The Concept of the Other

At first glance, Simone de Beauvoir’s The Second Sex might seem rationalistic, old-fashioned-modernist, and above all—male biased. Should this work be valued only for historical reasons: feminists ought to become more aware of their historical milieu? If the answer is yes, then the work should be dismissed for its outdated ideas. Nonetheless, a rationalistic approach will examine that Beauvoir’s concept of “Self” is very much up-to-date and provides clues to some of post-modern feminist dilemmas.

Beauvoir argues as an intrinsic premise that the man has always conceived of himself as the Self (not to be confused with the Cartesian concept of “self”), the essential, and has made of woman—the Other: “In sexuality and maternity woman as subject can claim autonomy; but to be a ‘true woman’ she must accept herself as the Other” (Beauvoir 1272). In addition, it is apparent that Beauvoir utterly rejects the notion of matriarchy, taking a Levi-Straussian stand—the public and even social prerogative always belonged to men. Societies that regarded woman as Mother or Goddess, indicated that woman’s power was attested outside of the human realm. This then seems to prove the woman’s power to be somewhat “magical,” defined by man out of his needs. Unfortunately, man could eradicate that definition when it no longer served his wants and needs. Hence, the power prevailed in the hands of man.

Furthermore, Beauvoir speaks of several elements that make the oppression of woman inimitable: First, in contrast with the oppression of race and class, the oppression of woman is not a fortuitous historical fact. Moreover, it is not an occurrence in time which has sometimes been traversed or reverted. Woman has always been subordinate to man. Second, woman has interiorized the extraneous perspective that man is indeed the essential, and the woman is the inessential. A question arises: What male advantages make men succeed in the first place? The definitive answer consists of two factors: women are physically weaker than men; and women bear children. One might think that these biological facts were used in such context only in primitive times. How much has changed? In modern times, has the invention of the birth control pill (with its continuing problems/side effects) really enabled women to see the difference between sexual relations and childbearing? Contraceptives have certainly changed some perspective, but to say that they are a way in dilating women into a Self, and the problem is solved—won’t be cogent.

Work Cited

De Beauvoir, Simone. “From The Second Sex.” The Norton Anthology of Theory and

Criticism. Ed. Vincent B. Leitch. 2nd ed. W.W. Norton & Company Inc.: New

York, 2001. 1265-73. Print.