"What does he want in return -- the traditional man? And she? At first what he wants, whether on the level of cultural or of personal exchanges, whether it is a question of capital or of affectivity (or of love, of jouissance) -- is that he gain more masculinity: plus-value of virility, authority, power, money, or pleasure, all of which reenforce his phallocentric narcissism at the same time. Moreover, that is what society is made for -- how it is made; and men can hardly get out of it. An unenviable fate they've made for themselves. A man is always proving something; he has to 'show off,' show up the others. Masculine profit is almost always mixed up with a success that is socially defined.
How does she give? What are her dealings with saving or squandering, reserve, life, death? She too gives for. She too, with open hands, gives herself -- pleasure, happiness, increased value, enhanced self-image. But she doesn't try to 'recover her expenses.' She is able not to return to herself, never setting down, pouring out, going everywhere to the other. She does not flee extremes; she is not the being-of-the-end (the goal), but she is how-far-being-reaches." Cixous 161
In this quote, Cixous describes the nature of the traditional man and the traditional woman. She argues that the traditional man is always on the quest to gain more masculinity--everything they desire is encapsulated by the sole purpose of boosting their egos by giving them more power, more money or more pleasure. Men are unable to escape this narcissistic desire; it is built into our society. They feel the need to compete with each other and always fight to be on top--success, for men, is socially defined.
Women, on the other hand, are givers. They give all of themselves--absolutely everything that they have to offer--in exchange for nothing in return. She is never complete and whole because she is constantly giving herself away and never repairing herself. She is not the end, but instead a means to an end.
While men give themselves, women give others; it is a woman's tendency to give without self interest. These are tendencies that are unarguably prevalent in society. For example, in the traditional American household men are seen as the providers whereas women are meant to take care of the children. In this traditional setting the man does give because he goes to work, but his work is ultimately about gaining status, maintaining his power in the household and making more money than his partner. On the other hand, the woman gives all of her time, effort and emotion to raising her children and making sure that they are taken care of while simultaneously making sure that her husband is happy, feels appreciated and is completely satisfied. There is nothing left over for herself and none of her work goes towards boosting her own ego. This extremely prevalent scenario reflects Cixous's theory quite accurately--men give to build themselves up and women give to build others up.
How does she give? What are her dealings with saving or squandering, reserve, life, death? She too gives for. She too, with open hands, gives herself -- pleasure, happiness, increased value, enhanced self-image. But she doesn't try to 'recover her expenses.' She is able not to return to herself, never setting down, pouring out, going everywhere to the other. She does not flee extremes; she is not the being-of-the-end (the goal), but she is how-far-being-reaches." Cixous 161
In this quote, Cixous describes the nature of the traditional man and the traditional woman. She argues that the traditional man is always on the quest to gain more masculinity--everything they desire is encapsulated by the sole purpose of boosting their egos by giving them more power, more money or more pleasure. Men are unable to escape this narcissistic desire; it is built into our society. They feel the need to compete with each other and always fight to be on top--success, for men, is socially defined.
Women, on the other hand, are givers. They give all of themselves--absolutely everything that they have to offer--in exchange for nothing in return. She is never complete and whole because she is constantly giving herself away and never repairing herself. She is not the end, but instead a means to an end.
While men give themselves, women give others; it is a woman's tendency to give without self interest. These are tendencies that are unarguably prevalent in society. For example, in the traditional American household men are seen as the providers whereas women are meant to take care of the children. In this traditional setting the man does give because he goes to work, but his work is ultimately about gaining status, maintaining his power in the household and making more money than his partner. On the other hand, the woman gives all of her time, effort and emotion to raising her children and making sure that they are taken care of while simultaneously making sure that her husband is happy, feels appreciated and is completely satisfied. There is nothing left over for herself and none of her work goes towards boosting her own ego. This extremely prevalent scenario reflects Cixous's theory quite accurately--men give to build themselves up and women give to build others up.
Comments
Post a Comment