Exploring Luce Irigaray s Feminist Ideologies in David Arnason s Girl and Wolf
... Feminist reading reveals that the only type of woman we know is one that is expressed through a patriarchal society; the masculine woman, a woman as man sees her. ... Luce Irigaray has tried to liberate women from the masculine philosophical ideologies of such thinkers as Freud, Lacan, Plato, Descartes, Nietzsche and Hegel. Through the short story “Girl and Wolf” by David Arnason, we can see how Irigaray’s ideologies are prominent and we can observe how newfound female authority permits authors to illustrate their ideas and concepts freely and compassionately. Irigaray believes that the source of all feminine writing is rooted in the female body and within female sexuality. ... Yet, for Irigaray, “the imaginary (is) full of untapped possibilities for women. ... In “Girl and Wolf”, we can observe how the imaginary leads to endless opportunities for women. This short story, written by Arnason, is a play on the original fairytale Red Riding Hood. Arnason’s version portrays the red-haired girl as a rebellious youth who goes against her mother’s cautions. ... Arnason states that “a girl’s life is surrounded by cautions, she is circumscribed by rules. ... The wolf in this story is portrayed as a male authority figure. ... When the wolf runs, “he admires his own grace” and is “always first” when competing with women. A patriarchal society is observant in the forest where the male wolf resides. The masculine wolf is depicted as a male in present societies around the world. ... The girl is portrayed as the stereotypical feminine woman, with a curvaceous body and long flowing hair. Yet this girl contains a secret power that will emancipate her from the subordination of all other women in her world; the power of her imagination. Arnason depicts the wolf as being sneaky and scheming, yet when the girl and wolf meet at her grandmother’s house, her imagination overtakes the wolf’s destiny.