사려는 남성들, 안 팔려는 한 여성: 『머리타래의 겁탈』에 투사된 남녀간 권력투쟁
Men Eager to Buy, A Woman Refusing to Sell: Intra-gender Power Struggle in Alexander Pope’s The Rape of the Lock
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This paper aims to examine the intra-gender power struggle projected in Alexander Pope’s The Rape of the Lock. This paper investigates how Belinda assumes and exercises power in the so-called beau monde and,in so doing, argues that Belinda cleverly utilizes the operating rules ofemerging mercantilist society to acquire power when she commodifiesherself as a chaste and sexually enticing maid to attract strong demandsfrom men of her world only to reject their advances. This strategy ofattracting and rejecting men can be understood as an effective way ofstrengthening her power, as it guarantees her continuing circularity as ahighly desired commodity. The Baron’s cutting/rape of her lock, thesymbol of her chastity and physical attractiveness, this paper proposes, isa reply of patriarchy to a woman who dares to challenge male authorityby not accepting her status as a subordinate being in the periphery ofsociety as well as by acquiring and exerting some power that is notsupposed to belong to a woman. Thus, the Baron’s cutting of Belinda’slock can be interpreted as the Baron’s stopping Belinda’s circularity, forthis act forever damages Belinda’s worth as a commodity in themarriage market and thus deprives her of the foundation of her power. Then, this paper investigates how Thalestris’s and Clarissa’s speeches represent different attitudes towards the male domination in apatriarchal-cum-mercantilist society. This paper proposes that bothwomen’s speeches cannot offer any viable ways in which Belinda cancope with the all too powerful male domination and the inevitableonslaught of time. The ensuing battle of Belinda and the Baron, thispaper reads, symbolizes the materialization of the loss of Belinda’schastity following the loss of Belinda’s symbol of chastity, as this battleis nothing but an allusion to the love-making of the two. In this battleor love-making, the Baron emerges as a seriously shamed loser, as he isproved not to have any claim to Belinda’s lock when his masculinepower is questioned. This paper concludes that the ascension of Belinda’s lock in the skyin the conclusion of the poem is Alexander Pope’s and patriarchy’s finalreply to the intra-gender power struggle in the contemporary society. Inconfirming Belinda’s lock as nobody’s thus everybody’s property,patriarchy speaks through Alexander Pope that women in their societycannot have any exclusive claim to any property including chastity and thus cannot have any meaningful status but the subordinate one in the margin of their society.
Abstract
This paper aims to examine the intra-gender power struggle projected in Alexander Pope’s The Rape of the Lock. This paper investigates how Belinda assumes and exercises power in the so-called beau monde and,in so doing, argues that Belinda cleverly utilizes the operating rules ofemerging mercantilist society to acquire power when she commodifiesherself as a chaste and sexually enticing maid to attract strong demandsfrom men of her world only to reject their advances. This strategy ofattracting and rejecting men can be understood as an effective way ofstrengthening her power, as it guarantees her continuing circularity as ahighly desired commodity. The Baron’s cutting/rape of her lock, thesymbol of her chastity and physical attractiveness, this paper proposes, isa reply of patriarchy to a woman who dares to challenge male authorityby not accepting her status as a subordinate being in the periphery ofsociety as well as by acquiring and exerting some power that is notsupposed to belong to a woman. Thus, the Baron’s cutting of Belinda’slock can be interpreted as the Baron’s stopping Belinda’s circularity, forthis act forever damages Belinda’s worth as a commodity in themarriage market and thus deprives her of the foundation of her power. Then, this paper investigates how Thalestris’s and Clarissa’s speeches represent different attitudes towards the male domination in apatriarchal-cum-mercantilist society. This paper proposes that bothwomen’s speeches cannot offer any viable ways in which Belinda cancope with the all too powerful male domination and the inevitableonslaught of time. The ensuing battle of Belinda and the Baron, thispaper reads, symbolizes the materialization of the loss of Belinda’schastity following the loss of Belinda’s symbol of chastity, as this battleis nothing but an allusion to the love-making of the two. In this battleor love-making, the Baron emerges as a seriously shamed loser, as he isproved not to have any claim to Belinda’s lock when his masculinepower is questioned. This paper concludes that the ascension of Belinda’s lock in the skyin the conclusion of the poem is Alexander Pope’s and patriarchy’s finalreply to the intra-gender power struggle in the contemporary society. Inconfirming Belinda’s lock as nobody’s thus everybody’s property,patriarchy speaks through Alexander Pope that women in their societycannot have any exclusive claim to any property including chastity and thus cannot have any meaningful status but the subordinate one in the margin of their society.
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