The Double Bind of Patriarchy: (Im)possibility of Escape, Motherhood and Female Identity in Marilyn Duckworth’s Rest for the Wicked
The Double Bind of Patriarchy: (Im)possibility of Escape, Motherhood and Female Identity in Marilyn Duckworth’s Rest for the Wicked

Summary/Abstract: The aim of this paper is to analyze the problem of escape from patriarchy in the context of motherhood and female identity as represented in Marilyn Duckworth's Rest for the Wicked. In her novel, the New Zealand writer exposes the ambiguous nature of patriarchy that renders departure from its schemas highly difficult and not as satisfactory as one may hope. On the one hand, patriarchy oppresses women by hampering their development of a distinct sense of self and appreciation of the potential of motherhood. On the other hand, it attracts them by guaranteeing stability. This gives rise to tension between a desire to subvert confining norms and a compulsion to satisfy social expectations. Duckworth does not exclude the possibility of change, but indicates its elusiveness. The writer shows that subversion requires the courage to face a world of uncertainty, a challenge that her heroine fails to meet.

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