In the nineteenth century as well as today women depicted as the “angel” are said to be quite and passive. They were unable to speak their minds and to be active. Women were encouraged to please society and to be self-less. Women that were self-less were women without voices or said to be dead. This is where the concept of demonization comes in. Demonization is a process that relates to the idea of splitting, which is when a person splits himself or herself into a good and bad subject. When the bad self is split off it is projected on the other or the good self. If women are seen as self-less the mirror image of that or the opposite is created.

The mirror image of the angel is the “monster”. Women represented as the “monster” are selfish, active, outspoken, and naturally evil. Mons

ters are said to be responsible for the negative image on female creativity. When women are given these two roles they are silenced and limited with very little room to object. Women are given their self-image, which contains them and kills them into art. According to Gilbert and Gubar by women trying to change their physical appearance to make it more appealing shows their willingness to kill the monster within.

There are many examples in literature, movies, and paintings today where women are depicted as the angel/monster character. One example is shown in the movie “Fatal Attraction”. Michael Douglas’ character, Dan Gallagher is happily married to Ann Archer’s character, Beth Gallagher, until he has an affair with Glen Close’s character. Glen Close plays the character Alex Forrest who is an attractive workingwoman. After the affair between Alex and Dan, Alex becomes obsessively in love with Dan. Throughout the movie Alex takes on the characteristics of the “monster” tormenting and terrorizing Dan and his family. One example of Alex’s monster characteristics is her frazzled wild hair. The significance of her wildly blown hair shows how she possesses the traits of a monster as opposed to tamed, straight, smooth hair that an angel would have. Alex also resembles the mythological character Medusa. Medusa was a terrible monster in Greek mythology that was once a beautiful mai

Some topics in this essay:
Gilbert Gubar, Alex Forrest, Dan Throughout, Virginia Woolf, Looking Glass”, Attraction Beth, Beth Alex, Ann Archer’s, Susan Gubar, Medusa Alex, angel monster, looking glass”, alex forrest, gilbert gubar, “the queen’s, “the queen’s looking, queen’s looking, queen’s looking glass”, archer’s character beth, character beth, archer’s character, women portrayed, fatal attraction, according gilbert gubar, example alex’s monster,