Shmoopers, we're not gonna lie: The Wanting Seed has some pretty strong ideas about the ladies. If you happen to be a woman who doesn't mind being told that you think with your nerves and your inner organs, or that you're sexiest when you're wiggling your opulent, child-bearing hips, then don't worry: this novel's got you covered. Sure, some of this stuff is tongue-in-cheek, but at the end of the day, Beatrice-Joanna's role in this novel is to represent True Womanhood: the yin to Tristram's yang. Most importantly, that means being hell-bent on being a mom.
Questions About Women and Femininity
- In The Wanting Seed, are there any women in positions of social or political power?
- What kinds of jobs do women have in The Wanting Seed, and what other social roles do they fulfill?
- In the novel's second half, what is the significance of the Women's Battalion in the British Army?
Chew on This
Although some aspects of The Wanting Seed's hypothetical England seem very different from the real-world England of the early 1960s, women's social roles, and limited social power, are very much the same.
As the female protagonist of The Wanting Seed, Beatrice-Joanna is not so much a character in her own right as she is an ideal symbol of Womanliness and Femininity. This symbolic significance limits her horizons as a character, as it confines her to the roles of Wife and Mother.