Comparative Essay On Gender Roles

Topic: "Everything I said was taken from me and altered until the story wasn't my own." 

Centered around social patriarchy, gender roles and classism is the novel ‘ Burial Rites’ by Hannah Kent and film ‘Paradise Road’ by Bruace Beresford. Both author and director explore the dichotomy between women and men and the disempowerment of the women in the text and film.

Explored in ‘Burial Rites’ is the idea of an inability to form personal judgements due to pressure from society and conformity. In the novel, through characterisation the readers in the opening identify that Agnes is to be executed for the murder of Natan and petur. The murderess faces alienation and discrimination when she is placed on a farm for the remaining of her life on earth and wait on execution. From the early chapters of ‘Burial Rites’, the community has expressed that ‘[she] must die’ for she ‘stole the breath of men’. In the community, prejudgements are made of her, she thought of as evil, a demon and essentially a menace to society. Through the introduction of Margaret and Agnes, readers sense the dynamics of the characters through the tension and slander of Agnes from Margret and her family. Margret is clear to reveal that ‘[she] does not want [Agnes] in her home and... around [her]children’. In efforts, without having an understanding or even attempting to know Agnes’ standpoint, she rejects and dehumanises her at first impression. Kent, does this in efforts to lament to the audience how ignorance and conformity can form discrimination and a lack of empathy. Parallel to this, is the women held captive and placed in a Prisoner Of War camp, the women are abused and torched by the Japanese guards and officials. Similarly, without an understanding of their purpose and intent they are treated as criminals and faced with injustices just as Agnes. Additionally, both Kent and Beresford, attempt to teach their audience the importance of community’s judgements and it’s dehumanisation. 

Magnified in ‘ Paradise Roads’ is the demonisation of authority figures. Throughout the film, the prisoners of war have their judgements on the Japanese officials and guards. In a close shot readers can see Captain Tanka with a sword to Susan’s neck after hours of punishment. Throughout the scene the foreigner women look on in disappointment and tragedy.  In fact, due to their hardships in the camp, many of the women are seen to develop a sense of racism and hatred towards the Japanese. They see them as evil and cruel, for the punishments and brutality implemented on them. The Japanese guards and officials had lit women on fire for challenging their authority and or questioning them. Essentially, forefronting patriarchy and gender roles as the women are meant to take the abuse of domination and play in their gender roles. Interestingly, Beresford aims to contrast the disempowerment of the women and domination of males and authority. Differently, in ‘Burial Rites’ Agnes was judged not on first hand experiences but by rumours, speculations and society. Agnes was never given the opportunity to develop her reputation because she was already defamed and determined as a social reject. Ultimately, Kent  unpacks to her audience the ignorance and prejudice in society and how it can affect the view of an individual and Beresford contrary to that indicates a world where individual character determines their reputation rather than rumours and prejudgement.