"Regardless of what we might think of our gender, we can only experience that gender through the body we have." plagiarism. Get an essay tailored on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Through Sharon Pollock's play, Blood Relations, the plot focuses on the life of Lizzie Borden and her everyday experience as a woman who doesn't conforms to female expectations. The play is set in the late 19th century, a time when women were seen as a subordinate group within society roles, however, were created by the men of society. Lizzie is forced to conform to the female gender role simply because she has the body of an ideological woman in an attempt to change what it means to be a woman in her society. As the protagonist of the play, Lizzie Borden confronts the stereotypes of women of her era . She was born and raised in the nineteenth century, when women were expected to be compliant daughters, obedient wives and housewives. Lizzie, however, refuses to conform to those social conventions despite the body she was born into. She is very stubborn throughout the play; his constant battle against social norms narrows his life and ultimately leads to the murder of his parents. Throughout the play, the convention of “being a lady” causes conflict between Lizzie and those around her, especially Mrs. Borden: “She is incapable of disciplining herself like a lady and we all know it” (Pollock, 22). Mrs. Borden constantly torments Lizzie throughout the show because Lizzie does not conform to female gender roles. From the beginning of the play, it is evident that the women were faced with clearly defined boundaries that they were unable to cross. Mr. Borden, Lizzie's father, refers to keeping women in line as a task similar to "training horses": Now, Andrew, I've spent my life raising horses and I'll tell you one thing: a woman is just like a horse! Keep her under control, otherwise she will get the grip between her teeth and next thing you know, the road, the destination and the purpose will all be behind you, and you will be lucky if she doesn't throw you right into a sewer canal.Mr. Borden believes that men should keep their women in line to prevent them from interfering with their "man's world". Being born into a woman's body during the nineteenth century limited the options available to an individual: women were not allowed to do what men could do. Lizzie, however, often refuses to do what the men around her tell her to do. The constant disagreement between Lizzie and her father makes it clear that she refuses to adhere to social conventions. Lizzie is constantly forced to listen to her father bring up the idea of ​​marriage: “Listen to me, Lizzie…I'm choosing my words and I want you to listen. Now… in most cases… a woman your age would be married, huh? Having children, managing your own home. It's the natural thing, huh? [Pause.] Eh, Lizzie?” Since Lizzie is a woman, it is “natural” for her to conform to the conventions of marriage even if she is not interested in the suitor, such as Johnny MacLeod, an old widower. This convention appears to be rather one-sided: Harry, Mrs. Borden's brother, does not appear to be married, nor is he being forced to marry. Instead, he is praised for not having had children: “You're lucky you never gave birth to children” (32). Because Lizzie was born a girl, however, she is considered a failure for the very thing Harry is praised for. Lizzie, however, refuses to marry someone just for the sake of it. It's not something he feels naturally and thatin the end he won't do it despite wanting to please his father."Dad? ...Dad, I love you. I try to be what you want, really, I try...but...I don't want to get married. I wouldn't be a good mother, I ...” The idea of ​​being forced into motherhood is not something that comes naturally to Lizzie; she doesn't have the nurturing maternal instinct that she believes women destined to become mothers should have to marry Johnny MacLeod, Lizzie rejects the idea and says she does not want to get married or take on the role of "housekeeper". Lizzie's natural instincts prevent her from "performing" what everyone else expects of her something is different about herself than the other women around her. She sees that she is nothing like her sister Emily, who is completely compliant and often adheres to social norms about what it means to be a woman. Because of the contrast between Lizzie, Emily and even Mrs. Borden, Lizzie questions herself and wonders if there might be something wrong with her: Do you think there is a formula, a magic formula for being a "woman"? Just think that every little girl receives it at birth, it's the last thing that happens just before birth, the magic formula is indelibly imprinted in the brain Ka Thud!! [...] and due to some terrible oversight... perhaps my mother's death... I didn't understand that Ka Thud!! I was born... defective. This quote describes Lizzie perfectly throughout the play. She was born into a body and given a socially constructed role for which she is not suited. All the women around her have a certain perception of what it means to be a woman. Lizzie, however, challenges all these social conventions, not out of spite, but because it doesn't come naturally to her to behave as society expects her to. Even though she tries to make her father happy, the part of her that rejects these social norms leads her to believe that she is defective, that she can only be considered normal by fitting into the gender role she was assigned when she was born female. . This quote leads the audience to believe that those who do not fit into the neat categories of all-male or all-female are “different” and should be considered “outsiders.” Lizzie is segregated throughout the play to the point that she feels alienated from even the closest members of her family. This segregation by Lizzie's family leaves her with more resentment and only pushes her further away from her assigned gender role. Of course, at the end of the 19th century, women could not work, nor did they have the opportunity to live alone away from the family. On the contrary, this is all Lizzie wants: Lizzie: I want to get out of this... I hate this house, I hate... I want to get out. Try to understand how I feel. Why can't I do something... Huh? I mean… could I… could I come into your office… could I… learn to keep books? Borden: For God's sake, talk sense. Lizzie absolutely doesn't like living at home with the same people who keep her from being herself; she desperately needs to free herself from the world she is confined to. Although Lizzie appreciates the material comforts her family offers her, she ultimately craves acceptance and encouragement to live her life freely. Instead, Mr. Borden constantly tells Lizzie to get a move on and "think sensibly," as if what he's saying is completely ridiculous. At the time, though, Lizzie's dreams were a little far-fetched. As a woman, she only had what her father or husband gave her. Lizzie's nonconformity hinders her ability to have what her father would naturally have given her. She loses her property rights to Harry and her inheritance slowly diminishes as she rejects the idea of ​​marriage. It's as if the rejection of gender roles aside..