October 15th 2024
-Women are considered diverse in personality types whereas men are seen as transparent and predictable. In the first paragraph, women are described as “thrill-seeking” as well as “civic-minded and responsible” which are contrasting adjectives further proving Solaras’ point.
-Reproduction: According to the manifesto, men are essentially only half of what women are. Solanas adds that this is true because men are represented by the Y gene and women by the X gene. The X gene has a complete set of chromosomes, making the baby’s gender female rather than male.
– “Every man knows deep down he’s a worthless piece of s***.” + “Women don’t have penis envy, men have p**** envy.” These are two quotes that I feel represent a common theme within the text. A common theme that appears throughout the text is that men know that they are useless to society and women are superior to them + this is why they act out. Another theme could be that men understand that they are mean/bad. Solanas uses repetition with quotes like these and bases her arguments on these points to prove that women no longer need men in their world and designed this world so they would feel needed in life.
-The above is also why Solanas wants to eliminate the money system. She believes that money is a man’s invention to make themselves feel important. In the family dynamics in the 1960s, the head male of the household would be seen as the primary finance minister. Even mentioning communist views in the first paragraph, “…eliminate money system…” At the time, and even today, this is how the men would control their power because everything is linked to money. Women’s and children’s lifestyles, where they live, what clothes they buy, food, and access to all these resources were only controlled by the man of the household. She even goes as far as to say that ,”Mother wants what is best for kids, but Daddy wants what is best for Daddy.” According to her, the Dad of the house does not care aboout his decisions impact on the rest of the house, only how his decisions will effect himself. This belief is represented in the media at the time of the 1960s. TV shows and social norms were that women had to do everything around the house no questions asked, also doing anything the man requested. The Donna Reed Show, which was popular during this time, featured women cooking elaborate meals for their husbands. This is all women had to learn from or look up to and therefore seen as normal during this time period.