Gun” by Emily Dickinson through a different and hidden meaning behind her dictions. As interpreted in the poem, women inferiority can be formed an attitude of taking women under men, women are nothing without men, women are depending on men, and limiting the women’s rights to speak up.

References

Gilligan, Kathleen E. "Emily Dickinson's 'My Life had stood-a Loaded Gun-': Revealing the Power of a Woman's Words." Inquiries Journal/Student Pulse 3.09 (2011). http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/a?id=569

United Nation Human Right. “Gender Stereotypes and Stereotyping and Women’s Rights.” 2014.

Suhendi, Dedi. "HEDDA’S STRUGGLES IN FIGHTING PATRIARCHAL IDEOLOGY AS REFLECTED IN IBSEN’S HEDDA GABLER (RADICAL FEMINISM ANALYSIS)." A thesis (2012).

Latham, Gerd. “Do you know what patriarchal violence is?” Stop-Ferfieroszak Projekt and Habeas Corpus Working Group, 2006, Europe.

Facio, Alda. “What is Patriarchy?” Translated from the Spanish by Michael Solis. 2013.

Reed, Evelyn. “The Myth of Women’s Inferiority.” Transcribed by Daniel Gaidom, Proofed and corrected by Chris Clayton. 15, 2, Fourth International, April 2009. https://marxists.catbull.com/archive/reed-evelyn/1954/myth-inferiority.htm.