Station Eleven
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Audio Transcript Auto-generated
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Hi everyone and welcome to a feminist analysis of station
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11. Okay, so first I'm just going to go over
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why even chose feminist literary theory to begin with.
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So I think that because this novel juxtaposes the feminist
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struggles from our world today with the struggles from the
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new world, it is able to show the striking similarities
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between the two and the similarities show exactly what mindsets
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change in which one stay the same after the collapse
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of modern civilization.
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I also find it interesting that the novel doesn't pass
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the Bechdel test when showing women from the pre collapse
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world. A good example is right before Miranda and Arthur's
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divorce when Miranda and Arthur's newly revealed mistress have a
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talk because their conversation is strictly Arthur related.
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The women in this novel are not portrayed accurately or
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realistically. The most notable part, however, is that this world
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is exactly like ours and I think the author is
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trying to shed some negative light on the status quo
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for woman and rightfully so Overall, I just feel like
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using a feminist lens analyze this novel really highlights that
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many world issues, especially gender inequality, will not immediately change
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even after 99.9% of the population dies.
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Okay, now, back to the similarities in both drastically different
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worlds. Society still makes false Presumptions about women as seen
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in the judgment of Miranda's attire, the objectification of Elizabeth's
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beauty and the profits idea of the perfect woman.
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These societies also manipulate and exploit competent women as seen
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in Arthur's dating strategy and the profits use of women.
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The repercussions of these actions are later seen through Eleanor's
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escape and from the profits town.
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And lastly, both societies destroy equal opportunities for women as
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seen in Miranda's use of her clothing and the profits
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preference for men as workers.
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We do, however, see Kirsten trying to challenge the status
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quo by defending her group, fighting off traders on her
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own and participating in activities that are deemed masculine.
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If you don't believe me, just wait to see the
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cold hard facts.
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I'll show you evidence from straight from each character.
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The characters who are affected by this misogynistic society they
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live in include Kirsten Miranda, Elizabeth and Eleanor.
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Mhm. The first piece of evidence is how Elizabeth's beauty,
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which makes people forget what they were going to say
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when they look at her, is used against her.
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Society often assumes that women who spend as much time
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on their looks, as Elizabeth does must not have the
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time to educate themselves, basically implying that women who fit
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the beauty standards are automatically unintelligent.
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This belief shows just how redundant society sex role stereotypes
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are. They suggest that if a woman's looks are not
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considered adequate, she will not be treated with the same
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respect as a man would.
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Yet if a woman is thought to fit this beauty
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standard, she is treated as being less intelligent and sometimes
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infantilized. Ridiculous.
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I know next we have Miranda who must use her
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clothes as armor just to be treated equally.
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If marina didn't dress this way, she would not be
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taken seriously and be demoralized by the men around her.
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This kind of objectification is what makes it difficult for
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women to succeed in the workplace as they won't even
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be considered for a draw position if they don't fit
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certain beauty standards.
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This glass ceiling suggests that women are not as competent
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or skillful as men and would not be able to
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succeed in their careers if they did not please the
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male superiors with their looks.
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Hence the world would be very different if women who
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were as driven and dedicated as Miranda were given even
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half of the opportunity that opportunities that are readily available
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to men.
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Oh, I am frustrated for her.
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Finally, Eleanor, along with all the other female residents of
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the profits town is forced to be polite and unsmiling
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to please the profit.
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The prophet believes that women should be passive and comply
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with all of his arbitrary requests.
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And by doing this, he places these women in in
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an artificial mold that damages their self esteem and sets
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them up for a lifelong struggle of finding their true
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identities. This treatment causes the women in the profits town
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to diminish their worth and remain silent rather than try
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to challenge the status quo, horrible.
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In conclusion, by comparing feminism from the two different eras,
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it becomes clear that the discrimination and oppression against women
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are everlasting and that not even a trauma as big
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as the Georgia flu would be powerful enough to eradicate
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gender inequality.
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Wow, that's pretty deep.
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Thanks for listening.