I always feel that there is too much overlap between women in different eras. Even in socialist modern times, women are still in a subordinate position. No matter how hypocritical socialism is, at least it breaks private ownership and thus plays a role in improving women's autonomy. The sad thing is not that women are in the subordinate position of men, but that women are willing to be in this position, and many women improve themselves, even in order to become better accessories.
It doesn't matter how much we strive for equal status with men. The important thing is how to fight for independence. We are equal when we are completely independent of men.
But people have not always been so unequal. The Duke said "I don't make deals, I decide everything." But he also ended up saying "It's a good deal, isn't it?"
In marriage, no one is uncompromising.
I didn't notice it when I watched Atonement and Pride and Prejudice before, but now that I think about it, Keira Knightley, she's not a romance movie.
The Duchess is a complete subversion of Pride and Prejudice. One is a petty bourgeois girl, eager to enter the upper class, but she does not give up her dignity, and finally she has both emotional status. One is Bai Fumei, who married into a wealthy family early and lived a life like a prisoner.
And Atonement, a middle-class girl, just because of a misunderstanding, her lover died, and she spent the rest of her life waiting.
All the ways to explore the value of women seem to be dead ends, with no answers.
Even if there is no answer, it is good to be able to ask questions.
Questions are far more important than answers.
View more about The Duchess reviews
