Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Then vs. Now
In class we've talked about how it is somewhat unfair to judge Frederick based on today's standards and I think there is proof of how much the world has changed in the reading due today. On page 164 they mention how the prostitutes from the soldiers whorehouse are being put into a truck as part of the evacuation and Bonello says, "I'd like to have a crack at them for nothing. They charge too much at that house anyway. They government gyps us." Today, the government would never even consider providing prostitutes for soldiers at war, let alone possibly making a profit from it. Because exploiting women in this way was normal during WWI, the way Frederick treats Catherine and how he interacted with her before they really knew each other seems much more normal to me.
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I agree, despite how we might view Frederic in this day and age, in his time he was not treating Catherine very different than any man treated a woman. As you said, no government would provide prostitutes for soldiers in this time. Another example of how differently women were treated is at the horse races, when Mr. Meyers is willing to tell the other men his choice of horses, but not his wife. It is almost as if he trusts her less than them, which doesn't seem to make much sense. I think that in order to read this book, we have to have an open mind and realize that all of society was different, not just Frederic.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that we need to view the time period with an open mind, but I have trouble with the contradictions in ideology and double standards that arise because the time period seems to be in transition. For example, Catherine is an anomaly because she has sex with Frederic before she is married, an action which is largely frowned upon by society. However, the government is supporting whores throughout the war. I would be more willing to accept the society if there were constant standards. How is it that a man can call an unmarried, pregnant female a whore and then sleep with a woman he has never met because she was “supplied” by the government?
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