Women as Objects in A Woman on a Roof Essay -- Doris Lessing Woman on

Wowork force as Objects in A woman on a Roof Doris Lessings A Woman on a Roof allows us to understand how any(prenominal) men view woman as mere objects for display and possession. Lessing shows how distributively of the male characters reacts and deals with rejection from a woman sunbathing on a nearby rooftop. We widen how three mens preoccupation with sex keeps them unaw be of how their advances may be unwanted and ignorant of their actions possible consequences. all in all three men share the desire to get this womans attention. Working on a rooftop of a block of flats in the hot, hot, sun, these men seek a diversion from the adamant heat. They whistle, yell, and wave at a near naked woman on a rooftop nearby, but the woman pays no mind to them. Their isolation on the rooftop and the womans relentless indignation fuels the mens decent into a world of salacious behavior, thereby creating an atmosphere of harassment and rejection. They become taunted by this womans indi fference towards them. All three men have distinctly divers(prenominal) attitudes towards the situation they have created. Each has experienced rejection from women. In fact, each displays a level of hardness that affects his attitude. They each react differently to the womans indifference and each take his efforts to different levels. Tom, the youngest, represents a primary level, a man untouched by rejection. Stanley, the instigator, clearly at a collateral level to Tom, shows a man slightly touched by rejection. Stanley hates the blows of rejection to his manhood. Harry, on the other hand, represents a final level where he considers the womans presence trivial. He is long since married and possibly has suffered many indignities with regards to the scowls of women.... ...displayed lessons learned in their attitudes. They k forward-looking when to quit. Tom took his unbridled actions all the way because he knew no better. The men return to work the next day with a new distracti on on their minds. The weather has changed suddenly and is no longer showy to sun bathers. Without the presence of the woman on the roof there are no sexual thoughts to preoccupy them. For Tom and Stanley, the consequences of their actions are forgotten and lone(prenominal) evident in their new levels of understanding. Works Cited Allen, Orphia J., Short Story Criticism. Vol 16. Ed. doubting Thomas Vottler. Detroit, MI Gale Research, Co., 1990. Atack, Margaret., Short Story Criticism. Vol 6. Ed. Thomas Vottler.Detroit, MI Gale Research, Co., 1990. Leasing, Doris. A Woman on a Roof. The Harper Anthology Fiction. Ed. Sylvan Barnet. New York HarperCollins, 1981.