Kelli Flieth

Engl 331
Dr. Bertolini
19 February, 2014
The Angelic Whore:Dichotomy in Housekeeping and Nervous Conditions
In nineteenth century British and American Literature, poets and novelists often portrayed
pairs of women as central elements of their work (Gilbert & Gubar, 168). These women, one of
whom was successful and one who was not, served to warn against the perils of female
insubordination (Gilbert & Gubar, 170). It is not uncommon for modern works to play on this
same trope. Some novels, such as Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga and Housekeeping
by Marilynne Robinson, subvert the trope of the angel and the whore. In Nervous Conditions,
cousins Tambu and Nyasha both seek to liberate themselves from the oppressive patriarchy they
were born into. Their methods differ, and it is in the result of these differences that we see a
warning against certain types of rebellion. In Housekeeping, sisters Ruthie and Lucille both
search for identity in a world that gives them few options. Here, the trope is turned on its head,
warning against the psychological perils of adhering to others' idea of success.
Tambu and Nyasha are both trapped in a world that believes their gender makes them
lesser humans. They are expected to obey men, and the ultimate goal for Rhodesian women is
marriage. Nyasha rebels against her patriarchal parents directly. By staying out late with boys
(Dangarembga, 114) and smoking cigarettes (Dangarembga, 85), Nyasha proves herself to
represent the whore in the dichotomy. She fights for the same freedom from oppression as
Tambu, but her methods are portrayed as insolence and disrespect (Dangarembga, 101). Rather
than emancipating herself, Nyasha develops an eating disorder and must stay in the hospital

(Dangarembga, 206). Tambu, on the other hand, is more subtle with her methods. After moving
in with Babamukuru, she becomes a voracious reader (Dangarembga, 94), does not openly rebel,
and takes an exam to attend a prestigious boarding school (Dangarembga, 181). Unlike Nyasha,
Tambu successfully emancipates herself. It is clear from this reading that, while female
insubordination is desirable, some methods are preferable to others.
In looking at Housekeeping, it is not clear right away which sister is more successful. It is
primarily subjective, and relies heavily on the reader's perspective. I think that Ruthie is the more
successful sister. This is especially interesting because it flips the old Victorian trope on its head.
Rather than glorifying the socially-acceptable, self-sacrificial woman, we see Ruthie abandon the
expectations of others in favor of coming into herself. In contrast, Lucille is so concerned about
what other people think that she stops going to school (Robinson, 77) after being accused of
cheating. She pulls all the sequins off the toes of the blue velveteen ballet slippers Sylvie
bought (Robinson, 92-93), being of the common persuasion (Robinson, 93). Eventually, she
moves in with her home economics teacher (Robinson, 140). While Ruthie assumes that Lucille
later married, her fate is left unknown (Robinson, 217). In this way, Lucille seems to vanish, as if
working so hard to fit someone else's idea of success removed her from existence. Ruthie, on the
other hand, becomes an experience. After the sheriff threatens to take Ruthie from Sylvie, the
two of them burn the house down (Robinson, 208) and escape by crossing the bridge (Robinson,
210). They are assumed drowned (Robinson, 213) and become travelers (Robinson, 216). They
move in and out of towns and the lives of the people they meet. Ruthie seems happy with this
arrangement: I like to overhear the stories strangers tell each other, and I like the fastidious
pleasure solitary people take in the smallest details of their small comforts (Robinson, 214). In
rejecting society and being true to herself, Ruthie finds a level of contentment many people only

dream about.
The warnings given by these novels may differ, but what they say about the state of
women is the same. Women have internalized the patriarchal expectations placed on us, and it is
easy for those expectations to destroy us (both physically and psychologically). Nyasha's eating
disorder, Tambu's acceptance of novicehood, Ruthie becoming a transient, and Lucille vanishing
from her sister's life are all reactions to the pressures of a patriarchal society. The novels differ in
their solutions, however. Nervous Conditions suggests the grin-and-bear-it approach, which is
used by Tambu. Housekeeping is more radical, suggesting that it is perhaps better to abandon an
oppressive society, as shown by Sylvie and Ruthie. While things have changed for women since
Rousseau declared that the whole education of women ought to be relative to men (Gilbert &
Gubar, 168), it is clear that we still have a long way to go.

Works Cited
Dangarembga, Tsitsi. Nervous Conditions. Oxfordsire: Ayebia Clark Publishing Ltd, 2004. Print.
Robinson, Marilynee. Housekeeping. New York: Picador. 1980. Print.
Gilbert, Sandra and Gubar, Susan. "Introduction to the Nineteenth Century: The Ideology of
Femininity." The Norton Anthology of Literature by Women. New York: WW Norton and Co.,
1985. pp 168-71.