Gabriel

George Sand penned Gabriel in 1839. It is the story of a woman who was raised to believe she was a man to inherit the family fortune. She receives the best education, she can wield a sword better than her masculine counterparts, and has a quick yet thoughtful tongue. All is well in the man's world until she learns that her inheritance was in fact originally destined for another cousin, Astolphe. Her grandfather Jules had conceived the plan of raising Gabriel as a man to avoid Astolphe. Gabriel leaves her home in search of her cousin, and the two fall in love. This spells the end for Gabriel as Gabrielle must assimilate the docility and delicacy of womanhood. She flounders as her masculine upbringing conflict with this new role. Meanwhile Astolphe becomes more protective, eventually locking Gabrielle away and taking on another lover. Gabriel, who has escaped, seeks to find her place after rejection from both the masculine and feminine world. She wanders the dark streets until she is fatally stabbed by her grandfather's hired assassin.

Gabriel has long been one of my favorite plays and characters. Sand's treatment of education is impeccable. As today's society debates over "nature" and "nurture," Sand postulates her own theories. She is a firm believer that education alone shapes a person. Gabriel, as a result of her fine education from the tutor who remains faithful to her throughout the book, is liberated by her knowledge. Early on, she declares that her sould does not have a sex. She feels beyond these restraints. Her mind is free. Only when she is faced with society does she realize its prescribed gender roles. The delicacy, inactivity, and docility to which she is subjected does not correspond with her education, and by then, her mind already sophisticated, she cannot regress. And she refuses to do so, in the end, at the price of her life.

This is not to say that women are superior to men, or vice versa, but education plays a vital role in equalizing people. Not indoctrination, but true education--teaching the ability to dissect an issue, and formulate a personal response. Looking back at my short tenure as an elementary school teacher, my students were often taught only the roles, not the true reasoning behind it. Now, one could argue that young people's minds are not yet mature enough to make such independent judgments, but I am not so sure. Children are sophisticated, in their own way. They imitate adults, yes, but they can also make their own judgments. Children are often automatically given toys or clothing to "suit" their gender from the day they are born. Would they even recognize the difference without society's reference? There is such overwhelming pressure to fit the mold, what is left for those who cannot? For Gabriel, that spelled death, but our society is so vast.

These are only initial thoughts on the play, but Sand discusses so many themes. I hope to address them in more detail soon.

Only women bleed

What does femininity mean? Success in the "man's world"? Motherhood? Dresses? I have come across so many different conceptions of the ideal women. Let us just say that the sexual objectification that seems to plague so many budding young women's minds does not fit the bill. Being a woman.... There is the old conflict of the old and the new--stay at home or stay at work. Having both probably is not a question of planning; we cannot plan life. But I think the key may lie in cognition. Recognize when your spirit tells you that one area needs your energy. Recognize when one area or another would give you more satisfaction. Priorities will shift, as they are wont to do. But be flexible. And do not lose sense of yourself. A woman's strength lies in her self-awareness, and pride. Pride in work, love, life.

Oh hello

This'll be my initial foray into online mind-spilling. I usually prefer pen and paper, because I can turn the pages, but I can't stay old-fashioned forever. There is much to learn on the web. Welcome to my blog. I wish you well.