Who Was Simone De Beauvoir?
Simone De Beauvoir (1908-1986) was an existentialist philosopher (someone who thought that people were the agents of their own free will), writer and undeniably important feminist thinker. She is best known for her work The Second Sex. The partner of Jean-Paul Sartre, De Beauvoir was deeply rooted in existential thought. She debated the concepts of freedom, responsibility and identity. A long-lasting influence, Simone’s work in philosophy, literature, and feminist theory solidifies her as a highly important voice throughout the 20th century. Read on to find out the importance of The Woman Destroyed Simone De Beauvoir.
While The Second Sex solidified her philosophical reputation, De Beauvoir expressed her ideas through fiction too. She explores gender, identity and choice through novels and short stories. The Woman Destroyed is perhaps one of the most significant – examining the emotional and existential breakdown of trapped women.
Read The Woman Destroyed Simone De Beauvoir here.
What is The Woman Destroyed Simone De Beauvoir About?
The Woman Destroyed is a collection of three stories, each showing us a woman at crisis point within her life. De Beauvoir captures the collapse of these women and their identity – confronting aging, betrayal and their life choices. Their stories are not personal, but instead, represent the wider struggles of women. This collection of texts is deeply philosophical, tackling freedom, self-deception, and how womanhood is constructed. The three stories are:
- The Age of Discretion – A middle aged academic struggles against aging, her son rejecting her values and her fading relevance: both in her professional and personal life.
- Monologue – A grief-stricken woman delivers an angry monologue on New Year’s Eve. She reflects upon the loss of her daughter, failed relationships and isolation. This story exposes deep emotional and psychological wounds.
- The Woman Destroyed – The title story follows Monique, a housewife in her forties. When her husband cheats, her stable life collapses in on herself. Her identity, which was built around her family, collapses too. She realises the fragility of the foundation she was once so reliant on.
Each narrative presents us with women looking internally to question what their life has been so crucially built on. The choices they have made, the suffering endured and the existential dread suffered (the outcomes of them being entirely free to have chosen their own paths).
The Overall Argument of The Woman Destroyed Simone De Beauvoir:
The core argument The Woman Destroyed presents to us regards the societal roles forced upon women. The roles of wife and mother become traps, leaving us to question whether they truly had a choice in life or not. De Beauvoir’s characters are not victims in a simple manner – they do not seek pity. Instead, they take an active role in their own collapse, too. Internalising the definitions of womanhood themselves is their own downfall – accepting their role as ‘just a woman’ within society. The key themes of the text are:
Existential Crisis and Self-Deception
Each woman experiences a moment where her understanding of her role collapses. Each breakdown reveals how their identities are built on illusions, not reality. Social norms and person denial have led them to characterise themselves in such a way. De Beauvoir explores how deceiving themselves about happiness, purpose and importance is the true sufferings of women. Allowing yourself to be what you are told must lead to a confrontation – a collapse in everything you know.
Dependency in The Woman Destroyed Simone De Beauvoir
All three stories highlight to us the lack of active choices each woman has made. Whether an academic or a housewife, all of their identities were completely dependant on others. Their children, husbands or society defines who they truly are and this leaves them vulnerable to devastation when those relationships change or leave.
Aging and Becoming Irrelevant
She touches on the fear of becoming useless that women face. As youth or career fades, each character can only confront the void left in their wake. Their identity was bound to the needs of others – and now they are no longer needed, who they are themselves is gone too.
Questioning Gender Roles
The Woman Destroyed Simone De Beauvoir questions the role of women. They are not just limiting, but dangerous. They prevent women from seeing themselves as free beings – and instead lead them to a life of bad faith (self-deception and denying yourself freedom).
The first person format is what truly brings readers to The Woman Destroyed. It is captivating, and the monologues bring the reader into the mind of the characters. Their emotional turmoil is experienced by those in front of the pages, too. Despite being over five decades later, it still resonates with the modern day. De Beauvoir criticises identities being defined by others and shows us the catastrophic effects of it. It is unsettling, upsetting, and so important to read.
Read The Woman Destroyed Simone De Beauvoir here.
Interested in religious philosophy? Take a look at my article on Thomas Aquinas here.
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