In Thomas King’s book, The obsidian: A DreadfulWater mystery , the theme of the representation of women is developed through the actions, interactions, and conversations between the various characters. The author portrays the positive and the negative traits of women. This essay analyzes women’s representation in the book by discussing their secretive, caring, focused, progressive, perseverant, deceptive, assertive, agents of change, and cautious traits.
The author portrays women as secretive. The secretive nature of women is revealed through the conversation between Moses and Cooley. Cooley questions, “Is it a secret?” Moses responds by stating, “Don’t think so. But with women, you never know.” (King, 2020, p. 32). From this statement by Moses, it is evident that women are viewed as very secretive. Another instance is when Moses discloses to Thumps about Claire coming home with a baby, Stanley, which Thumps doesn’t know. The women in the book are represented as being very secretive about their lives. They do not disclose many details about their lives to even those close to them.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Women have also been painted as caring. This evident when Moses mentions how it must feel good to have people who care about your well-being. He also adds that the women would be stopping by Thump’s house to bring food and talk to him. Moses states, “when the women stop by to talk, they’ll bring food” (King, 2020, p. 42). This is a clear indication that they care about how Thumps is fairing and will take time to see him.
Through Thumps’ visit to the doctor, the author brings out the focused nature of women. Despite how much Thumps tried to switch the subject from his health to how much Beth’s office had changed, his efforts were futile. Thumps’ statement, “Place looks nice,” is met with the response “Don’t change the subject…” from Beth (King, 2020, p. 51). Beth saw to it that Thumps visit a specialist doctor in Helena to have more blood tests done, and the cause of his anemic condition ascertained. Women are depicted as individuals who are not easily distracted from what they have set to do.
Different women in the book are portrayed as progressive, having abandoned the societal perceptions on the roles that they should play. A visit to a car show exhibits this trait. The surprise of the visitors at finding a woman is met with the statement, “I know, said Cole, “you were expecting a guy” (King, 2020, p. 36). This statement from Anderson Cole shows a shift in gender roles where women take up traditionally men’s roles. Anderson Cole runs a car auction business that she formed after inheriting the business from her father. Cole is also knowledgeable about cars and can advise on the same. This is evident when Moses agrees with her about knowing how the car performs by just listening to it. Claire’s messy kitchen depicts her as lacking in housekeeping skills, such as those portrayed in the 1950s movies (King, 2020, p. 70). Claire is depicted as a modern woman who does not fit the conventional perception of women as homemakers. The author states, “ Nor was she the consummate housekeeper that you saw in movies from the 1950s, movies where the women waited for their husbands to return home…” (King, 2020, p. 70). Through these scenarios, women are represented as progressive and having embraced modernization.
The women in the book are also portrayed as perseverant. The perseverant nature of women is depicted through Duke’s comments about his wife. He states, “But I love that woman, and over the years, she has put up with a lot, so I figure fair’s fair” (King, 2020, p. 56). This statement by Duke acknowledges that even though it has not easy for Macy, Duke’s wife, over the years, not a single time did she give up, for that he wanted to travel with her all over the world regardless of how he felt about the traveling.
Women are also depicted as being deceptive. Thumps feel cheated because Anna had never disclosed her past life to her, the fact that she had been married before, and that her daughter’s father was alive. Thumps states, “Guy named Raymond Oakes,” … “Anna told me he was dead.”… “But he wasn’t,” … “What I do know is that she lied to me. Why wouldn’t she tell me about Oakes?” (King, 2020, p. 58-59). Anna had lied to him about Raymond Oakes, her husband from her past life; he was also the father to Anna’s daughter and was in prison serving life because of murder. Additionally, Roxanne lies to Thumps about being invited for dinner at Claire’s house to get him to visit Claire. Which he later finds out is a lie. From the two instances, the deceptive nature of the women is depicted.
Women are represented as assertive. Claire is an excellent example of an assertive woman. She is clear about what she wants and is not afraid to ask for it. Claire asks Thumps whether he was ready to have a relationship with her which almost makes Thumps uncomfortable. She states, “Before I left for New Zealand, I asked you if you were interested in a relationship with me.” … “Did you ever come to a decision?” (King, 2020, p. 74). She is not afraid to show that she is not prepared to linger around, waiting for Thumps to sort his life and then return to her. She knows what she wants and will not allow anyone to come in her way, thus portraying her assertive nature when it comes to her relationships.
The author portrays women as agents of change. Through Hack’s daughter, Lorraine, the author gets to paint women as change agents. After her father’s death, Lorraine tries to change the old bar’s appearance by rebuilding it and implementing new rules. The author states, “… she bulldozed the site and began building a new bar...” (King, 2020, p. 121). Additionally, she pushes for the view that bars should not be identified as dirty places with pungent smells. Instead, they should be clean and have modern amenities such as WIFI, video game , and satellite television for the customers to enjoy. She also wants things to change around the bar, such as the fights, which she does not like but is fully aware that they are inevitable. That is why she has a ring outside and has made sure that there is a first aid kit for use when the need arises.
The author has also portrayed women as cautious. An intruder had broken into Beth’s residence and hadn’t taken anything with them. Instead, they left a black stone on her autopsy table. Taking no chances, Beth installs a camera and alarms as a precautionary measure. The cautious nature is depicted when Thumps questions her why she has installed the cameras and alarms. Thumps questions, “Which is why you put in extra security?” … “The alarm? The camera?” (King, 2020, p. 136). From Beth’s reaction, women are depicted as fearful. Beth does not want to risk another break-in, and that’s why she has installed the extra security details in her morgue. Seeing that the break-in was terrifying for her, she decided that she would not risk the intruder returning to her house or any other person visiting without her knowledge. Thus, she decides to take preventive measures.
In conclusion, the author represents the women characters in the book as having both positive and negative traits. The current paper has analyzed women’s representation through their secretive, caring, focused, progressive, perseverant, deceptive, assertive, agents of change, and cautious traits. The author’s representation of women allows him to develop the book’s plot.
References
King, T. (2020). The obsidian: A DreadfulWater mystery . HarperCollins Publishers.
