Book : Mrs. Ogilvy Finds Herself

From the present point of view, people probably think that Ms. Ogilvy is quite normal and her two sisters are stupid and odd. But this story was written in July 1926. From the point of view of that time, her two sisters are normal and Ms. Ogilvy is very strange and abnormal. “ ‘I can’t understand you,’ her mother had said, ‘you’re a very odd creature – now when I was your age…’ ” Fanny keeping sneezing and both of the two sisters becoming vegetarians are significant, symbolic, and ironic. They are not only physically sick.

Fanny and Sarah are educated by their mother what women should do, for example, look “good”, since they are little. Her mother had often protested: muscles looked so appalling in evening dress – a young girl ought not to have muscles.” If they have no muscles, it probably means that they cannot exercise a lot. In contrast, Ms. Ogilvy is just like a boy. Girls should not “play with footballs and tops and occasional catapults”, “climb the tallest beech trees”, and “array in old breeches illicitly”. How women should dress is limited, too, for instance, “manly trench-boots and her forage-cap” are for men not women. “She promptly cut off her hair: ‘That’ll jar them!’ ” Also, her sisters ask and wish her to “let her hair grow again”, because “it will look less odd”. Women’s appearance and behavior is totally controlled – they should not have muscles, play men’s games, and cut off their hair. Otherwise, they will be regarded as “odd creatures”.

When the three daughters are at the age of marriage, two of them are eager to get married, except the oldest one. “There were two younger girls who also gave trouble, though in their case the trouble was fighting for husbands who were scarce enough even in those days.” Their mother takes them to the “Season” and wish they can “succeed in netting husbands.” At that time, it was very strange that women did not get married and they were supposed to get married. “Sarah and Fanny began to lean too with the full weight of endless neurotic symptoms incubated in resentful virginity.” They are too worried that they do not have husbands, and this is the expectation that the society puts on them. No doubt they become neurotic and sick in mind.

As they are adults, their work and job are limited, too. “Sarah and Fanny were soon knitting socks and mittens and mufflers and Jaeger trench-helmets. Other ladies were busily working at depots, making swabs at the Squire’s, or splints at the Parson’s; but Miss Ogilvy scowled and did none of these things – she was not at all like other ladies.” It seems that there are several rules to be “good ladies”. Those kinds of works are “ladies’ works”. “Harassed officials” and “going up to the front-line trenches” are “not in ladies way”. They cannot be “actually under the fire”, and almost no “men” will accept women to do “men’s works” but laugh at them. “To all her inquiries she received the same answer. ‘We regret that we cannot accept your offer.’ ” Women are rejected to manage.

In conclusion, Fanny and Sarah are the victims of the society. They have suffered and pressed under the social concept, and they cannot leap out of the bondage, even do not know how limited they are and what happens to them. “When Miss Ogilvy returned to her home in Surrey it was only to find that her sisters were ailing from the usual imaginary causes, and this to a woman who had seen the real thing was intolerable, so that she looked with distaste at Sarah and then at Fanny. Fanny was certainly not prepossessing, she was suffering from a spurious attack of hay fever.” They are not physically sick but mentally sick! Then they are unconsciously drifted and flushed away by the merciless social trend.