A Silent Resistance: Objectification and a Clash of Empowerment in Doris Lessing's “A Woman on a Roof”

Abstract

Doris Lessing's 1963 short story “A Woman on a Roof” centers on three men from different ages repairing the roof of an apartment on a hot summer day. The only distraction for the men is a lady who is sunbathing on a nearby roof “stark naked”. The woman comes out every day to lay out in the sun, so the men begin to watch for her. The men feel that she is a distraction and are obviously bothered by her presence. They are not happy that she is out there on display and illustrate feelings of discontent by constantly whistling and yelling at her. The men try so desperately to get her attention; and, as the more the woman chooses to ignore them the more upset and angry they become. Although the woman is subjected to verbal abuse and constant gaze, she manages to retain her composure and even obtain the upper hand in the end. In order to give voice to all women suffering the same malaise, Lessing employs such a character who is bestowed with few words but great impact as she somehow displays a passive aggressiveness towards the men and triumphs over men's expectations and desires with little response. Conducting an analysis under the guidance of issues like the male gaze, objectification, body and power, it is possible to focus on how the woman becomes victorious against the three men in the end and in what ways the story illuminates how easily men can be threatened by female independence and how they can respond violently when their sense of control and mastery is challenged.

Keywords

• Nesneleştirme
• Erkek bakışı
• Güç
• Kadın
• Beden
• Doris Lessing