| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立臺灣師範大學 === 英語學系 === 84 === Motherhood is a very complicated issue in feminism
because of themother's ambivalent position between nature
and culture. To confrontthe problem of motherhood is to
deal with woman's reproduction in termsof the debate between
essentialism and constructionism. Many feministsconsider
motherhood the root of woman's oppression; however, to
talkabout woman's reproductive capability is not to
identify with woman'sbiological destiny as prescribed by
patriarchy, but to recognize thespecificity of woman's
physiology and experience. In fact, the maternaldiscourse
is closely related to the construction of femininity,
femalesexuality, and sexual difference. This thesis is
devoted to examining thedevelopment of maternal discourse in
feminism, and to demonstrating thosechanges within
motherhood through juxtaposing two women's noevls--
KateChopin's The Awakening and Margaret Atwood's The
Handmaid's Tale.Before the postmodern age, many feminists
stress the necessity and urgency ofthe pursuit of equality
between man and woman, and advocate a completerejection of
motherhood. The valorization of maternity leads to not only
therepression of woman's sexuality, but also the rigid sexual
division of labor.Thus, mothering for woman is nothing but
suffering and oppression, and onlythrough complete denial of
maternity can woman be emancipated. However, forpostmodern
feminists, the pursuit of equality is replaced by the quest
ofdifference or otherness. The rejection of motherhood is
actually an erasure ofthe sexual difference and an
identification with man. Hence, though stillrecognizing the
oppressive aspect of motherhood, they turn to concentrate
onthe positive side of the maternal experience through
advocating the ecriturefeminine and exposing the
disruptive power of the maternal body. Thisdevelopment of the
maternal discourse from negating to affirming maternity isthe
core of the introductory chapter. Chapter One examine
the conflicbetween maternity and female subjectivity in Kate
Chopin's The Awakening. Theconstrast between the mother-
woman's partial existence and the solitary andpassionless
autonomy of the female artist is woman's dilemma in
thepatriarchal society. Although Edna can leave her husband,
become economicallyindependent, and explore herselfhood by
painting and sexual relationship, shecan never get rid of the
maternal image constructed by patriarchy. Edna'sdeath
insinuates the incompatibility between motherhood and female
selfhoodin the patriarchal society. Chapter Two and Three
explore the complexity ofmaternal discourse in Margaret Atwood's
The Handmaid's Tale. In this novel,mothering is both painand
pleasure, weakness and power. On the one hand,Atwood
demonstrates that woman is dehumanized as an instrument of
reproductionin Gilead. On the other hand, she reveals the
pleasure of the maternalexperience, explores the ambivalence of
motherhood, and examines the dichotomybetween mothering and
writing. The different maternal discourses in these twonovels
best illustrate the development of motherhood in feminism.
Motheringmay be suffering and weakness, but it can also be
gratification and power.
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