Textual Analysis Assignment: The Emperor’s Babe
Women within history have taken a
backseat to their own lives, where the men in their lives take control determining
their futures. Men have not only determined women’s futures, but control every
aspect of their lives. Society itself limited women from their freedoms and
agency in or out of their homes. Within this text, The Emperor’s Babe by Bernardine Evaristo its main character,
Zuleika, is a daughter of Nubian parents that lives in a 211 A.D. Roman territory
known as Londinium. Women within lower society of Londinium in 211 A.D. had
little agency and freedom over their own lives where it be within their own
families, within their marriages, being prohibited from sexual desire, but
still many women moved in different ways determined by terms of society. The
following demonstrates the limitations that women, specifically Zuleika had
within this world she lived in.
Zuleika is a daughter to her poor
merchant father and sister to her prized brother. Within her family she does
not fit in anywhere, but within the streets of Londinium with her best friend
Alba she finds herself. As she attempts to live her life by her rules she is,
unbeknownst to her, handed off to a rich man to marry. Her father took it upon
his duty as head of household to find the best prospect to marry off his
daughter, well Felix, a rich man chose Zuleika as his bride and as he was the
richer of the two men, her father gladly let his daughters hand in marriage
(Evaristo, 14). While this in itself was a part of a female’s life, there was
the added pressure for women to marry in accordance to their father’s wishes in
order to benefit their family’s position. Zuleika’s marriage to Felix benefited
her family’s life as Felix patronage aided her father’s business and allowed
for her brother to gain education and attend military school (Evaristo, 78).
All the while the ones benefiting from the arrangement are the betrothed
husband who gains his own desire, but the girl’s family raises with connection,
the girl on the other hand making everything better for her husband and family
is left with no choice in the matter, eliminating her voice all together
regarding her future. “I knew I had to accept my fate. I could throw countless tantrums, I was an expert, but it would go ahead, regardless” (Evaristo, 19).
This demonstrates Zulieka’s own opinion about the unwanted marriage, yet she
knew her own fate, as she was a female who has a duty to her family with no
ability to change her future.
While Zulieka moved from one
position her family’s household as a daughter and sister, she moved into her
husband’s house as a wife. As her position as a wife and madam of the house her
freedom’s had become even more restricted as she was expected to act as a lady
as her position in society was raised from previous standing. Zulieka was in
some way prohibited from leaving her house, unless accompanied by a guard or
guardian (Evaristo, 34). This displays the lack of agency women possessed, as
they became women of their own households where they were limited from living
outside in society unless accompanied by a male. Zuleika lacked the ability to
leave her home without a male companion, but worst, as she was restricted to
her house she was not allowed to hold parties within her own home without her
husband at home (Evaristo, 49). This shows how a woman of her standing was
still limited to moving about her household freely due to a sense of mistrust
or fear that her husband had in what she might do. Zuleika a woman bound to her
home as a daughter and wife never experienced the world beyond her own borders
of childhood adventure within Londinium (Evaristo, 167). Women could only
travel or move around with male guardian’s and without them they were improper
women, so in order to leave any where they needed a male figure to take them
places. Zulieka never experienced leaving the city, her father never took her
anywhere and despite her husband’s promises never took her out of Londinium
restricting her to being a wife who would always be home waiting for her
husband to return (Evaristo, 34). While a woman has nothing to do, but to
become a stationary object of their husband’s lives, she is left to her own
devices with severe limitations.
A woman of proper standing within
society must know to be in control of her own sexual desires, despite the
freedom men have with theirs. Zuleika as a woman knows of her sexual being, but
fears she was introduced to early and would never find a sexual awakening, but
as a woman she knows and wants to explore that sexual side of herself
(Evaristo, 100). While Zulieka fears for her sexual desires, her friend Alba is
a care free woman who leads her life through her sexual desire, despite being
married. This is an interesting character within the novel due to the fact that
women had a lack of acceptance in their sexual freedom, but Alba perceives the
sexual freedom at an equal caliber of a man’s. “’Cato doesn’t like it. He turns a blind eye. So long
as I fulfill my marital duties in every
department he lets it go, otherwise he knows full well, I will go’” (Evaristo,
102). This line from Alba tells of her knowledge of her position of a woman
within her household, but interestingly enough tells of her husband’s view of
her position in the family, oddly demonstrating a cavalier relationship between
a middle class family who have less position in society and have fewer
expectations within society. Unfairly, within Zuleika’s marriage there are an
extreme amount of restrictions for her based on her risen class status and by
her husband. Her husband rarely spends any time at home and is known of having
a lover away from home, where he has made a more complete life with his
mistress, where he has children and a more stationary position with (Evaristo,
157). The unfairness that Zulieka’s relationship exhibits is the fact that she
is expected, as a woman, to accept her husband’s indiscretion at the same time
she, herself is not allowed to obtain a lover and at that matter feels guilt as
a woman, who does not want to be promiscuous (Evaristo,). The only way that
Zuleika might be “forgiven” for her indiscretion is that her lover was the
Emperor, who was allowed to take up any women he wanted as a lover, but due to
his death, Zulieka made the realization that, “I had not cared about discovery
and in the torpor of my grief I had not thought that my lover’s protection
would go with his life” (Evaristo, 241). This in itself shows the lack of
sexual equality men and women have as men are allowed to have the wife and
lover, while the women has a lover and must die, as Zuleika dies for her
affair.
While Zuleika is a special
character at the forefront of the novel, as the main character, there are many
other female characters that are an interesting expression of different women
and their positions within this specific society. One character would be that
of Zuleika’s mother, a Nubian woman who is the epitome of restricted women. Her
mother a caregiver, wife, and mother of two children, who dotes of her only son
and leaves her daughters raising to her father. Her mother restricts herself to
acting only upon limited movements, her dress is all black only having the face
and hands visible, she sits of the floor of her daughters home, and never
speaks (her voice is literally obsolete) (Evaristo, 82). Her mothers represents
a sort of ideal women of a lower class that has no position or say within
family matters. On the other hand her best friend Alba is a complete opposite.
Alba’s character is a complete withdraw from “ideal” women, as she is an
outspoken and promiscuous woman who is not afraid of her sexuality and does not
fear to speak her mind (Evaristo, 95). Her character was very modern and in
some sense was a depiction of lower class behavior that was limited to reaching
a certain state, but was allowed to experience certain freedoms outside.
Another character that was introduced briefly, but left an impact was Felix’s
sister, Antistia. She was an extremely mean and crude character who did not
like Zuleika, due to her family, class, and overall person, but what is known
of Antistia is that she is a high class woman who has been married and widowed
twice with a great fortune and is a popular dinner guest, who favors Roman
parentage over anything else (Evaristo, 51). Her character was fascinating
because she represents that high class freed woman who has limitations, but
still has the agency and ability to be her own person and run her own house as
her fortune was left to her without a husband to take care of it. The character
of Venus was a refreshing representation of sexual relationships within this
Roman society. Venus is a transgender prostitute who was kicked out of his home
and arrived in Londinium, heckled by citizens for her appearance and sexual
choices, but later being a great friend of Alba’s and Zuleika’s who is a wise
advice giver and leads these girls through life (Evaristo, 46). The thing that
is interesting about Venus’ character is that she is actually the only son to
her father’s estate, so despite his disagreements with his family and despite
his sexual and gender preference, she would still be the rightful heir to her
father’s property, which in this case benefits the male sex (Evaristo, 213). Venus identifies as female,
yet her sex at birth determines her future, finances, and freedoms. Venus is
interesting because she experiences hardships of being a transgender woman by
being dumped by men who do not accept her in public, by the public who thinks
she is strange and do not accept her at all, but also she is a different type of
sexual being as a prostitute, yet she expects to get the benefit of being the
only son of her father’s inheritance, so she represents the lower class of
female limitations and expectations of female behavior along with female
sexuality and the potential of high class status as well male agency in 211 A.D
Londinium.
Zuleika a woman who was forced to
marry a rich man to benefit her family represents the role a female played
within their families. She differs in the sense that her roles only included,
daughter, sister, and wife, but never mother. She followed the rules based off
of the male guiding her life as most women are forced to in their lives. Women ruled by their father’s, husbands, and
required to maintain controlled behavior have certain freedoms determined by
their societal statuses. The role of a woman was determined purely on a male
figure within her life, with zero ability of movement or autonomy.
Works
Cited
Evaristo, Bernardine, The
Emperor’s Babes. New York: Penguin Books, 2001. Print.
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