Emily Currie    

Class of ’15       

English-Writing Track

Interpersonal Communications Minor

The Two Faces of Speciesism: Patriarchy and Oppression of Women in Margaret Atwood's The Edible Woman

     Feminist-vegetarian theory affirms the idea that speciesism, the assumption of human superiority, leads to the exploitation of nonhuman animals, assisting patriarchy and serving as a catalyst for the oppression of women. In her ground-breaking book, The Sexual Politics of Meat, Carol J. Adams argues that there is a cycle of objectification, fragmentation and consumption of women as well as animals. Adams explains that the purpose of this cycle is to distance oneself from a being in order to oppress it and, ultimately, consume it.

     This essay presents a close reading of Margaret Atwood’s The Edible Woman through a critique of speciesism, supported by Adams’ theories as well as those of other feminist and animal rights activist scholars. Specifically, I will explore how men in today’s society dominate and control women’s lives, often wearing the disguise of masculine chivalry. I argue that socially-constructed gender roles play an important role in the novel, upholding the societal fallacy of speciesism, resulting in the debasement of Marian, the narrator of The Edible Woman. I will also address how Marian’s body reveals what she is not empowered to verbalize by rejecting meat and dairy products.  This rejection is a bold stand against Peter’s patriarchal dominance.