Avoiding Maternal Life The Descriptions of Lillian and Djuna

.Another woman character whose freedom to choose her sexual preference is Djuna. In the novel, Djuna’s attraction is not into men but women. She has never been attached in a relationship with men. Influenced by her independent and androgynous characteristics, Djuna frees herself from society’s assumption about heterosexuality and men’s role in her life. She decides to become a lesbian which reflects one of the major ideas of radical libertarian feminism. She argues that men will not give women chance to prove their strength therefore women have to give in their strength. Her lesbian characteristic is shown in her relation with Lillian in which she feels the equal power. There is no one side dominancy in their relationship. Since both of them share equal affection and devotion, Djuna’s hunger for love is satisfied. Djuna and Lillian’s freedom of choosing their sexual interests shows that they break the society’s assumption about heterosexuality as the only sexual preference for human. They prove that someone’s natural desire can not be defined and regulated by such old assumptions. Human, especially woman, is free to experience any sexual desire regardless society’s limitation. 3. Being Androgynous Society has not encouraged the development of both masculine and feminine characteristics within the same individual because it contrasts with the social norms. Therefore, the action of being androgynous takes courage because it challenges the gender stereotypes. It makes people thinking differently about stereotypical male and female roles . As Humm states, many feminist philosophers claim that androgynous personalities are holistic and have a capacity to experience the full range of human emotions 1995: 10. This means that having androgynous characteristic is the complete version of human emotions for experiencing feminine and masculine characteristics within a soul. Tong also states that the radical libertarian feminists support women to become androgynous as a form to avoid patriarhcy’s gender streotype. The radical libertarian feminists claimed that an exclusively feminine gender identity is likely to limit women’s development as full human persons. Thus, they encouraged women to become androgynous persons, that is, persons who embody both good masculine and good feminine characteristics or, more controversially, any potpourri of masculine and feminine characteristics, good or bad, that strikes their fancy Tong, 2009: 50. Ladders to Fire presents Djuna as an androgynous woman. She has the combination of masculine and feminine good characteristics. Her independent and self-governed characteristics portray the masculine side within herself. She has no doubt to pursue her dreams and desire regardless any obstacle from her surroun dings. Djuna’s masculinity side is also shown when she is attracted into female dancers in a dancing opera. She is seduced by their beauty and sees them as if she was a man. At one point, she also can also exposes her feminine side through her generousity and emphaty toward her surroundings. As ones of them being fascinated of Djuna’s tenderness are Lillian and Jay. Lillian can feel Djuna’s sincerity toward her through affection and devotion which shelter her. Another proof comes from Jay, Lillian’s male partner, who is also enchanted with Djuna’s feminine appearance as depicted in the following statement: PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI “Your dress is green like a princess,” he said, “ I could swear it is a green I have never seen before and will never see again. I could swear the garden is made of cardboard, that the trembling of the light behind you comes from the footlights, that the sounds are music. You are almost transparent there, like the mist of perfume you are throwing yourself.” 1995: 77. The androgynous characteristic is al so reflected on Lillian’s powerful characteristic. Nin’s Ladders to Fire describe Lillian as a woman whose courage to pursue her desire and nature regardless patriarchal society. In her relationship with Gerard and Jay, Lillian reverses the men’s roles and becomes the one who is more powerful. As a woman, Lillian shows a different image from th e society’s expectations toward women. She makes decision and takes initiative firstly rathen than her male partners. She is not a woman who only waits passively, she plays as Romeo in her relationships who bravely takes action. It can be seen from her personal description: Nothing could prevent her from feeling that she was not Juliet waiting on the balcony, but Romeo who had to leap across space to join her. She had leaped, she had acted Romeo, and when woman leaped she leaped into a void 1995: 55. Lillian also becomes the one who works outside and fulfills the house needs. In the relationship with Jay, Lillian is the woman who transforms into Aladdin’s lamp to fulfill her partner’s needs. She works late hours while Jay only passively waits at home. His refusal toward male’s natural obligation has made Lillian becomes powerful and breaks the society’s belief which put women as the inferior. As shown in the description: His helpness made him the “homme fatal” for such a woman. His hunger for anything metamorphosed her into an Aladdin’s lamp: even his dreams must be fulfilled 1953: 66.