An Analysis of Female Agency and Emancipation in The Watch Tower

This essay analyzes the theme of female agency in Elizabeth Harrower's novel, The Watch Tower, focusing on the experiences of the sisters Laura and Clara. The essay examines how the characters navigate societal stereotypes, particularly those concerning women's roles and expectations, and the impact of these stereotypes on their lives. It explores the challenges faced by women in a patriarchal society and how the sisters employ different strategies to cope with these challenges. Laura's vulnerability and Clara's resilience are contrasted to illustrate various approaches to achieving personal agency and emancipation. The essay argues that while Laura struggles with depression and the limitations imposed by her circumstances, Clara's self-awareness and emotional stability enable her to resist the oppressive forces in her life and support her sister. The analysis emphasizes the importance of self-knowledge, the awareness of sexual stereotypes, and the support of other women in achieving full female agency and emancipation. The essay uses textual evidence to support its claims, examining the characters' actions and interactions to illustrate the complexities of female agency within the narrative. The essay highlights the different approaches taken by the sisters in dealing with the chauvinistic behavior of Felix, and how Clara emerges as a symbol of hope and inspiration.

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Female Agency
In the Watch Tower, the author uses two sisters to expound on the theme of female
agency. These two sisters grew up in a family where by their father was abusive to their mother,
He never established any close relationship with his daughters. Later, their father dies and their
mother pulls them out of school due to financial issues. Laura who was studying medicine could
not accomplish and realize her dreams and Clara her younger sister did not even get a chance to
know what she would have wanted to do as a career. With the departre of their mother back to
Europe, Laura took up a job and became a mother figure to her younger sister Clara. Laura gets
employed in a company where the owner, Félix, gets interested in her and asks her to marry him.
(Harrower 1991). Laura accepts this offer on the grounds that he would cater for her sister Clara.
Over the years, woman emancipation is dragged behind by stereotypes that tend to make
women unsure of themselves and pushes them into being subject to undue pain and suffering
thus losing their self-knowledge along the way. In this text the author through the actions of the
characters propounds the fact that to fully embrace female agency one must be aware of who
they are and of how much value they are as well as the stereotypes associated with the sexual
differences between men and women.

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Laura is married to a male chauvinist who gives his word during engagement and backs
out on it after he marries her. Felix scraps off Laura from his pay roll list just because he has
married her. Thus, she continues working for him for free. This is handled perfectly by Laura
who does not quit working but instead presses on. Socrates states that a life that has not been
pondered upon deeply is not a life worth living (151). Laura thought of her situation and realized
that being the only hope that Clara has, she has to keep being strong despite disappointments.
This quality of perseverance fully brings forth the theme of female agency. Woman
emancipation requires perseverance and endurance. To an extent, this strategy works for it keeps
Clara in tact however, it does not work for Laura since by taking it all in, being unable to make
new friends and having no coin to her name, she slowly gets into a depression.
To achieve full woman emancipation, one should not subject themselves to the factors of
their surrounding or environment (152). Being isolated in a big house, kept in confinement for a
long time, is enough psychological torture for both Laura and Clara. However, while Laura
succumbs to this torture and grows fearful, totally embracing her husband’s values, Clara does
not let her environment define who she is. She sees her sister being publicly humiliated but that
does not deter her personality. She picks the strategy of isolating her emotions from the events
taking place in her environment. This keeps her mind sober and protects her from being blind to
the real character of Felix. Though unable to tell her sister to abandon Felix, Clara’s emotional
stability and self-awareness gives her the strength to stand by Laura and still not loose her soul to
the wicked torture of her brother in law.
Female agency is always faced by opposition and intimidation. The stereotypes
associated with being a woman are that a woman should always be subordinate to her husband.
Their sexual differences, the fact that a man has a penis and a woman doesn’t, allows the man all

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the right to do what he feels like just to intimidate a woman (213). This is seen in how Felix
treats Laura. However, amidst it all, Clara is able to see through Felix. She realizes that he is a
chauvinist and enjoys seeing her sister suffer. As a result, out of deep love for her sister, Clara
stays with her. She gives Laura all the emotional support she needs. Thus, for female agency to
be successful, women need to support each other. It is not a one man’s show but a collective
responsibility of the entire female fraternity. This strategy works for both Laura and Clara. It
keeps them strong and more so Clara who emerges as a brave a wise lady despite the hardships.
To achieve female agency, one ought to develop thick skin. Clara does not allow herself to be
subject to social stereotypes that don’t allow women to embrace full self-knowledge (151).
In conclusion, both Laura and Clara take different approaches in their dealing with Felix.
Laura approach is too vulnerable since she lets the character and torture by Felix affect her and
drain her of all the dreams and hopes that she once had. Clara on the other hand is successful in
how she deals with Felix. She is the sign of hope in this text and the inspiration that truly, to fully
embrace emancipation, women need to be self-aware and also value themselves. They need to be
on the alert in regard to sexual stereotypes so as to know how to handle them.

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Work Cited
Harrower, Elizabeth. The Watch Tower. North Ryde, NSW: Angus & Robertson, 1991.
Print.