Jewett’s Response To Darwinism

Darwin comes up with the concept of sexual selection in The Descent of Men. Darwin says that during savage age, males have to rival against each other for the possession of wives. And this process is called the sexual selection. To gain victory in the competitions, males are required to be not only physically strong, but also equipped with sharp observation, quick reaction and remarkable perseverance. The aforementioned qualities are thus gradually improved in males through competitions and rivals, making them intelligently superior to females. In modern society, men no longer need to fight for wives, but since they have to struggle to support the joint life with women, their superiority in intelligence is kept and continually develops. Darwin claims, due to the wide gap between male and female intelligence, women can never equal men in the professional fields, such as architecture, painting and philosophy.Sarah Orne Jewett, a nineteenth century American female writer, launches powerful attacks on Darwin’s statement about female intelligent inferiority. Jewett believes that women are endowed with equal talents with men. She argues, the reason why women fail to achieve high in professions is because that they are confined within the domestic sphere. By creating successful professional women characters like Nancy Prince and Mrs. Todd, Jewett intends to illustrate that women are able to make a difference in traditional men’s field with proper guidance and instruction after liberation from housework. While positively acknowledging women’s gifts, Jewett also realizes that in order to break social prejudice and make accomplishment in career, they must overcome many obstacles and difficulties that the patriarchal society deliberately sets for them. More often than not, they make accomplishment at the expense of marriage. This explains why there are so many independent career women appearing as spinsters and windows in Jewett’s works.Besides, while illustrating gender differences, Darwin says, the aggressive character that men develop through competition makes them more suitable for working outside as breadwinners; while women’s inborn tenderness and maternity makes them better fitted in taking care of families at home. Jewett disagrees with Darwin. She thinks gender is socially constructed rather than by birth. Instead of imposing established gender roles on men and women, Jewett thinks the society should give them the freedom to choose for themselves. Gender roles, under Jewett’s pen, are fluid, plastic, rich and full of possibilities, which is best demonstrated by the characters in her works, varying from man who loves domestic chores and man who is shy and meek to woman who possesses daring enterprise. Hence, through her literature works, Jewett perfectly completes her argument with Darwin on gender.