Zinaida Gippius and The Woman Question

Recently, in Russia and throughout the globe, the role of women has become a source of debate and confusion as many struggle to define the modern female role in society. As the "traditional housewife" standard becomes more anomalous cross-culturally, where do women fit in as citizens and as members of the workforce? This question is not unique to modern society, as evident in the writings of late nineteenth century writer Zinaida Gippius. Gippius embodied both masculine and feminine traits, challenging the traditional female role of the time and ultimately rejecting her place in society. In both her work and her personal life, Gippius rejects the traditional role of the Russian woman primarily through her disinterest in sex and, consequently, motherhood.

As Marxist ideals spread across Russia in the late Imperial Period, women took on a fundamental role as mothers in building a bourgeoning communist state. For example, when Russia faced a demographic crisis in the late 20th century, Soviet propaganda encouraged a "three-child" household. "The three child family is portrayed as a happy collective, which promotes the physical and psychological health of all its members," (Attwood 172). This proves the necessity of motherhood as the very infrastructure of Russian society. However, this dependence on women ultimately reinforced an impossible standard of perfection that is both hypocritical and unattainable. In late nineteenth-century literature (primarily male-authored), women were portrayed as ideal and pure, and were often morally stronger than her male counterparts. "The Russian heroine is generally taken as a marvelous given of nature, a being whom not only her own and her family's future, but the future hope of Russia resides," (Heldt 12). Female characters were the foil of their male counterpoints, who were typically portrayed as weak and incomplete. However, these women were not the central figures in the story: instead, they represented an ideal that could never be attained and were only meant to challenge the male protagonist. While the male characters used love as a means to further their own ideas and plans, female characters were often resigned to being moved solely by love with very little outside motivation. While the man was typically changed after experiencing this love, the female characters often suffered at the cost of their passions and were no more enlightened by the end of the affair. Gippius challenges this trope through her play The Green Ring, as Sophina embodies the characteristics of a typical female ingenue; however, her storyline is motivated by her own personal growth rather than romantic love.

Interestingly, Sophina is motivated by her support of another female character, which is anomalous of most Russian writing during this period. "In these works, where one female is always more 'perfect' than male, other female characters, invariably older ones, may be grotesquely imperfect," (Heldt 15). However, Gippius challenges this idea by creating solidarity amongst the women in The Green Ring. Sophina is never deceived by her mother's fate. She is aware that her mother fell victim to her passions years ago; however, rather than judging her mother for her actions, Sophina simply accepts them as fact and still attempts to reunite her parents. In her naivety, Sophina does not understand the importance of love in relationships and intends to do what it most practical. After discussing the situation with her father, she believes that he has understood her intentions and agreed to meet with her mother because it is simply the most practical thing to do. This highlights Gippius's view of relationships as a social convention rather than a profound connection between two people. When Sophina's intentions are misconstrued by Vozzhin, she exclaims, "Mother! Mother! You have misunderstood...I'll never leave you. I'll never go away...I swear by God, on my word of honour...it wasn't that...Mother!" (Gippius 60). This again demonstrates the importance of motherhood in Russian society, as Sophina's relationship with her mother is cited multiple times as the most important relationship in her life. Rather than abandon her mother for a man, Sophina idealistically searches for a way to compromise both parties and reunite her parents.

While these naive heroines were celebrated by Russian authors at the time, they were not reflective of the growing responsibilities of Russian women outside of the home. In fact, "nearly every major Russian writer (eg.g. Turgenev, Dostoevsky, Chekhov) managed to portray the emancipated Russian woman as a dirty, loud-mouthed, chain-smoking bore -- a character, furthermore, quite unnecessary to the plot," (Heldt 23). This highlights the ideal of the Russian wife and mother, demonizing any woman who chooses not to adhere to the traditional standard. In noting that these women were often irrelevant to the plot of these stories, these authors are highlighting the useless nature of a woman who does not adhere to the traditional role of motherhood. These women are not mothers, ergo they are not fulfilling their duty towards society and must also be amoral. Conversely, in The Green Ring, Gippius portrays a sexually liberated Russian woman who is arguably more moral than her male counterpoints.

Anna Dmitrievna is used by Vozzhin to fill the role of the woman in his life; however, he disposes of her immediately once she is no longer useful to him. Throughout the play, Anna is portrayed as a fine, upstanding woman in society. Because she is a widow, Anna is able to explore sexual relationships without the social judgement of being a traditional "mistress." After Sophina's first appearance, Uncle Mike must literally remind Vozzhin of Anna's role in his life. When Uncle Mike points out the similarities between Vozzhin's relationship with Anna and Helena's relationship with Sviridov, Vozzhin becomes immediately insulted, stating, "How dare you? How can you be so rude? My whole soul is quivering, and you..." (Gippius 22). This demonstrates the hypocrisy of Russian society, as Vozzhin continues to perceive himself as the victim despite having committed the same "crimes" as Helena. Additionally, Vozzhin's immediate refusal of Anna after Sophina reenters his life is representative of the importance of family life in Russian society. Although Vozzhin claims to have loved Anna, he does not ever question his duty towards Sophina as his main priority. This commitment towards familial duty again highlights motherhood as a woman's main function in life. Because Anna is not a mother, she is a superfluous aspect of Vozzhin's daily life.

In her essay, "The Social Basis of the Woman Question," Alexandra Kollontai discusses the women's liberation movement in Russia, noting that the movement is struggling largely due to its inability to find commonalities in women's interests in both the bourgeoise and the proletariat class. As she analyzes the changing definition of marriage throughout both classes, she repeatedly comes back to the same conclusion: The ultimate purpose of marriage is eventual motherhood. She states: "The feminists and the social reformers from the camp of the bourgeoisie, naively believing in the possibility of creating new forms of family and new types of marital relations against the dismal background of the contemporary class society, tie themselves in knots in their search for these new forms. If life itself has not vet produced these forms, it is necessary, they seem to imagine, to think them up whatever the cost. There must, they believe, be modern forms of sexual relationship which are capable of solving the complex family problem under the present social system," (Kollontai 11).

Essentially, despite the oppression of women found in marriages at the time, there is no alternative lifestyle that is able to support women without ultimately causing a new series of problems that would arise. Kollontai argues that sexual liberation would effectively ruin the economic and social status of women because the state would not be able to support them. Gippius takes a new approach towards this issue, engaging in a series of romantic affairs in her personal life without consummating her relationships (Matich 163). Thus, Gippius is able to partake in the liberation of sexual freedom; however, she does not fall burden to the realities of motherhood. "The attraction between Gippius and Merezhovsky was not sexual. This never changed. Rather it was an intellectual attraction, which developed into a lifelong ideological partnership devoted to a socioreligious cause," (Matich 166). This illuminates Gippius's personal relationships as a rebellion against oppressive Russian society, as her defiance towards sex points towards a rebellion towards her own place in society. Her marriage exists specifically as a challenge to the traditional standards of married life at the time. "Such an attachment, according to Gippius, has deeper spiritual meaning and greater potential for transforming society," (Matich 170). Therefore, Gippius has redefined the role of "woman" for herself, allowing personal autonomy through her refusal to engage in shallow sexual relationships. By maintaining a higher spiritual standard, Gippius is able to transform society herself rather than fulfill the idealized duties of motherhood.

Gippius ironically presented herself as a seductress in society, allowing her the ability to harness the power of sexual liberation without having to face the consequences of sexual affairs. "Gippius's self-description as a snake, one of the fin-de-siécle tropes of the phallic woman, especially Cleopatra, is not uncommon in her poetry," (Matich 178). In this way, Gippius reclaims her feminine sexuality by elevating it to the level of a man's, garnering the respect and social position that would have been afforded to a man of this period. Additionally, Gippius's use of the male and female voice in her poetry illuminates the commonalities between both sexes, creating a sense of equality between them that was not present in other forms of Russian literature. In Gippius's writing, the female is no longer a passing object in the male storyline. Instead, she is given her own autonomy and personal development that is equal to that of a male protagonist. Through her personal writing and her poetry, Gippius embodies both a man and a woman, effectively rejecting the traditional roles of both sexes.

In her play The Green Ring, Gippius was clearly attempting to reflect the Russian youth and their aversion towards traditional Russian society. She states, "I took the word 'Green' to signify not so much mere 'youth,' as the wider reality, growth, life-force itself, renascence," (Gippius 93). The gathering of The Green Ring is symbolic of this growth and change. In Act II, Andrew states, "All the young people of previous generations felt of a sudden that they were cleverer than anybody. But we are the new young people. We are aware of ourselves," (Gippius 29). This illuminates the youth's desire to be different from their ancestors, hinting towards a desire to rebel. Ironically, in assuming that they themselves are self-aware, they do not allow for anybody else to offer criticisms of their group, essentially proving the futility of their efforts. In response to Andrew's comment, Volodya states, "Yes It is awfully strange that all previous generations never failed to make identically the same mistake," (Gippius 30). Once again, Gippius highlights the cyclical nature of humanity and our ignorance towards our own shortcomings.

Eventually, as the conversation turns to sex, Gippius highlights her own views. Nick says, "We decided as regards to sex in the psychological sense that abstinence is best," (Gippius 32). The group recognizes the difference between sex and love, ultimately giving spiritual value to love while placing no inherent value on sex. Sex is invaluable because it highlights a natural impulse rather than a spiritual impulse, which is superfluous in their desire to grow. Roussya says, "If the soul is empty, old and weak, then it is useless to struggle against physics," (Gippius 34). Therefore, if one is able to strengthen their soul, then they will be able to overcome their physical desires for natural life experiences such as sex and death. Finotchka later reflects this philosophy when she says to her mother, "We don't know our fate. We can't decide our sections beforehand...But as long as we have strength we should bear our cross," (Gippius 63). The notion of spiritual strength is reflective of Soviet society during this period, as Russian people often felt robbed of their personal autonomy and were simply made to "bear the cross" of the state. In maintaining their spiritual strength, The Green Ring is able to regain their autonomy and rebel against the powers that be by refusing to adhere to their natural desires.

Gippius does not actively denounce motherhood in The Green Ring. In Act IV, Roussya states, "We don't deceive ourselves. We quite realise that all this...love, marriage, the family, children, and all that, is terribly important, madly important, enormously important. And...somehow just now it isn't very important. I mean there is no time for all that now," (Gippius 72). Here, Gippius is both mocking the societal importance of procreation while simultaneously recognizing its value. She implies that the youth may not maintain their disinterest in sex, and may go on to procreate later in life. In stating, "There is no time for all that now," she highlights the importance of the individual life beyond creating a family. In this sense, by rejecting sex The Green Ring has regained their autonomy simply by assigning value to their individual lives. This statement also serves to illuminate the rebellious nature of this action, as if to say that the youth will be interested in having children once the state of the world has improved.

Finally, Gippius comments on the nature of marriage as a social construct in Sophina's marriage to Uncle Mike. Uncle Mike acts as a superfluous man throughout the plot, complimenting Sophina's archetypical heroine. While he has "lost his taste for life," Uncle Mike is still clearly intellectually engaged in his surroundings and remains committed to fulfilling his duty in society. By acting as a source of knowledge for The Green Ring, he, too, has granted himself autonomy by assigning a purpose in his life. However, when he is presented with the opportunity to fulfill a logistic purpose by marrying Sophina, he initially laughs and dismisses the plan as impractical. Serge states, "I understand...It isn't quite...as it ought to be, but it is impossible to do anything -- anything in life so that it is perfect through and through from every point of view!" (Gippius 85). This illuminates the idea that no marriage is going to be perfect, but at least this union can provide a purpose. This again relates to Gippius's personal life: While her marriage was devoid of sexual intimacy, it provided a socioreligious purpose that was far greater than any romantic love.

Throughout history, women have struggled to define themselves without the burden of motherhood. As women fight for their equality across the globe, the importance of procreation is an undeniably fundamental aspect of womanhood; however, it cannot be labeled as the sole purpose for female life. Through her writing and her personal life, Gippius challenged what it means to be a woman, essentially disregarding motherhood and gender altogether in a rebellious stance against traditional Russian society.

Works Cited

Attwood, Lynne. The New Soviet Man and Woman: Sex Role Socialization in the USSR. Indiana

University Press, 1990.

Gippius, Z. N. The Green Ring A Play in Four Acts. Translated by S. S. Koteliansky, London,

1920.

Heldt, Barbara. Terrible Perfection: Women and Russial Literature. Indiana University Press,

1992, www.iupress.indiana.edu/product_info.php?products_id=20465.

Kollontai, Alexandra. “The Social Basis of the Woman Question.” Marxist, www.marxists.org/

archive/kollonta/1909/social-basis.htm.

Matich, O..Erotic Utopia: The Decadent Imagination in Russia's Fin de Siecle. Madison:

University of Wisconsin Press, 2005. Project MUSE.