Running head: LITERATURE ANALYSIS

Jayda Venable
Literature Analysis
English 2335
Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi

LITERATURE ANALYSIS

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Literature Analysis

Feminism is a term that can be used to describe women and their journey in gaining a
voice for themselves; the fight to move away from the traditional housewife image and stand
alone. The characters of Carole and Ruth are very similar but from different cultures. Carole
rides from chapter to chapter on the backs of Miles and Sam in What Now My Love, by Floyd
Salas, and her nonchalant, free-spirited actions are what drive this novel along. What Now My
Love is a short story about these three characters and their run to Mexico to escape cops and jail
time from a drug bust gone wrong. Ruth, on the other hand, struggles through each chapter in
People of the Whale, by Linda Hogan, in her own journey to survive alone, with a baby and
without a husband to care for her. This novel is mainly about physical, emotional, and spiritual
healing. Both of these novels are plotted in different time periods; What Now My Love is in the
year 1968, while People of the Whale is stretched over a period of time beginning in the 1960s.
Not only does the time depict a particular place in history for both of these stories and characters,
it also assists in the different ways feminism is displayed throughout the text and plays into the
actions of these characters and ultimately the lives of Carole and Ruth. The purpose of this essay
is to compare and contrast the lives of Carole from What Now My Love and Ruth from People of
the Whale. In addition this essay will discuss how the actions of these women display and reflect
feminism.
To begin with, Carole is a sassy long-legged hippie with long blonde hair. She definitely
uses her good looks to get what she wants, which is something women have been doing for
centuries. There are numerous examples throughout the text of What Now My Love that show
Carole being very aware of her body and its uses. For example, after Miles drags Carole out of
Sams apartment when an undercover cop showed up and Miles wants to drive to Mexico alone,

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or at least without Sam, Carole kisses Miles passionately and persuades him to let Sam tag along
(page 30). She used herself, her body, to convince Miles, her current lover, to let her former
lover, Sam, to join them on their run to Mexico and she succeeded. In her defense, women of the
1960s were beginning to be more risqu; starting with their clothing, the hemlines rose as well as
the demand for birth control. Women were becoming more independent and taking control of
their own lives by consuming birth control; some women even had multiple partners. Now the
text states that Carole wore a green chiffon minidress throughout the entire novel, which was
only a couple of days seeing as how the three of them didnt make it too far until trouble
inevitably found them. This minidress is important because it reflects the times of the 1960s
when women were, in fact, showing more skin. More specifically, Caroles minidress is
emphasized when the three of them stop at a gas station and a cop shows up. While Carole gets
into the short MG, she spreads her legs clear to the crotch so the cop could get his kicks if he
wanted to (page 47). This quote is important because Carole embraces her sexuality, and her
body, in an effort to distract the cop from seeing the bigger picture.
In comparison, Ruth, in People of the Whale, does not use her body in this novel, but her
voice.

This was abnormal for a woman to do in those times, seeing as how men were the

dominant figures in the household and even in politics. For example, in the text when the town
people gathered for the meeting to make a decision concerning the whale hunt, only a few
women were there to stand up and argue that it was wrong and unjust, while the men were sturdy
in their opinions and wanted the women to just say, Yes sir (page 84). However, Ruth was a
strong, outspoken woman of truth and she shows great courage throughout the novel. For
instance, at Als hotel when Ruth finds out that Lin, Thomass daughter, was in town, she went
down to the hotel, packed Lins belongings and demanded a refund of her money. Only after

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threatening to publicize the ordeal did Al comply, but with anger he replied that was why
everyone in the town hated Ruth. Although many of the town people did hate Ruth for
publicizing the meeting regarding the whale hunt, she simply stated, You know what they hate,
Al? They hate that I am honest. They hate that I believe in truth (page 222). This quote is a
very significant element in People of the Whale because, as stated earlier, Ruth is a very
outspoken woman, which is very unlike the times for a woman to do. As a result of her speaking
out at town meetings, her house, as well as her mothers, were ram sacked and items that were
both sentimental to the family and valuable to whale hunts were stolen. In addition, Ruths dog
was even murdered (page 82). Even though she faced punishment unknown, she still stood up
for what was right and thats what a lot of women did in the 1960s when they were fighting to be
in charge of their own rights.
Furthermore, in addition to gaining rights over your body and your voice, women of the 1960s
also had a hard time getting away from the me man, you woman phase. A phenomenal
example from What Now My Love is when Carole and Sam are at a bar in Mexico and Miles has
just read the newspaper revealing what had happened. After urging Carole and Sam to get up
and leave so they can get on the road again, Carole becomes agitated because, coming from the
hippie, counter-culture, she wanted to score some drugs, which they had not accomplished yet.
As a result, she was slapped across the face by Miles (page 102). This scene in What Now My
Love is important because it demonstrates that women were literally smacked around in the old
days if they were not doing as they were told or mouthing off to their husbands. Although
Carole and Miles were not married, the man in the relationship had dominance over the woman.
In contrast, Ruth, in People of the Whale, follows the traditional family order. She got
married to the love of her life, Thomas, but before she could even tell him that she was pregnant

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he had gone off to the war in Vietnam, which was currently happening in reality in the 1960s.
Ruth was left alone to raise her child without a man to take care of them (page 30). In the 1960s
women were fighting to gain individual rights of their own, unfortunately for Ruth, she had no
choice in this matter. Ruth was forced to work and maintain a stable life alone while taking care
of her child Marco. This illustrates how strong and willful Ruth was; even after she lost her
husband, then her son, then her home, she still stood up for what was just in the town.
Continuing with the similarities and differences in the sacrifices Ruth and Carole had to
make throughout the texts, both of these women lost a lot, one more so than the other. As
informed earlier, Ruth lost her husband, son, and home; on the other hand, Caroles strongminded judgment call at the end of What Now My Love is what ultimately caused her to lose her
life. After the MG crashed from almost wiping out a peddler, Miles attempted to fight off all the
Mexicans who were there to kill them, but one strayed and went towards Sam and Carole.
Carole then started screaming desperately at Sam to man up and fight, unfortunately he was
frozen by the utter chaos and she took charge (page 132). In essence, Carole did not wait for a
man to help her out any longer, and took her life into her own hands, which sadly did not work
out in her favor. However, this scene from the novel is significant because it defines Carole as
the strong, independent woman she is portrayed throughout the text.
In conclusion, even though What Now My Love is about a couple of hippies on the run to
Mexico, and People of the Whale has a deep, spiritual meaning to the text, these two novels both
share certain similarities. The fact that both of these women were brave and courageous to stand
up for themselves and also that they were both very independent and outspoken are the obvious
ones. The difference in their cultures is what makes a big difference in how their lives played
out. Although Carole was just a hippie and Ruth was only a single mother, they were both trying

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to get by in hard times just like the women of the 1960s, who were fighting for their own
personal freedom. Overall, the two novels are very different in terms of their plot and story, yet
they are tied together by the similar use of particular aspects. The way both women were
portrayed throughout the texts, and how each of them display and reflect feminism in the 1960s.

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References

Hogan, L. (2008). People of the Whale. New York, New York: W. W. Norton & Company.
Salas, F. (1994). What Now My Love. Houston, Texas: Arte Publico Press.