Feminism in 'Prue' and 'My Heart is Broken'

     Mavis Gallant wrote My Heart is Broken in 1964. In the1960s, American women were limited in almost every aspect, from family life to workplace. They were expected to follow the one and only path: marry in the early 20s, start a family quickly, and devote their lives to homemaking. One woman at the time put it this way, “The female doesn't really expect a lot from life. She's here as someone's keeper — her husband's or her children’s.” 1964, when My Heart is Broken was written, was right after1962 when Betty Friedan sparked the second wave of the American feminist movement through The Feminine Mystique by expressing the frustration of the generation of college-educated housewives who felt trapped.The short story may not be of the modern, active woman who proves the society wrong, but it is a feminist novel in the sense that it captures the passivity of women in this era that the feminist movement saw as a problem.    

     Mrs.Thompson is a woman who has not only conformed to the social atmosphere, but who represents and asserts it. Jeannie, the protagonist, passively succumbs to Mrs.Thompson, and thus to the male-dominant social atmosphere as well. A troubling notion that readers come across in this story is how Mrs.Thompson blames Jeannie for being raped. She is obviously the victim, but somehow she is responsible since she got dressed and went out for a walk on high heels. According to Mrs.Thompson, instead of being dressed and acting like any other girl of her age, she should have cleaned her house. Two stereotypes are reinforced here. First, women’s primary role is to clean houses, and a girl who roaming around freely is condemnable. Secondly, women, or more specifically women’s sex, is something any man can take, almost like an object. Jeannie seems to have no problem with this outrageous notion as she implies that it would have been fine if the rapist had liked her. What is important, she implies, is not her virgin or sexual integrity, but whether she is liked by men. Her obsession of being liked by men illustrates the idea that women are evaluated and judged by their attractiveness to men, failing to judge themselves independent of men.

     The more shocking stance that Mrs.Thompson takes is that she doesn’t want to hear the rapist’s name simply because there is no need. By common sense, a criminal’s presence should be made aware to everyone, but clearly to Mr.Thompson and even to Jeannie as seen by her consent, a rapist is not a criminal. In other words, preventing future rapes is less important than protecting his job. Moreover, she refers to the rapist and asks, “Why should another man be thrown out of work?” Such unreasonable protection is a representative of the kind of ideas fought by the second wave of feminism, which focused on social and cultural inequalities. 

     Compared to Mrs.Thompson and Jeannie who remain submissive to the limited lives set by their environment, the protagonist, Prue, in Prue is more liberal in terms of life based on gender. Her name accurately captures the gap between what is expected of her by the society and the life she is living. The name Prue, representing prudence, dictates her to be careful and rather passive. However, she is bright, vivacious, and especially not prudent regarding sex. But most importantly, her relationship with Gordon is not one-sided. Many readers regard Prue as being mistreated and remaining passive because she doesn't seem to be offended by the fact that Gordon will marry her later since he is currently in love with another woman. However, a feminist literary criticism, I believe, ought to look at how the woman protagonist perceives the situation rather than simply looking at the outcome. If Prue is truly offended but does not express it, the interpretation that Prue is passive would be true. Howeve, Prue is not offended greatly by Gordon. In fact, she jokes about his marriage proposal and regards her relationship with Gordon rather lightly. 

     Does Prue's act of taking cufflinks have anything to do with feminism? Her action can be interpreted in many ways and there is no one answer. But in my perspective, she seems to be trying to control the relationship in her own way. Because she feels ambiguous on the importance of Gordon in her life, she wants to materialize her relationship. This reflects a rather active feminism in contrast to Jeannie in My Heart is Broken, as Prue does not remain passive but takes the courage to steal from her lover to confirm her own emotion. Another feminist viewpoint in the novel is how townspeople react. Compared to 'My Heart is Broken' where women are portrayed as rightfully loyal and submissive to men, the townspeople hope that Prue isn't staying in Toronto just because of Gordon, suggesting that women should not be bound to men.