What turns a Girl to a Woman?
It’s a very simple question, from what point does a girl turn into a woman? This inherently simple question will produce many varying responses, and those responses are highly dependent on how the person perceives a woman’s role in society should be. In the modern world many would argue that a girl becomes a women when she reaches the age of majority, that in most countries is 18. Others hold an older belief that what turns a girl into a women is the act of marriage or consummating a marriage.
Antigone, the strong willed protagonist whose defiance of the king Kreon resulted in her death is the pinnacle example of how men perceived women’s role in society. During her interrogation she was called a woman, and in other instances a girl. I do not believe this is merely a coincidence or the slip of the tongue. The act of calling Antigone a woman such as “Surely this captive woman is the Princess Antigone” when she was initially captured, to calling her a “this girl is guilty of double insolence” is clearly a distinction to the way she is perceived. When she is initially called a women, she is not yet accused of committing any wrongdoing, and only after her disobedience appears that the men resort to calling her a “insolent girl.”
Marriage also plays a vital role in explaining the distinction between a women and a girl. When Kreon condemns Antigone to death, he mentions how he “wants no wicked women for my sons” and is asked if he “really wants to steal this girl from your son” implying that a girl transitions into a women when she marries a man. This serious implication makes it a requirement for a girl to have a man in order to be considered a woman. This is another method society reduces the status of women as subservient to men.
I can confidently assert that thankfully this mentality that a girl requires a man to become a self-sufficient woman has wained in the modern era. That is not to say that this view has disappeared by any means. It was only in 1848 that women gained to right to control property and become economically independent. Reading Antigone has allowed me to ponder the how women were perceived long ago, and compare it to our current belief system. Even though there are clear breaks from the mentality of long ago, remnants still persists and I believe will continue to remain entrenched in our mentality.
One response so far
I agree with you that the their was no slip of the tongue calling Antigone a girl. She is treated as less than for most of the play because of that fact. Their concentration on her gender is a tried and true theme in gender relations that is still being dealt with in the modern age. They are unable to see her without it being in relation to man.