Q.) Consider the trope of the fallen women in literature and film. What message does the trope usually send? How does Edna’s story extend or counter that message?
When thinking of this trope of the fallen woman, one character comes to mind for me. Sharon Tate’s character Jennifer in the 1967 film Valley of the Dolls. Jennifer is the bombshell of the group of successful actresses the film is focused on; she’s the beauty who is only valued for her beauty. She can’t get many film roles like her friends, so she resorts to making foreign “art” (pornography) films which exploit her beauty. She’s portrayed as the most sexualized of all the character due to her roles in these films, but she also suffers the most tragic ending. After contracting breast cancer, Jennifer considers getting a mastectomy, but believing her body to be her only worth, she commits suicide. Another character that comes to mind is Joan from Mad Men, however, as much as she is objectified, she actually has an uplifting end to her story arch and breaks down the trope.
The fallen woman trope is almost a paradox. It displays the empowering and liberating feeling associated with sexual experience and freedom. However, it also has a sexist double standard of disempowering these women who decide to explore this side of themselves. It also assumes they’re heading for a tragic end as well, almost as if it’s the price for their sexual exploration.
Edna, unfortunately, doesn’t break the trope of the Fallen Woman. While her sexual exploration is only hinted at within the actual text, she still isn’t truly satisfied with her independence. The attitude towards her actual independence is wishy-washy, sometimes praising her and sometimes shaming her actions. It also seems as if the independence Edna achieved didn’t totally relieve her mind of the burdens she seemed to carry the entire novel. Her implied suicide also comes after her encounter with Robert, her true love interest of the novel, which is perceived as sexual in nature. She’s saddened when he decides to leave, which leaves her with nobody but herself. Her final thoughts before her death are of her children and husband who she left behind, which confuses what the true purpose of her independence was. Her death also implies the tragedy of the single woman, which places Edna firmly within the fallen woman trope.
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