Initially, there is a subtle feminist metaphor portrayed through the young female narrator's language. The sexual language, such as the "ecstasy of excitement", "thrusting", "pounding", "teasingly caressed me", is used to describe matters other than sex. These sexual connotations are repressed beneath a surface of alternative meanings, which could symbolise how a women's sexuality must also be repressed; a factor which enrages many feminists.
The passage of the young women from "her child", referring to her mother, to "his wife", suggests the girl is merely an object of possession, passed from person to person, holding no identity or true freedom for herself, which is another matter attacked by feminists.
However the Mother stands as a feminists champion, as she embodies the powerful female, who "shot a man-eating tiger with her own hand". Also, the fact that her husband left her an "antique service revolver" highlights the power the matriarchy holds, which should belong to a man. This elevates her to a position equal to men, under no repression at all; the epitomising the feminist ideal. The fact that she offers her daughter a choice in marriage; a pleasure not enjoyed by many poor women of the time, which suggests she believes in a women's right to free will and Independence.
Yet, we see from the young bride more qualities feminists disagree with, such as the fact her priority is to "bare an heir" for her new husband. This illuminates how women embrace the stereotypical version of adult femininity, losing any purpose in life but to bare children. Again, what delights her the most is that she is purely an object of desire; "how he must want me!". She sacrifices her own sexual identity for the wants of a man, a very 'un-feminist' characteristic.
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