Treatment of Women in The Tale of the Unknown Island
Introduction
The Tale of an Unknown Island is a fascinating literary work. It was first written in Portuguese by José Saramago and later translated into English. Saramago uses allegory, just as he has done in several of his works, to convey his intended message[1]. The general message of the book is political in nature. However, incidentally, the theme of women is brought out. This is evident in the roles assigned to women and the ideas that other characters hold about women. The general perception of women is that they are a lower class of citizens who take up domestic roles. The main, and perhaps the only female character in the story, is the cleaning woman. The only other part where Saramago mentions women is within a dream. This paper will provide a summary of the story, an explanation of the role of women as portrayed, the stereotypical perceptions of women, and the exclusion of women from the philosophical discourse. It will then measure these ideas against the actual character of women brought out by Saramago.
Summary of the Story
The story is about a man who asks the King for a boat. Instead of using the conventional method of asking at the “door of petitions” for the King to provide him with a boat, he insists that he wants to petition the King personally. It takes three days for the King to acquiesce finally. He succumbs to pressure since he is afraid of causing an upheaval due to delayed hearing of petitions. The King opens the door, once again fearing that if he simply speaks to the man through a crack, his subjects would get a negative perception of him. The man requests for a boat that he intends to use as he ventures into an unknown island. He is not a sailor, but he desires to explore and find an undiscovered island, possibly facing an uncertain future. The King agrees to give him a boat after other petitioners waiting in line and the whole neighborhood chants in support of the man requesting for a boat. Once he leaves, a cleaning woman at the King’s palace decides to follow him, impressed by his boldness. Her plan is to be in charge of cleaning on the ship. The man then goes to the shipmaster, who gives him a boat, while skeptical about his abilities as a sailor. The cleaning woman springs into action, cleaning, and inspecting the boat. Unfortunately, the man fails to convince sailors to join him since, according to them, there are no unknown islands. The man and cleaning woman spend the night in the boat and begin their adventure in the morning.
The Role of Women
Women have domestic roles within the story. The cleaning woman was responsible, as her name suggests, for keeping the King’s palace clean[2]. She also did a lot of needlework and sewing, for example mending the pages’ socks. Pages were servants of knights in a kingdom. This means that she served the servants, showing that she had a very low status in the social structure. The men in the book are given more professional roles, for example, sailors, the King, the shipmaster, and the King’s philosopher. Women are relegated to a domestic role, that of homemaking. In the story, the cleaning woman has domestic roles. Further, in the man’s dream on the boat, he pictures himself, several sailors and women at sea. The group of women was busy doing “womanly” jobs, as he says, because the time had not come for them to take on other roles[3]. This shows that even in the subconscious mind, there are roles set apart for women, which society expects them to carry out. However, it also insinuates the possibility of change in the future, where women would be allowed to carry out other roles apart from the ones that society has designated for them. Unfortunately, that time had not yet come. Society has also socialized women to accept that their roles are limited to domestic ones. This is evident when the cleaning woman decides that she needs to move from cleaning palaces to another job[4]. All she had in mind was to clean boats. She even referred to it as her true calling. Saramago’s depiction of feminine roles gives a picture of how society has distinguished roles and given women those roles that relate to homemaking. It also shows how women can also be socialized into accepting those roles.
Societal Hierarchy
In a patriarchal society, men usually dominate the higher echelons of society. They dominate and are at a higher level in the hierarchy compared to women. In the story, when the King wants to hear from the petitioner, there is a bureaucratic process involved. The King addresses the first secretary, and the information trickles down to four other officials before landing on the cleaning woman[5]. She is at the lowest level of the hierarchy within the palace. Her role is to talk to the petitioner and send a response to the King, following the bureaucratic process. This hierarchy within the confines of the palace is symbolic of the place of women in the social hierarchy. They are at the lowest level, while men occupy higher levels and positions in society. Further, when the King was writing a note for the man to take to the shipmaster, he used the cleaning woman’s shoulder as a prop, leaning on her to write the letter[6]. This shows that women are subjugated and viewed as objects that can be used by men. By using her in the same way that he would use a table or stool, the King exemplified domination over women and how they are treated in an inhumane manner. Another mark of relegation is that they are not deemed significant enough to be known or identified. When the cleaning woman follows the man who asked for a boat, he failed to recognize her despite the fact that she was the one who opened the door of petitions for him at the palace and listened to his query[7]. He did not bother to remember her as he saw her as an insignificant part of his daily life. This shows the attitude that men have toward women. They view women as an irrelevant part of their lives and, therefore, do not bother to know them. The hierarchy at the palace and the passiveness of the man show how women are treated in society. They occupy the lowest levels in society, and men do not consider them to be relevant enough to be identified.
Stereotypical Ideas of Women
Society usually creates general ideas of the characteristics of women. They create a preconceived notion that all women behave in a particular manner and have some inclinations. The stereotypes can either be positive, for example, that women are nurturing and kind or negative, for example, that they are gossipers, chatterboxes, or too emotional. While some of the presumed characteristics may be true to some women, they are not a reflection of all women. This is because several factors condition women to behave the way they do. The factors include their social upbringing, personal beliefs and inclinations, and life experiences. In the story, the King held a stereotype against women. He presumed that the cleaning woman would go and tell everyone she knew about the King’s behavior. He feared that if he spoke to the man asking for a boat through a small crack rather than opening the door, the cleaning woman would spread the word[8]. This was a perception that women are gossipers and could not bridle their tongues. They have the inclination to spread gossip around. However, the King did not have a basis for his belief. If he had reflected on a time when the cleaning woman actually spread gossip, his perception of her could have been justified. In this case, his presumption was unjustified. Evidently, the story subtly brings out the aspect of gender stereotypes in society.
Women are not Considered Wise and Logical
Women are rarely involved in philosophical debates and discourses. During the age of enlightenment, when several philosophical ideas sprung up, there is a glaring absence of women from the field of philosophy. There are very few works by women that were published during that time. In present times, there is still a gap between men and women, although more women have published works compared to older times. In the story, the cleaning lady explains that the King’s philosopher would sometimes take a break and sit silently with her. This would occasionally lead to philosophical speeches from him. The cleaning lady then says that his philosophes did not have anything to do with her since she is a woman[9]. This shows that women were not involved in philosophical discussions. She also had no interest in them since women did not ordinarily participate in such discussions. It did not concern them. They would occasionally listen but could not contribute to philosophical thought.
The Character of Women
Contrary to society’s perception and stereotypical ideas about women, the story presents a woman who is strong, tough, and wise. She deviates from the norm and goes for what she wants. The cleaning lady embodies several characteristics of a strong woman, despite the status imposed on her by society. Firstly, she is decisive. Walking through the door of decision is symbolic of this. Instead of conforming to what she was expected to do at the palace, she left the door of petitions with her cleaning equipment and walked to a different room. In the spur of a moment, she decided that she would walk out through the door of decisions and pursue the opportunity that had presented itself [10]. She is a visionary, seeing the possibility of a better life[11]. She did not hesitate or hold back. She sprung into action and went searching for the man at the docks. Secondly, the cleaning woman was tough. The image of her fighting off seagulls with a sword depicts a strong and brave woman[12]. She was not scared, and her actions proved that she had physical strength that went beyond what was typically expected of a woman in society. Thirdly, the cleaning woman was resourceful. She immediately sprung into action, clearing the boat and inspecting the sails[13]. She then noted the sails that were torn and planned to mend them when she found the right needle size. Further, she presented a plan to the man who got the boat when he could not find sailors to join them on the voyage. She told him that they could live on the boat, and she would take up cleaning jobs on other boats to fend for them[14]. The cleaning woman presents the idea that women can be wise, bold, brave, decisive, loyal, and resourceful. She goes against the norms set out by the society on who she should be.
Conclusion
Saramago’s Tale of the Unknown Island presents a predominantly male society. The men had a higher status, while women were relegated to lower positions. Women, as represented by the cleaning woman, were given domestic roles while men had more professional jobs. There were stereotypes about women’s behavior that were perpetuated in society, where women were seen to be gossipers. Further, women were not involved in philosophical discourse. They were also socialized to accept the domestic roles imposed on them by the society and societal perceptions that existed concerning them. However, the cleaning woman exemplifies a woman who liberates herself and makes the decision to walk away from the box that society had put her in. She depicts a woman who is strong and takes a bold step into the unknown. She represents the liberation of women, where women walk away from societal norms, despite knowing what the future holds for them. They move away from a society that subjugates them and create their own reality.
Bibliography
Kirkus Reviews. “The Tale of the Unknown Island: Book Review.” Kirkus Reviews. Last modified May 20, 2010. https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/jose-saramago/the-tale-of-the-unknown-island/.
Monteiro, George. World Literature Today 74, no. 3 (2000): 686. Accessed May 13, 2020. doi:10.2307/40156051.
Saramago, José. The Tale of the Unknown Island. Translated by Margaret J. Costa. Mexico: Harcourt, 2000.
[1] Monteiro, George. World Literature Today 74, no. 3 (2000), 686.
[2] José Saramago, The Tale of the Unknown Island, trans. Margaret J. Costa (Mexico: Harvest Book, 2000), 8.
[3] Saramago, Tale of the Unknown Island, 44.
[4], Saramago, Tale of the Unknown Island, 18.
[5] Saramago, Tale of the Unknown Island, 2.
[6] Saramago, Tale of the Unknown Island, 14.
[7] Saramago, Tale of the Unknown Island, 24.
[8] Saramago, Tale of the Unknown Island, 6.
[9] Saramago, Tale of the Unknown Island, 32.
[10] Saramago, Tale of the Unknown Island, 17.
[11] Kirkus Reviews, “The Tale of the Unknown Island: Book Review,” Kirkus Reviews, last modified May 20, 2010, https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/jose-saramago/the-tale-of-the-unknown-island/.
[12] Saramago, Tale of the Unknown Island, 26.
[13] Saramago, Tale of the Unknown Island, 28-29.
[14] Saramago, Tale of the Unknown Island, 31.