The World Against Women in "Sleep"

 I quite liked "Sleep", initially because it was told from the perspective of a woman, and then because of the philosophical and dark turns it takes throughout the story. From the beginning, she tells the reader that she has gone without sleep for 17 days, and then relates the story of the first time she went without sleep, seemingly diverging from the main story. But at the end, she tells the reader about a boyfriend she had around the same time, who she refused, but can't seem to remember the rest of the story, underscoring the memory with implications of sexual assault that may have led to her initial insomnia. Then also, as the story goes on, her unhappiness in her marriage becomes clearer. Her husband pays little attention to her, not giving her what she needs in life, and she realizes that one day her son will do the same, continuing a cycle of patriarchy that she found herself stuck in the past few years. I think her thoughts on death, that it could either be eternal rest of eternal wakefulness were interesting, relate to this cycle, as she comes to realize that even if she is at rest (ignorant of her own unhappiness and her family's treatment) or awake (aware of it), she cannot escape. Even if she finds reprieve in doing her own thing while everyone is sleeping, she must return to the monotony of her normal life. When she finds herself stuck in the car, it feels like she really realizes how helpless and stuck she is, that even if she tries to assume power and independence as a woman by reading and eating chocolate, she can't get out of the "little box". Interestingly, the policeman tells her that three young men killed a man and raped a woman, and when she sets out at night, she tries to look like a man ("I look like a boy. Good"), trying to assume the fate of the man rather than the woman, as though rape were a worse fate than death. From someone who seems to have experienced sexual assault before, her actions seem especially resonant, as she would rather die than be left to deal with the pain of her life. Also after reading The Awakening, which involves Mrs. Pontellier realizing a same sense of isolation and misery within her marriage which leads to her suicide, these works seem to hold heavy critiques of the effects of misogyny and violence on women. The events themselves are not obvious, such as her husband not defending her against her mother or Mr. Pontellier's sexist remarks at the dinner table, but they take a toll on the women experiencing them, as they realize there is not a place in the world where they can escape the oppression that permeates their daily lives. 

- Alice Liao