Close Reading on The Letter by Mary Cassatt
Oddly when I first saw this painting I thought ‘why is she
eating the envelope?’. Then it was stated that she is sealing the envelope to
be sent. The painting is done by Mary Cassatt around the time of 1890 or 1891.
Her ideas of seclusion and inequality of women in society are brought to life
through her Japanese themed piece. Cassatt has painted a woman alone with her
letter, preparing to send it off. The woman is of Japanese culture due to her
patterned dress and patterned wallpaper. The lady is also made with black hair
that is a common Japanese trait. Cassatt has made her our subject and brings viewers
to think is this another woman trapped, dwindled by society?
Viewers are given another possible piece regarding seclusion
for women. Our subject is of course alone and in my opinion lost. Her eyes are
casted down, possibly over thinking her newly written letter. Stated in A Room of One’s Own, for women to
express oneself through writing she would need a private room and money. Both
items were not popular among women in this time frame as it was a male
dominated culture. “the inferiority of women, for if they were not inferior,
they would cease to enlarge.” (Wolfe 36). This quote explains how men dominate
women for men to be superior. In general, men would not exist without women,
but men take the credit for plenty. With that women were not known for anything
than being at home.
As stated before, I thought she was eating the envelope.
This comment is strange and highly unlikely, but it makes me consider what if
she did consider destroying the letter. Viewers imaginations can wander far
with what she could have written. In our previous readings in class, it was
uncommon for women to be public of their thoughts and writings. They lived in
secret due to men would judge and ridicule them. With the woman’s eyes being
cast down, did she feel anxious to send the letter? She is clearly gazing upon
it and she is alone. Was there doubt among her? Her hair is faded; we can infer
that she has experience of her world. But was her life lived?
Cassatt’s piece like most paintings leave us to imagine.
Imagine what her life was like as a Japanese woman in a time of male
domination. Cassatt adds to the remembrance of women’s old rights. This woman
had thoughts and hopefully she is getting them out through her letter. We are
able to reflect on the possibilities and strength woman hold. Women truly
dominated man even though that idea was hidden among society. I leave on this
quote “an enormous body of masculine opinion to the
effect that nothing could be expected of women intellectually." (Woolf
54). Males put down women out of fear.
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