Monsters or Misogynists?

Monsters or Misogynists?  

by Syeda S. Raza 

Men in the Anglo Saxon society were misogynists thus, it won't be wrong to call them monsters. These men considered women as possessions and peace-weavers “ A queen should weave peace, not punish the innocent’ (1941).  Women without their will were married to these demonic men in an attempt to bring peace between the two kingdoms. In particular, Hrothgar’s act of marrying his daughter Freawaru to Ingeld for peace pledge was no less of a monstrous act. Women were treated by these monsters as slaves and were required to act upon their wishes “Haereth’s daughter moved about with the mead-jug in her hand, taking care of the company, filling the cups that the warriors held out” (1980), this illustrated that power remained in the hands of the men and that women were inferior in all respect. Moreover, women as peace weavers were expected to bear children to carry bloodlines forward. Where their sons would carry the legacy of their fathers by engaging in similar acts. These monsters were disgusted by women and their bodies were sexualized. In the reading Grendel by John Gardener, Wealtheow to Grendel was like the Shaper but her having human characteristics made him want to kill her. He was disgusted by Wealtheow’s body but felt superior to her. Grendel was undoubtedly a monster who was obscene to even to his own mother“ And my mother’s fat foul bulk rolling over, restless again” (9) and again “She smells of wild pig and fish” (29). This strongly suggested that no matter how old a man was, women in the Anglo Saxon society were maltreated.    

Even today human-like monsters are seen in books and movies. One example of this is seen in Khaled Hosseini's novel: A Thousand Splendid Suns. The novel explains the story of two generations of characters that are brought together by tragic sweeps of war, where their personal life was intertwined in a series of drastic events. In contrast to the idea of peace weaving marriage, in Hosseini's novel men engage in second marriage with high hopes of having a son.  The ideologies remain similar in Thousand Splendid Sons, Beowulf, and Grendel where men represent monsters that objectify women as mere slaves. These women are constantly a subject to violence by their husbands and father. In Hosseini's novel, men having the privilege to engage in a second marriage is brutal in its extremity and this portrays an act of infidelity towards the wives. Women in both societies are married to men that are quite older than their age without their will. Women thus, feel inferior to these monsters and live their lives in an abusive and oppressive relationship. This is due to their desire and attempts to maintain peace between them and the husband; analogous to what is illustrated in Beowulf and Grendel.

Therefore, monsters today and monsters in the past share homologous traits, the difference lies in their approach. Even today, women are abused and their bodies are objectified; however, the world still remains a place where monsters like such hold dominance.