Stanfield 1

Kelsey Stanfield

Dr. Barry Devine

LIT 350

12 December 2023

Empowered Women Empower Women:

An Exploration of Female Autonomy in Eggshells and Lolly Willowes
Women are no strangers to the social pressure to conform. Whether it is a snide yet

motherly, “Are you really wearing that?” comment, images of thin, domesticated women that

plague social media, the familiar tales of the beautiful sleeping princess that cannot complain

when men kiss her unconscious lips, gender and social norms are acknowledged, imposed, and

enforced daily. Should a woman dare to defy these norms, and, God forbid, be unladylike, there

are repercussions in the forms of ostracization and demonization. However, when women, in

spite of these social consequences, defy such norms, they move toward becoming autonomous

agents and subsequently encourage the autonomy of their peers. Lolly Willowes; or The Loving

Huntsman (1926) by Sylvia Townsend Warner and Eggshells (2014) by Caitriona Lally

demonstrate how female autonomy and the defiance of gendered and social norms are both

hindered and bolstered through the social and cultural influence of family, belief in supernatural

forces, and queer kinship.

Lolly Willowes follows Laura “Aunt Lolly” Willowes over the span of her lifetime. After

the loss of her father, whom she adored, Laura moves in with her brother Henry in London. She

soon finds herself to be a secondary homemaker alongside Henry’s wife, Caroline. However, this

life is entirely displeasing to Laura. She is unable to keep as tidy as Caroline, and she often finds

herself envisioning another life for herself. After picking up a guidebook for a rural area on a
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whim that is later revealed to be imposed by the subtle influence of Satan, Laura decides to make

a life of her own and move to the village of Great Mop. Although her family was shocked and

incredibly displeased with her decision, aside from her nephew, Titus, they eventually indulge

Laura and help relocate her to Great Mop. Laura befriends several locals who are later revealed

to be witches and warlocks, and she is soon joined by Titus, whom she had once adored, but now

begins to feel stifled by. During this time, Laura discovers a kitten who she names Vinegar, and

after being bitten by him, realizes she is a witch and Vinegar is her familiar. She makes a pact

with the devil in exchange for him to remove Titus from her life and at last free her from her

domestic responsibilities as a woman. The novel ends as Laura finally encounters Satan in

person and acknowledges that she now belongs to him, though, notably, she feels indifferent

about their arrangement.

Contrastingly, Eggshells is a condensed novel documenting a short period of time in the

life of the protagonist, Vivian. Vivian is an eccentric woman who lives alone in the home of her

deceased great-aunt, and she often entertains herself by exploring the city of Dublin. The purpose

of her endeavors, though, is to return to the fairy Otherworld as she believes she is a changeling.

She tries to uncover “thin places,” or areas in Dublin that serve as a portal to the fairy world.

Throughout the novel, it is revealed that Vivian was brought up alongside her sister, also named

Vivian, to believe that she is a changeling. Slowly, the reader learns of her abusive family and

how they impacted Vivian’s present life. However, in spite of the strained relationships with her

family members, Vivian develops a strong friendship with Penelope, whose real name is Elaine,

after placing an ad for a friend named Penelope. Though Vivian does not pay much attention to

Penelope when she discloses her traumatic past, the reader is aware that Penelope and Vivian

come from similar backgrounds. Ultimately, Vivian shares her changeling beliefs with Penelope,
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and the novel ends with the pair making arrangements to visit another one of Vivian’s suspected

“thin places.” Although both Eggshells and Lolly Willowes originate from different time periods

and take place in vastly different settings and contexts almost one hundred years apart, both

share a female protagonist who defies gender norms and is heavily influenced by their

upbringing, their belief in the supernatural, and the friendships they form with others. For that

reason, the novels lend themselves to an in-depth examination of female autonomy.

When considering the protagonists’ autonomy, it is critical to understand the feminist

perspective of autonomy. As summarized by Marilyn Friedman, a feminist social philosopher,

the traditional philosophical perspective of autonomy is believed to be the ability to choose and

live “according to standards or values that are, in some plausible sense, one’s ‘own’” (37).

However, as Friedman distinguishes, the modern feminist perspective of autonomy is that

autonomy cannot solely exist amongst individuals who are “social atoms,” or those who live

entirely apart from society (41). Instead, a feminist perspective of personal autonomy elaborates

on the idea that an individual has the right to reflect on self-understanding and act in accordance

with their critically self-selected morals without coercion or manipulation from others. Friedman

explains that women are socialized to define themselves based on their relationships with others

and the quality of those relationships, so a woman’s autonomy can no longer mean that they are a

social atom, or totally independent, but rather that they can maintain relationships and exist in

society with an acknowledgment of their social influences and critical self-reflection (40-41).

Thus, a truly autonomous woman is one who is able to reflect on her relationships as well as the

communities she is a part of while maintaining her ability to make and reflect on her own

decisions without the influence of others. As argued by political philosopher Linda Barclay,

“Autonomous agency does not imply that one mysteriously escapes altogether from social
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influence but rather that one is able to fashion a certain response to it” (Barclay 54). In other

words, Barclay claims that women’s autonomy is defined by their ability to respond

independently to social institutions and those with whom they share relationships rather than

removing themselves from those influences altogether. It becomes important, then, when

examining if a woman is truly autonomous, to determine if she responds to social influences and

engages in reflectivity of herself and others. One of the most impactful social influences for

women to respond to are their families, as families often reflect the values of larger sociocultural

influences and provide a structure to women’s lives in which these values are ingrained.

Though Laura and Vivian originate from vastly different families, their perceptions of

themselves and their autonomy are undeniably influenced by their families. While Laura is

discontented with her social role, she never outwardly questions her participation in presuming

it. Laura struggles with homemaking when she moves in with Caroline and Henry, and she often

finds it to be an unsatisfactory practice. However, Laura is compelled by her social relationships

to do so anyway and accept the cultural values set forth before her without questioning why they

are imposed, just as the long line of Willowes who preceded her had. As Laura’s narrator states,

“Caroline never sat with idle hands; she would knit, or darn, or do useful needlework. Laura

could not sit opposite her and do nothing. There was no useful needlework for her to do,

Caroline did it all, so Laura was driven to embroidery" (Warner 23). In other instances, Laura

continues to serve Caroline, Henry, and their children without question. Though Laura can

recognize that her independence is impeded upon, she is complicit in the limiting of her agency.

At the end of her vacation with her family, the narrator reflects, “[Laura] would have liked to go

by herself for long walks inland and find strange herbs, but she was too useful to be allowed to

stray" (Warner 28). Laura understands her limitation, but she initially does not fight against its
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enforcement or question her limitation in the first place. Further, members of her same gender

seek to limit Laura’s social role in spite of being limited by gender roles themselves. Religious

scholar Per Faxneld notes, “Women, as the example of Laura's sister-in-law shows, are

instrumental in imposing the demands of patriarchy on other members of their sex” (Faxneld

473). Both Caroline and Laura comply with the housewife demands of patriarchy, neither

questioning why. While Caroline seems to enjoy this life for herself, she is willing to impose it

on Laura, who visibly does not, through methods such as arranging marital prospects for Laura.

Thus, Faxneld’s interpretation of Caroline yielding her own autonomy and restricting Laura’s

unquestioningly effectively represents the power of interpellation by a patriarchal society and its

social structures and the role hegemony plays in the perpetuated oppression of the oppressed by

the oppressed. If Caroline, Laura’s only living female kin and arguably the most influential

woman in Laura’s life, had questioned her own adherence to gender roles, or, at least, her

decision to bind Laura to the same gender roles, it is likely Laura would have gained more

self-autonomy prior to her departure from society. Conversely, in Eggshells, Vivian suffers the

limitation of her autonomy by her family without their present direct influence.

Vivian’s parents are long deceased, but her family’s influence on her autonomy has left

her physically and mentally scarred. Vivian’s defiance of social norms that are hinted to have

been long persistent throughout her lifetime, indicating that she may be neurodivergent, but her

family has believed her uncontrollable differences to be an indication that she is a changeling, or

a mutant from the fairy world that has replaced their true, human daughter (Lally 250). Vivian

reveals that her family, especially her father, has attempted to return Vivian to the fairy world

through methods that can only be described as child abuse. As Vivian admits to her friend

Penelope, her father had tried to “send her back” by drowning her twice and setting her on fire
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once (Lally 251). Though these cruel methods did not work, the extreme measures taken by

Vivian’s family to enforce her normality scarred Vivian’s sense of autonomy. She is truly

convinced that she is a changeling, and she will stop at nothing to find the world in which she fits

in. Describing her habit of traveling around Dublin, Vivian remarks, “... I decided to visit my thin

places — places in which nonhumans might live, potential gateways to the world I came from.

My parents used force to try to shunt me back to this other world; I will use willing” (Lally 31).

It is likely that Vivian’s ability to reflect on her actions and the actions of her parents has been

irreparably damaged by their physical abuse, stripping away her autonomy and ability to

question a poor explanation for such intensive abuse. However, though she is unable to question

the belief instilled in her, Vivian does demonstrate self-reflexivity by questioning her parents’

methods by which they tried to send her back. This ultimately leads to Vivian’s reflection on her

family, noting, “I realized that I don't miss being in a family, the clutch and the cling of it, the

hold they have over you...” (Lally 157). Vivian cannot shake the belief that she is a changeling

that has been traumatically instilled in her, but she does demonstrate autonomous thinking by

rejecting the societal idea that family is a necessity and recognizing her treatment was

reprehensible. Further, her and her family’s belief in the supernatural serves as an explanation of

Vivian’s defiance of gender norms while still functioning to limit and define her autonomy.

Though much is unknown about Vivian’s childhood behavior, her adulthood behavior is

indicative that her defiance of social and gender norms stems from neurodivergence. Vivian is a

woman who lives on her own, is unemployed, has no suitors, and keeps an untidy house. In all

senses of the term, she is “unladylike.” As proposed by contemporary Irish literature scholar

Molly Ferguson, “Vivian’s failure to internalize gendered norms of femininity becomes an

indicator of her difference – in the tale she is the changeling trying to return to the Otherworld,
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not the young woman refusing food so that she can return home” (Ferguson 301). As argued by

Ferguson, Vivian’s identity as a changeling serves as an explanation for why she does not

shower, lives happily alongside rodents, serves her guests food with her hands, peels mold off of

the teapot and still uses it without cleaning it, and is rough with children. Though these actions

directly counter that of how a woman is expected to behave, her changeling status serves as an

explanation for her behavior. To build upon Ferguson’s argument, these same behaviors are

common symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). As documented by Adult Autism

Center Clinical Director Heather Davis, women who have ASD are often resistant to touching,

such as when Vivian wishes for Penelope to get off of her when Penelope seeks consoling;

unable to express emotions, such as when Vivian is unsure of how to console Penelope on

another occasion in which she is upset or an explanation for her matter-of-fact description of her

abuse; develop personal rituals, like Vivian’s Otherworld search; and fixate on objects, such as

Vivian’s fixation on lemons and acquisition of a “Lemonfish.” Women who have ASD may

struggle with autonomy due to their desire to fit in, attempting to conform to a world that they,

like Vivian, cannot understand from an insider perspective. As revealed through recent research

on women with ASD chronicled by Davis, women are more likely than men to strive to fit in

with their peers and attempt to do so by mimicking behaviors. Vivian may directly counteract the

behavior expected of a woman by society, but she simultaneously strives to fit in. This action is

almost paradoxical; she believes this world is not her own and knows she does not fit in, but she

also engages in behavior she does not understand without question. At a fish bar, Vivian interacts

with the cashier and notes, “I throw my eyes up to heaven and give a little snort, The way I've

seen women do when they talk about their boyfriends and husbands” (Lally 14). This interaction

showcases that Vivian is able to question the world around her to an extent, which leads her to
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the only plausible explanation: she is a changeling. However, she does not question the world at

large and why these social norms exist in the first place. Vivian is then in an autonomous liminal

space as an agent capable of making her own decisions but unable to question her beliefs. Even

still, her status as a changeling permits her to act freely without much restriction from the world

around her.

Changelings have long since been a part of Irish folklore as an explanation for people

who have deviated from the norm, giving such individuals a limited ability to exist without the

policing of others. Originally, the changeling myth began as an explanation for physical

deformities or social impairments among children. As uncovered by social behavior expert Julie

Leask and colleagues, “... the [changeling] stories explained the birth of disabled children in

non-scientific cultures. The legends were society’s attempt to make sense of, and cope with,

child disability, providing a coherent explanation for its occurrence” (Leask 271). While Vivian’s

autonomy is notably forcibly restricted by her parents due to the belief she is a changeling, it also

serves as a means to preserve her autonomy as her changeling status allows others to accept her

differences. Vivian can act according to her own values that differ from those widely held due to

her fairy status. Though her nosy neighbors often voice their opinions regarding Vivian’s

lifestyle, they often cede and allow her to make her own decisions. As her neighbor Bernie tells

her, “Vivian, sometimes I think you're away with the fairies” (Lally 225). This remark serves as

evidence that the culturally held notion of the changeling serves as an explanation for Vivian’s

defiance of social norms, granting her the ability to act in accordance with her own will with

little restraint from others, aside from the horrific actions taken by her parents. In fact, the

cultural myth of changelings may in some ways empower women to reclaim their autonomy.
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While changelings are often described as humans who appear to have physical or mental

impairments, the tale has also been used to describe children who disobey their parents. From a

philosophical perspective, though their actions are their own, it is uncertain whether children can

critically reflect on their actions and choose their own morals. However, if a child is to presume

they are an agent of their own and act counter to the teachings or expectations of their parents,

they are considered to be a changeling. Folklore critic Adam Lawrence remarks of the

changeling tale, “Because fairies lead lives parallel to humans, the changeling legend’s

exploration of community was also specifically linked to themes of insubordination, disease,

disability, and unaccountable species change” (91). Leask et al. assume that the changeling

legend serves society as a means to explain children who do not follow the governance of their

parents and grants them some allowance to do so as the changeling status is beyond their control,

similar to how Vivian is permitted to exercise and reflect on her own actions with little restriction

from others. To demonstrate the link between women’s autonomy, or, women’s insubordinance,

and changeling status, writers have employed the legend as a means for their characters to

escape. As Ferguson writes, “Today, Irish women writers such as... Lally draw from changeling

legend to challenge the family and the home as violent systems and to suggest a parallel, magical

world of chosen kinship for disobedient daughters” (Ferguson 298). Reiterated by Ferguson, the

belief in changelings may have restricted Vivian’s autonomy in some ways, but it also

encourages her reflection on social structures and allows her to operate according to her own will

within Irish society. Similarly, in Lolly Willowes, Laura’s status as a witch serves as a means to

encourage but ultimately limit her autonomy.

Just as Vivian experiences disenfranchisement due to her neurodivergence and disregard

for social and gender norms, Laura is often separated from her peers due to her deviance from
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traditional womanhood. Laura is notably an unmarried woman who declines or sabotages her

own marital prospects, and she despises the domesticity that Caroline seems to embrace. Her

existence alone as a middle-aged single woman in the 1920s is a testament to her defiance. Kate

Macdonald, a literary historian, argues that Warner’s intention when penning Lolly Willowes was

to depict an autonomous woman. “Warner...asks her readers to consider whether not going to

church, not living with one’s family, and not going to bed at night might yet be acceptable

behavior ... a single woman might wish to live alone, to have privacy, to have time to spend as

she wanted, and to be listened to when she had something to say” (Macdonald 226). Like Lally,

Macdonald argues that Warner sought kinship for Laura amongst other disobedient women.

Laura’s defiant actions, at the surface level, depict autonomous thinking. She acts according to

her own will and belief, in spite of the influence of those around her and the world at large. Even

still, Laura can recognize the strength of her social ties. Laura later laments Titus joining her in

Great Mop, but she originally felt disappointed that her self-reflective decision to move did not

entice her family. The narrator remarks of Laura’s proclamation to move to Great Mop, “It did

not look, just then, as if anyone else wanted to come and stay with her... But Titus was as

sympathetic as she had hoped. They spent the rest of the evening telling each other how she

would live... Henry took heart. He rallied Laura, supposing that when she lived at Great Mop she

would start hunting for catnip again, and become the village witch" (Warner 39). Laura seemed

to understand, albeit just for a moment, that she could make her own autonomous decision and

still engage in the relationships she felt were significant, such as a theoretical autonomous

woman could. Later, though, Laura comes to despise Titus intruding upon her venture to Great

Mop. Laura’s witch-hood, which compels her to go to Great Mop and secures her first
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autonomous decision, is ultimately what removes her autonomy and separates her from the

relationships which she once had derived joy from.

In contrast to Vivian, who is insinuated to pursue autonomy alongside Penelope under her

changeling status, Laura’s status as a witch ultimately grants her autonomous wish before

stripping her of her own ability to be autonomous. Laura’s introduction to witch-hood begins

after Satan quietly but relentlessly pursues her, admittingly having drawn her to Great Mop.

Laura is honored by this pursuit, and remarks, “We [women] have more need of you. Women

have such vivid imaginations, and lead such dull lives. Their pleasure in life is so soon over; they

are so dependent upon others, and their dependence so soon becomes a nuisance" (Warner 78).

Laura admits to Satan that her lack of freedom to pursue her true interests drove her to Satan to

grant her autonomy. As noted by Laura, women are often consorts of Satan due to their lack of

social power and the freedom he offers, and their imaginations bring them to him. Women’s

imaginations are shaped by available imagery, according to feminist philosopher Catriona

Mackenzie, and representations are how women’s self-understanding interacts with those

imageries. Due to social recognition, these representations are the focus of women’s

imaginations (Mackenzie 144). Women, consistently throughout literature and other forms of

rhetoric, are portrayed to be witches when they defy social norms and reject gendered standards.

Therefore, using Mackenzie’s understanding of self-identification with available imagery, the

concept of witch-hood offers a sense of community to autonomous women who are rejected by

society for their independent decision-making. It is easy for Laura to understand the benevolence

of Satan toward women and his indulgence in their imagined witch-hood prior to joining his

ranks. Mythical literary critic Simon Bacon acknowledges the female autonomy in accepting

witch-hood, noting “...self-exile is an allowable form of female agency... for its community of
 Stanfield 12

maternal women to live together on its own, permitted term” (Bacon 159). Although Laura may

need to reject her family to pursue her individuality, she still is able to exist autonomously beside

others in their conjoined witch-hood. Thus, Laura embraces a feminist idea of autonomy by

making decisions while retaining close social relationships. However, it is her closest personal

relationship that irreparably strips Laura of her autonomy.

As Laura rejects her family, she turns to alternative kinship; namely, Laura forms a queer

kinship with Satan that restricts her autonomy. Throughout the novel, Laura is insinuated to have

sapphic gravitations, evidenced by her rejection of all men who propose marriage and a sexually

charged encounter with a young redheaded woman at a dance. Similarly, Satan is also a

queer-coded individual, allowing Laura to form a chosen familial relationship with him, united in

their status as social outcasts. Faxneld notes, “Satan emerges as a charitable and asexual parental

figure, who gives Laura the same completely free reign her father did... another way of

explaining this perceived discrepancy is to categorize Satan as non-masculine…” (473). As a

young man who mimics Satan’s image during the nightly gathering of the witches to dance

portrays himself as a feminine man, or perhaps is even a transgender man, Satan has established

himself as a comrade to gender non-conforming, sexually diverse individuals (Warner 76). Yet,

in this queer kinship he forms with Laura as a replacement for her family he drove out for her,

Satan ultimately restricts her autonomy. By entering into this queer kinship, Satan removes her

ability to be self-reflective. He tells Laura, “...you are in my power. No servant of mine can feel

remorse, or doubt, or surprise. You may be quite easy, Laura: you will never escape me, for you

can never wish to” (Warner 87). Satan ensures the delivery of her autonomous wish to exist

freely in accordance to her own will without the social influence of others, yet he removes her

autonomy altogether by revoking her ability to reflect on the decisions she has made and to alter
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her decisions in the future. Though Faxneld argues that the Satanic “liberation” for Laura

ultimately results in eternal damnation, serving as a mere allusion to the historical, and, arguably,

the modern idea that women who act according to their own will are bound to spend eternity in

Hell, it is essential to note that Satan’s damnation of Laura extends beyond a metaphor for

patriarchal societies’ use of religion against autonomous women (477). Laura has then been

separated from her family, who although shocked, does ultimately assist her with the transition to

Great Mop and takes care to check in on her. Satan severs the connections she has been able to

maintain through her autonomous decision-making and ensures she can never change her mind.

By severing her social connections to become a social atom amongst other social atoms, Laura

loses her ability to critically reflect on her own actions and the actions of those around her,

demonstrating that a truly autonomous woman cannot simply become a recluse or rely on the

removal of all social influences with whom they disagree with. Conversely to Laura and Satan,

Penelope’s queer kinship with Vivian helps her heal her trauma and pursue her own form of

autonomy within her larger social institutions.

As Vivian and Penelope have both experienced familial violence to an extent, they form a

queer kinship that permits them social autonomy. While Vivian and Penelope are never outright

stated to be sapphic in orientation, much like Laura, Vivian’s rejection of the idea of male

partnership and affectionate descriptions of Penelope later in the novel allude to her same-gender

attraction. Penelope, who affectionately cares for and confides in Vivian, is also insinuated to

feel tenderly toward Vivian as well. This affectionate relationship in which Vivian and Penelope

exchange trauma, and, in their own ways, heal one another, is a queer kinship that utilizes social

relationships to return both their autonomies. As argued by Ferguson, Penelope’s assistance with

Vivian’s changeling rituals returns the power to Vivian to allow her to reclaim the practices that
 Stanfield 14

once harmed her (308). This self-recognition, encouraged by Penelope, allows Vivian to

recognize she can choose to engage in these rituals for herself and can reflect on her own status.

Unlike Laura’s relationship with Satan, Penelope is a kindred spirit who forms a partnership with

Vivian, rather than acquiring her as though Vivian is a belonging. Even if Vivian has not reached

the self-recognition to acknowledge she is not a changeling simply for being different, she is

slowly working toward self-reflection alongside Penelope. As Vivian and Penelope end the novel

with plans to go to Tulsk after Vivian’s sister tells her that she does not consider Vivian to be a

part of her inner-family circle, it is clear that Vivian can both maintain her autonomy and form

meaningful social relationships, even if her sister has rejected her for her defiance of social

norms. Thus, Vivian is a testament to the idea that social relationships, when critically reflected

on and responded to, can develop a woman’s autonomy rather than hinder it.

Laura and Vivian, both women who defy gender and social norms, experience their

autonomy being restricted and reinforced by their familial environment, their belief in the

supernatural, and the friendships they form with others. Laura and Vivian contrast in terms of

their home life; Laura’s family, though sometimes reluctantly, ultimately accepts Laura for her

whimsies and tries to live alongside her. However, Laura feels as though she can only be truly

autonomous by rejecting her familial ties and becoming a social atom amongst other witches.

Conversely, Vivian is tormented by her family for differing from the norm. This leads her to

embrace the imposed label of “changeling.” In doing so, Vivian both limits her self-reflectivity

and gains autonomous power to make her own off-beat decisions as a member of society.

Vivian’s kinship with Penelope allows her to engage in changeling rituals willingly and without

harming herself, and Penelope begins to alleviate the trauma Vivian has endured. Laura, on the

other hand, finds freedom through her kinship with Satan. Although he is described as a loving
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huntsman, and Laura credits him with flattering her and freeing her from her societally imposed

confines through his eager pursuit, he ultimately treats her as though she is a possession and

removes her ability to be self-reflective. Ultimately, neither protagonist is fully autonomous

though they demonstrate aspects of autonomy. A feminist perspective of autonomy is one in

which the individual reserves the right to reflect on self-understanding and act in accordance

with their critically self-selected morals without coercion or manipulation from others and still

maintain and reflect on critical social ties that serve them. Vivian is arguably on the path toward

full self-autonomy; her trauma prevents her from selecting her own morals or critically

considering her imposed label as a “changeling,” but Penelope helps to support Vivian’s

independent decision-making and gives Vivian the freedom to be herself without driving her to

be a social atom. Laura, however, demonstrates the social atom mindset by becoming a recluse

from her loved ones and seeking total independence. As Laura transitions from seeking the

support of her family to being totally withdrawn, it can be argued that Satan’s subtle influence to

draw her to Great Mop isolated her under the false premise of autonomy. However, by entering a

kinship with Satan, Laura sacrifices her ability to select her own morals and reflect on her

decisions and actions. The fictional experiences of Laura and Vivian and their ultimate lack of

complete autonomy due to the social influence of others lend themselves to a larger exploration

of female autonomy within society at large.

The nearly 90-year difference between the time in which Eggshells and Lolly Willowes

are set and were authored indicates that, in spite of the significant social progress toward

women’s equality, a woman who does not perform gendered expectations faces social exclusion

through demonized labels such as changeling or witch. While Laura and Vivian are undeniably

affected by their families and chosen kin, far larger social institutions play the ultimate role in
 Stanfield 16

limiting their autonomies. As Laura’s narrator notes as Laura comes to realize the restrictions

imposed on her by Henry and Caroline:

[Laura] had not, in any case, a forgiving nature; and the injury [Henry and Caroline] had

done her was not done by them. If she were to start forgiving she must needs forgive

Society, the Law, the Church, the History of Europe, the Old Testament, great-great-aunt

Salome and her prayer-book, the Bank of England, Prostitution, the Architect of Apsley

Terrace, and half a dozen other useful props of civilization. All she could do was to go on

forgetting them. But now she was able to forget them without flouting them by her

forgetfulness. (59)

Laura does demonstrate autonomy to an extent by recognizing that it is not the social influence

of her family alone that held her back, and she attempts to escape the larger social influence

altogether by both forgetting the oppressive social structures and her family. However, as

proposed by feminist philosophers Barclay and Friedman, it is not feasible nor beneficial to

escape social relationships and society writ large. Instead, truly autonomous women live within

social structures and relentlessly question them. Through the examination of Vivian and Laura, it

becomes clear that both women fail to, as Barclay states, “fashion a certain response” to social

influence (54). Women are deserving of rewarding social relationships and societal ties in spite

of how well they perform to gender standards. If women are to create a society in which they

reserve autonomy, they must begin to exist within it and continuously push back against

oppressive structures. Laura tries to escape society altogether and loses her autonomy and critical

social ties that she has cherished all of her life, and Vivian fails to accept who she truly is after

being interpolated by social influences to believe she is a changeling simply for existing as a

neurodivergent woman. By questioning social structures as a member within society, women can
 Stanfield 17

have their metaphorical cake and eat it, too. As demonstrated by Vivian and Penelope,

autonomous empowered women can empower women.

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Works Cited

Bacon, Simon. “Agency or Allowance: The Satanic Complications of Female Autonomy in The

Witches of Eastwick and The Witch.” Giving the Devil His Due: Satan and Cinema.

Fordham University Press, edited by Jeffrey Andrew Weinstock, and Regina M. Hansen,

2021, pp. 149-160 EBSCOhost,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=2730851&site=ehost-live.

Barclay, Linda. “Autonomy and the Social Self.” Relational Autonomy: Feminist Perspectives on

Autonomy, Agency, and the Social Self, edited by Catriona Mackenzie, and Natalie

Stoljar, Oxford University Press, 2000, pp. 52-72, EBSCOhost,

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