Comparing Norma Jean from "Shiloh" to Winnie Mandela - Essay Sample

Despite the fragile portrayal of women, some, like Norma Jean from "Shiloh" and Winnie Mandela, have emerged with strong personalities. In "Shiloh," Norma Jean is married to Leroy Moffit, a former truck driver in Kentucky. Her husband's presence at home after his accident bothers her a lot as she is used to staying alone. Winnie Mandela was the wife of the first South African president, Nelson Mandela. She is credited as the "Mother of the Nation" thanks to her efforts in fighting the apartheid when her husband was imprisoned. While these women are from different geographical settings, they lived in similar harsh societal conditions against women. Norma and Winnie are more similar in how they defile societal expectations about women, they love their children dearly, and their husbands were away for a long time.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Norma Jean behaves oppositely from what is expected of women, particularly the married ones. In “Shiloh,” there is evidence that women should not outpower their men. An excellent example is when Leroy thinks his wife’s new interest in composition undermines his intelligence since he was never good at it. However, Norma strives to empower herself. First, she is concerned about building her confidence through her body workouts that make Leroy likened her to “Wonder Woman,” a female superhero. She also works while her husband insists on staying at home, pitying himself. More so, she is enhancing her education by “taking an adult-education course in composition at Paducah Community College” (Mason, 1982). Her thirst for knowledge is revealed even further when she tries to cook new recipes. As she ventures into this male-perceived world, she neglects the roles she is expected to partake in. For example, Leroy complains, “he home alone most of the time” (Mason 1982). Before, Norma would stay with him at home, watching TV playing cards in bed, and cooking him his favorite meals. She is currently busy to partake in her domestic chores, as Mason (1982) writes, “In the mornings, Norma Jean disappears, leaving a cooling place in his bed.”

Similarly, Winnie Mandela strived in the man's world, straying away from women's African societal roles and responsibilities. Unlike many African women during her time, she was educated, even up to university, at an education level that was considered the highest. Her education empowered her confidence to participate in social activism against racial segregation in Africa which was mostly dominated by men. An excellent example is when she led other women to demonstrate against the passbooks policy for Africans in Johannesburg in 1958 (Hawker, 2018). Her resilience in showing her fierceness as a woman was portrayed even further after her husband was imprisoned for life (Hawker, 2018). One would expect her power to end due to her husband’s absence, and perhaps get married again. Instead, she was at the forefront of leading South Africans to fight for their independence and Mandela’s freedom.

Mothers are their children’s guardian angels because of the bond they share since conception. Norma Jean is a loving mother even though her son died when he was four months and three days. Any remembrance of her son’s death ignites emotions of pain and bitterness that show how much she cared for him and has not healed from the loss. An excellent example of this reaction is when her mother, Mabel, tells of a child who died of negligence after finding her smoking. Norma says to Leroy, “The very idea, her bringing up a subject like that ….,” while she is sitting in the kitchen chair with her arms wrapped around her feet (Mason, 1982). Leroy claims this posture makes her “look small and helpless” (Mason, 1982). This reaction to her son's mention shows that her love for him cannot allow her to let go of him.

Likewise, Winnie loved her children dearly. Darrell Roodt’s 2011 film, “Winnie Mandela,” portrays Winnie’s life, with Jennifer Hudson playing her. In the 51:42 minutes of the film, Winnie is seen being thrown into a cell after she had been arrested, shouting, “Where are my children!” (Politics, Law and Social Thought, 2018). This gesture shows that Winnie was a caring mother as she was worried about her children in her absence.

Lastly, Norma and Leroy’s marriage has faced tussles, mainly because Leroy was always away working. Norma can be said to have enjoyed her husband's absence as she used the chance to realize herself and build herself into a strong woman. On the other hand, Leroy feels as if many things have changed during his absence. He feels that his wife is more committed to other things instead of him. He also feels that his town has changed a lot as “subdivisions are spreading across western Kentucky like an oil slick” (Mason, 1982). Notably, Norma's behavior change can be credited to her husband leaving, who never paid much attention to her.

Winnie also faced loneliness as her husband was jailed in 1963, only five years after their wedding. She had to raise her daughters independently as her husband was imprisoned until 1994 when he was finally released (Hawker, 2018). More so, she had to continue the apartheid struggle without her husband, landing her in trouble, which ruined her image. For example, she was thrown into solitary for 491 days because she fought apartheid (Hawker, 2018). Notably, like Norma, her husband’s absence subjected her to struggles that iron her to be a strong personality in South African politics, earning herself the title, “Mother of the Nation.”

Conclusion

Indeed, Winnie and Norma are true symbols of women's empowerment. They show love while trying to partake in male-dominated duties. For example, Norma encourages her husband to find a job, and Winnie continues her husband’s legacy after he is imprisoned. Although their marriages fail, they still strive to inspire women to concentrate on bettering themselves instead of just waiting for their men to control their potential.

References

Hawker, A. (2018, April 6). 5 Ways Winnie Mandela Influenced the Lives of Women in South Africa. African Impact. https://www.africanimpact.com/winnie-mandela-blog/

Mason, A. B. (1982). Shiloh. https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxnb29kd2luYXBsaXR8Z3g6MWQ4NDA4OWUwMTQ5ZTY5NA

Politics, Law and Social Thought. (2018, April 4). Winnie Mandela – A History of Struggle. [video]. YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_vnj3HXHnI