In The World’s Wife, Duffy takes the protagonists of each myth and tale and subverts the physical and symbolic representation of men, connoting power and strength which many critics agree is work of feminist literature. Duffy ultimately recollects a semi-biographical piece of literature in which some may argue are part of her own experiences, however influenced by the way history has silenced the female, she encourages her identities to speak out against male dominance. Influenced by the Biblical story of Jacob and Leah, Atwood’s The Handmaids Tale, strongly depicts the female role as a symbol of fertility.
The Duffy conveys the difference in power between men and women through forms of language, as indicated by diminutives, satire and colloquialism. For example, in the world’s Wife, Duffy satirically demonstrates role-reversal in gender, where the women have now fought against constrictions transforming a patriarchal society into a matriarchal. In Circe, The nymph develops a scornful hatred for men, ‘Well-cleaned pig’s ears should be...boiled’ which in respect of reductionism conveys men as animals, ‘hogs and runts, their percussion of oinks and grunts. Similarly, in Valerie Solanas book; ‘SCUM’ Manifesto written in 1968, she writes about, and ‘destroying the male sex’ in order to make the world a better place for women. Additionally, through the use of satire and colloquialism in Circe, Duffy breaks the societal image of women as pure, kindly-hearted creatures similar to Valerie Solanas who shot Andy Warhol to try and prolong her cause for equal rights. Nonetheless, Duffy strips the female protagonists of their identity by belittling them with pet names. In many of Duffy’s poems the female characters do not have their original names; and are instead referred to as ‘Mrs’ followed by their inherited names. Duffy, however, uses these titles ironically, as it is the women who take on the dominant role and become pivotal to the events, not the men. For example in Mrs Beast, Duffy indicates a role-reversal, where it is her who takes on the masculine role, ‘Let the less-loving one be me and not the beast’.
Furthermore, Duffy also gives the female protagonists a hidden strength that allows them to gain an element of hope for independence against the society’s they are placed. Moreover, in World’s Wife, through the form of the dramatic monologue, Duffy satirically explores the male historical figures and myths through the eyes of their invincible wives, bringing in the female perspective and elevating them to a much higher status. A critic reviewing her collection believed that her use of, ‘dramatic monologues give birth to refreshing and at times disturbing versions of realities’. For example in Mrs Rip Van Winkle we see how the husband’s sleep becomes the wife’s liberation through the use of dramatic monologue, ‘And while he slept I found some hobbies for myself. Painting. Seeing the sights I’d always dreamed about’. She overcomes adversity by becoming herself in a way where she puts her needs before her husband’s.
Feminist theorist Betty Friedan wrote, ‘The Feminine Mystique’, writing in regards to middle class women who lived decently, questioning if there was more to life. She suggested women’s lives were constricted and stripped of their true identity, similar to the women in, The World's wife, A Doll’s House and Handmaid’s Tale. In Mrs Rip van Winkle, Duffy ends the poem with her husband, ‘sitting up in bed rattling Viagra’. His awakening means she has to conform to her role as a dutiful wife, fulfilling her conjugal duties. Significantly, Duffy also gives a voice to women who have won equality. For instance, The Kray Sisters make their own decisions, ‘We’d soon earned the clout and the dosh and respect for a move’, where men are the ones in their shadows. The fact that Duffy has given a voice to all her women in her collection shows their self-determination and ability to cope no matter the discrimination they face against the social control.
Additionally, the publication of the texts; there has been a clear change in society and the reaction from the readers/audience understanding of the texts. Duffy's the World's Wife, written in 1999 where Duffy gives the women in her collection a voice and despite the outrageous negativity towards men, in a modern context this has come across as humorous rather than offensive, where a male critic said, ‘I really like the witty humour and distasteful slagging off´ men and I’m male which makes it odd I suppose’. However, there is no escape against the constrictions of beauty, no matter how hard women fight. In Mrs Quasimodo the audience empathises with the rejection and abuse she feels when she compares herself to the pin-up gypsy ‘you pig. You stupid cow...Mongol. Ape, ‘it’s better, isn’t it... to be slim...so perfect’. Mrs Quasimodo the end acknowledges that it is better to be ‘well formed’. Her self-confidence is completely shattered by her husband’s betrayal when he finds a more physically beautiful woman than her. This is similar to Simone de Beaviour’s concept of ‘the other’ used in feminism, where women have to look a certain way to conform within societies expectations.
A powerful aspect of all three texts is the narrative perspective, where particularly Duffy subverts the ‘history’ of storytelling into ‘herstory’ giving their female protagonists not only a voice but strength to fight against the struggle society places upon them. For instance In Frau Freud, Duffy presents us with the wife of the famous psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud who coined the term µpenis envy’. Frau Freud declares that it is actually the male penis that becomes envious of the female genitals, ‘the squint of its envious solitary eye’. Duffy allows Frau Freud to express her opposition to her husband’s chauvinistic theory of the male penis, thus giving her the voice and independence to rise above her husband.
In her portrayal of female characters fighting to overcome constrictions, Duffy examines the male perspectives and uses irony or satire to reveal their shallow views. This selfish act is similar to Mrs Midas in The Worlds Wife, where he is shown as a shallow, vain character who is more concerned with the hedonism and luxury of things, ‘he was spitting out the teeth of the rich’. In the last verse Mrs Midas draws attention to her role and the symbolic roles of many other wives, where Midas is in search for his own tastes, simply forgetting the needs of his own wife, ‘What gets me now is not the idiocy or greed but lack of thought for me. Pure selfishness’. The fact that the male characters are weak or inconsiderate makes the women’s fight appear more justified.
Essentially, the authors have allowed their protagonists to fight against their constrictions in methods considered controversial. The struggle that these women face allows them to lead to a sense of discovery. Duffy suggests that by using the identities of myths and tales she is able to reverse the roles that are considered conventional by society. It is however, Duffy’s collection of poems that allow a wider acceptance by enthusing the audience with a familiar story, modifying and ultimately suggesting that the recognition of the ‘wife’ is as important as the man. Finally, the act of rebellion brings about change in society where the writers allow their women to win their conflict through determination and strength, choosing their humanity rather than the roles society has chosen to place us with and it is ultimately things like this that the writers want their audience to consider.