The Victim of Prejudice by Mary Hays Essay

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Victim of Prejudice, on its own? (eg. I enjoyed reading...)



I enjoyed reading this book for several reasons. For one, I was surprised it was so old, written several hundred years ago. The language is dated but the themes remain relevant, especially as they pertain to gender and sex roles. Right from the beginning of the book, Hays lets her readers know that this is going to be a scathing critique of patriarchy. Protagonist Mary speaks with a proud tone, noting that her benefactor helped her to overcome the titular gender and class-related prejudices that besieged both men and women. Whereas women were supposed to be demure and weak, Mary notes that she was "indebted for a robust constitution, a cultivated understanding, and a vigorous intellect," (p. 5). She does not flaunt her strengths for egotistic purposes but rather, to show how difficult it can be to achieve status in a society that is inherently prejudicial. She also does not apologize for being strong, as a woman of that era might have been expected to do. Mary realizes that it is not simply gender that creates artificial social hierarchies but also class, and I appreciate the way this novel frankly and honestly addresses the intersections between class, gender, and social power. I am most surprised this novel is not more widely known, as it addresses sensitive issues in a time period where such things were not widely discussed.



Answer 2: I enjoyed Hays' Victim of Prejudice because it offers readers a strong message of self-empowerment and exposes the problems with the oppression of women.

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The ongoing episode with Sir Osborne proved disturbing, and while I did not enjoy this part of the book, I did enjoy reading Mary's reaction to her situation. She refused to bow down to the cultural pressures that would have made her an oppressed prisoner, basically a slave to Sir Osborne. The entire society and the way it is structured seems rigged against her, but Mary persists in her beliefs. She seemed to understand early in life that sexism is unjust and that women need to be strong and stand up for themselves.



Q2. What do you think of Hays' characterization of Mr. Raymond?



Answer 1: The Mr. Raymond character is interesting because he is a benevolent father figure who plays into the stereotypical role of men as protectors of women, but he is also someone who taught Mary to resist stereotypes about women. Mr. Raymond is also revealed to be someone who is realistic, in that he understands that he plays a role in educating and empowering young Mary but that he also does not want to give her any false ideas or delusions about her potential given the prejudices of the society. She is not only a female, but she is also of low birth, so that makes Mary have very little social power. Mr. Raymond knows that Mary cannot marry William and that she also cannot do whatever she wants because of her gender. I appreciate that Hays presents Mr. Raymond in a realistic way. He is angelic at times, but….....

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Works Cited

Hays, Mary. The Victim of Prejudice. Broadview Press, 1998.

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