15.

First Lines in Women's Literature - The Call to Action

Uncertain as to what I wanted to blog about, I flipped to the beginning of every text that we have read thus far and read each book's first line. I often forget how much can be said with the first line of a story. Whether it is an elaborate description, an abrupt quotation or a simply constructed entrance to the plot, authors have the power to seriously manipulate the initial experience of the reader with their first sentence. The way in which they start, or frame written text, has meaningful repercussions for the body of a piece. In journalism, a lead must be attractive - a quick "grabber" that will get the reader to continue the article. Authors of extended prose use their first statement to entice as well, often lacing the sentence with deeper themes explored later in the novel.

I've found that the books we have read in Women's Literature often start off with simple articulations of female rebellion or defiance, foreshadowing later feminist themes. Naomi Wolf's The Beauty Myth begins:

"At last, after a long silence, women took to the streets" (9).

With its simple, pleasing construction this primary statement gives the reader the impression that she has jumped into a story, in the midst of things, at a point of serious change. The reader is presented with an "at last"at the start of the novel, suggesting that the narrative is deeply rooted in the time before the book itself. The sentence vaguely mentions the "long silence," referencing the extended pause in women's history after the First Wave of Feminism, and presents a moment of collective awakening - a moment of "taking to the streets". This articulated image, of women walking in "the streets," where the pulse of the human race resides, is representative of a collective entrance, a re-involvement in society at large. Unlike the scores of data ad statistics found later in the book, this opener is entirely vague - and effectively unifies many channels of the women's movement into a solid starting point.

Bharati Mukherjee also presents a moment of female action on the first page of her novel Jasmine. She begins:

"Lifetimes ago, under a banyan tree in the village of Hasnapur, an astrologer cupped his ears -- his satellite dish to the stars -- and foretold my exile. I was only seven then, fast and venturesome, scaborous-armed from leaves and thorns."


To the astrologer's prediction, the female protagonist replies:


"No!...You're a crazy old man. You don't know what my future holds!" (3).


This scene perfectly frames the story of a girl's vigorous battle against her own fate. After contextual information (about setting, the character's age, etc), a prophecy is presented as inevitable and the protagonist vehemently rejects with it with a resounding "No." This powerful rejection is related to Jasmine's exploration of rebellion and choice later in the book, but is also entirely symbolic of the female struggle against male convention so frequently found in women's literature. Possessing the minimal inhibitions that come with youth, Jyoti passionately subordinates what this astrologer names as fate. This powerful "No!," proves to be what Jasmine strives to reclaim in rest of the novel:  the self-awareness and self-confidence to make her own decisions in a male-centric world.


Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway begins with a simple scene of feminine initiative. The novel begins:

"Mrs Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself"(1).


Instead of having a paid servant or a male character to fetch the flowers, Mrs. Dalloway quite simply does it herself. Though a very literal, straightforward statement, I think we would be wrong to belittle Woolf's opener. Mrs. Dalloway begins a single day (described entirely in the book) by claiming her own initiative. The simple act (the buying of the flowers) becomes the premise for the self-directed exercise (the walk) described acutely within the novel. This beginning is indicative of themes explored later in the novel, mainly the protagonist's reflection on her own choices throughout life.

These three texts, though distinctly different, begin in a fashion that is incredibly feminine. The first lines respectively frame the reader's introduction to rebellion against societal norms - a theme so frequently found at the core of women's literature.