There’s a Certain Peace in Solitude: The Lady of Shalott
By. Zemarr Brandao
Throughout history, up until the 20th century, women have been made the property of men. Now women can vote, go to school, and work alongside their male counterparts; however, there are still traditions that give men ownership over women. For instance, the woman is still expected to take her husband’s last name and their children. The man is still referred to today as the leader of the household. With graduation around the corner, it has hit me that I am closer to marriage and family than I would like to think. My partner is constantly discussing the future against my wishes, and we recently disagreed about the meaning of marriage. I told him that I did not want to get married legally and legally tie our lives together and that I would not change my last name. We agreed to disagree by the end of the conversation. I was not too mad as he is good with kids, does most of the cooking, washes his clothes more often than I do, and is way more organized than I am. Sometimes I feel like the man in our partnership. Society has programmed me to think like that as he performs more domestic duties in the house. Domestic duties are thought to be a women’s job.
Themes of domesticity have been and continue to be present in literature. Tennyson immersed his reader in the theme of defiance of women’s domesticity in his poem The Lady of Shalott. The Lady of Shalott was locked in a tower secluded from the world. She could only see the world through a mirror; in doing so, she was never fully emersed in society, “but in her web, she still delights” (line 64). Weaving her web was all the Lady of Shalott knew. One day however she “heard a whisper say, / A curse is on her if she stay / To look to Camelot (Line 29-41). Camelot was the society around her. The world was filled with the unknown, and Lady of Shalott was separated from the unknown and the world’s harshness. That was until she looked out to Camelot and laid her eyes upon Lancelot (Line 109-117). Lancelot had already, however, devoted his love to Camelot. He could not love her “she hath no loyal knight and true” to her (line 62). Her focus is pulled from her web and directed to Lancelot. Longing for Lancelot leads to her death. The curse that the fairy was alluding to was men, who can steal a woman’s focus and become their reason for living. The Lady of Shalott was never meant to be an Angel in the house, confounded to domestic duties of the household.
Women have proved time and time over throughout history our strength. Growing up with a single mother taught me to be self-sufficient, and that is one quality I wish not to lose. Having a partner is nice, but we do get sick of each other. When we talk about living together, he wants a man cave, and I want a she shed because we can both find peace in solitude every now and again. Living outside of one another is how we will one day keep our sanity if we make it to the altar. I find my peace in solitude with nature. My she shed will be loaded with a bunch of plants.
How many people find peace in solitude? Fill out this poll so we can find out! https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HF9Y7XJ
