The Theme of Men’s Superiority over Women in A Woman on a Roof

【Abstract】In her short story A Woman on a Roof， Doris Lessing presents a picture of gender relationships of modern society， specifically highlighting mens superior status over women.Through the analysis of the male characters view of women as personal property， their judgment of women based on male standards and their man-centered way of thinking， one can perceivethis superiority of male over female.

【Key words】Doris Lessing； A Woman on a Roof； mens superior status

In her short story A Woman on a Roof， Doris Lessing presents a picture of gender relationships of modern society， specifically highlighting mens superior status over women.This is demonstrated in the plot of the story by the male characters view of women as personal property， their judgment of women based on male standards and their man-centered way of thinking.

First， Lessing highlights mens superior status through their view of women as personal property.After Stanley saw the woman sunbathing on the roof， he said， “if my wife lay about like that， for everyone to see， Id soon stop her” （Lessing， 217）.Here Lessing suggests that men believe they should make decisions for women.A second example of this is when Stanley saw the woman sunbathing on the roof again at the end of the second day， and said “I tell you， if she is my wife！” （218）.This again shows that he thinks he has the right to make decision for his wife and suggests that wives are the property of their husbands.Another example is that on the day when the men did not find the women on the roof， Stanley said， “I bet her old man has put his foot down” （218）.By saying this， Stanleyattributes the womans actions as the result of her mans authority and not her own choice.The above examples all demonstrate Lessings view that men in modern society feel superior and thus should have authority over women.

Secondly， the theme of male superiority in modern society is also demonstrated in the view that men judge women based on their own standards and expectations of how women should behave.For the male characters in the story， a woman should be working at home， and her other activities should be permitted by her man.Evidence supporting this is that the three men were friendly with the woman watering her window box and Mrs.Pritchett who offered them tea from her home； but they were annoyed by a woman sunbathing alone in a bikini on the roof， who didnt match their perception of how a woman should behave.Additionally， the men were not irritated at other women who were sunbathing stockingless on the roof， since they were accompanied by their husbands.A second example is that when Tom began fancying the woman on the roof， he expected her to be as “kind and friendly” （218） as in his nightly dreams.However， at the end of the story after he finally met the woman， he began to hate her simply because she did not behave as he expected.

Finally， Lessing stresses mens sense of superiority by presenting their man-centered way of thinking.When the three men saw the woman sunbathing nearly naked on the roof， they believed she wanted their attention and began yelling and whistling.However she showed “utter indifference to the three men watching her” （217） and later tried to hide from them.Their man-centered way of thinking caused them to become angry and led Stanley to call her a “bitch” （217） even though he has never met her.This man-centered way of thinking is also demonstrated in Stanleys double standards for himself and his wife.On the first day when Harry reminded Stanley that he is married and that it is inappropriate for him to stare at the woman on the roof， Stanley jeered， “What about my missus？” to preserve his independence.This suggests that Stanley believes he can do whatever he wants.However， when it comes to his wife， she cannot do whatever she wants as Stanley would not allow her to “lay about like that， for everyone to see” （217）.The above two examples demonstrate that the men-centered way of thinking contributes to mens feeling of superiority over women.

In conclusion， Lessing uses three plot elements to describe the relationship between men and women.These elements are the male characters view of women as personal property， their judgment of women based on male standards and their man-centered way of thinking.By using these elements， Lessing effectively presents mens superior status over women in modern society.

References：

[1]Lessing， Doris.“A Woman on a Roof”.Selected Readings in British Literature.Ed.Wang Shouren.Beijing， Higher Education Press， 2011.216-22.

作者简介：张楠，（1989—），女，湖北襄阳人，英语语言文学专业硕士，助教，研究方向：英美文学。