Female Submission in Time of the Temptress :: Temptress Essays

effeminate Submission in Time of the Temptress From the onset, the underlying theme in Violet Winspears romance novel, Time of the Temptress, is pistillate submission and powerlessness, especially in the sexual tension between Eve Tarrant and wade OMara. Although no declared sexual relations are allowed in the line of Harlequin Presents... romances, the overall tone and interpersonal dynamics of the novel infer a outrage motif. Eve is completely at the mercy of Wade to save her from the hobo camp and she yearns to express her gratitude in a sexual manner, but contrary to the authoritative biblical outcome, this Eve has no power over her Adam. The first footmark to conceive a sexually submissive woman is to equate female powerlessness with normality in her mind. To simplify the procedure, Winspear has bred Eve with that mindset. Eve believes hands and woman have always had functions in life --very non-homogeneous ones which accounted for the fact that men had aggressive ways to which women submit either volitionally or unwillingly. As long as Eve retains those lessons, Wade has no qualms about aiding her escape from the jungle. Wade quickly informs Eve that she must sorb the frame of mind of an Indian squaw because Squaws are humble and obedient creatures. Simone de Beauvoir, dapple discussing the theory of a superior One and a submissive different, explains that the Other . . . must be submissive enough to accept . . . an alien accuse of view, the view of the superior One (244). Eve readily accepts her role as the oppressed and finds nothing odd about the unspoken caste system. thus we come to the second step, passive-aggressive behavior degrade her and then apologize or repeatedly remind her that she failed, but then reassure her its resolved and larn if she agrees with your reasoning. After Eve takes a dip in the river while Wade sleeps and monkeys steal her clothes, Wade screams at her, dammit, Eve, well lose abo ut an hour of our travel because of your female irresponsibility (64). While looking for her clothes, Wade also loses his compass, doing what a raw recruit would have avoided (74). Of course this also is all Eves wrongdoing and she is reminded of it repeatedly throughout their jungle trek.