Hannah Kent's award-winning Australian novel Burial Rites charts the remaining days of the last woman executed in Iceland; Agnes Magnusdottir. In an interview conducted by the Guardian, Kent said he first learned of Agnes' story through a university exchange program in Iceland. “I first heard Agnes Magnúsdóttir's story when I was an exchange student in northern Iceland.” (Kent). Throughout the interview, there is a clear emphasis on the sense of boredom and loneliness she felt during the trip which, Kent claims, piqued her interest in the woman's story. Through the creation of a speculative biography that carefully intertwines historical events and emotions, Burial Rites presents an ambiguous perspective on Agnes' life and resolves the feeling of isolation illustrated in the historical depiction of Agnes Magnúsdóttir. There are, however, clear similarities, in my opinion, between these important female influences in their character, age, gender and environment. Kent's chosen mode of representation, such as the inclusion of interior monologues and the formation of a heightened or integrated reality in which Agnes is central, gave context and voice to his characters. A lack of control, however, is shown through Kent's characters in their interactions with Icelandic social customs and the restrictions placed on them by their gender, social stature, relationships, and even emotions. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The classification of female and male often moves away from simple biological characteristics but also includes gender. Australian sociologist Zuleyka Zevallos defines gender as “a concept that describes how societies determine and manage sexual categories; the cultural meanings linked to the roles of men and women; and how individuals understand their own identity.”- (Zevallos). Through many of his scholarly publications, Zevallos describes the ways in which cultural prejudices, stereotypes, and historical influencers have created the "idealistic" woman and a world that worships social correctness and isolates those who do not conform to it. Women, therefore, have no control over their behavior or actions as they are forced to demonstrate specific attitudes due to the fear of not being accepted. For example: Sigga was freed because she conformed to the traditional Icelandic archetype of a woman. She was rather weak, silent, submissive and even compliant, characteristics that are not evident in other female characters such as Agnes (who was convicted and executed). In the novel, the differences between these women are alluded to in the quote: “Many Vatnsnes people hope that Sigga will receive grace from the king. Too young and sweet to die. The man grimaced. “Not like this. He has the right character when he wants.”- page 41.Burial Rites explores the influence and influence of status in the functionality of society. Characters such as the district commissioner; Björn Blöndal exercises a strong sense of authority due to a high social rank and high income. It is evident that in the 1800s Iceland, similar to the modern world, preferred wealth and prestige to wisdom and kindness such as that presented by the Kornsá family. Blöndal's sovereignty (coming from the King of Denmark, as demonstrated through letters between them discussing Agnes' execution and Blöndal's use of the phrase: "I am, Your Excellency, your most humble and obedient servant" . 86) is shown throughout the first chapter, particularly when he visits Jón's small farm and meets Steina and Lauga; Jon's daughters. THEHis attitudes, behaviors and mannerisms all suggest his superiority. This is demonstrated through instances such as Blöndal's refusal to accept food from Steina, perhaps due to dirt on his clothes, face, and hands. 'He smelled the skyrAssessing her, then looked at the two sisters.' - page 15. As well as his grossly condescending and defiant response when he notices that Steina addresses him in a considerably insolent manner when explaining her decision to inflict Agnes in their home. His response, shown on page 17, exemplifies the true sense of social disparity between these characters: “I have no choice,” he said, his voice suddenly low and dangerous. “Your father's title comes with responsibility. I'm sure he wouldn't question me.”- page 17. Steina, Lauga and furthermore Kornsá's family, therefore, do not have the same form of control as Blöndal in their inability to prevent Agnes Magnúsdóttir's imposition on their family. the strict ethical restrictions of 18th-century Iceland prevented Agnes from achieving social acceptance. Her inability to conform to the Icelandic emblem of the "perfect" woman created a sense of exclusion. This, however, gave Agnes the opportunity to emancipate herself from society's expectations, as she did not allow Icelandic stereotypes to hold back or dictate the woman she was. This form of freedom forced her to sacrifice the respect of others as shown by Natan's insinuation on page 219, “Agnes. Pretend you don't understand me, but you do. We are the same type." According to him there are many similarities in their character, despite the common idea that he was rebellious in terms of unprincipled behavior towards women and contempt for Christianity, as shown on page 219: “It's a lie .Man created God out of fear of dying.” Initially, this might seem like an injustice to Agnes. in that she was spending her last days in service to others, however, it ultimately gave her the opportunity to form a relationship of understanding and trust with Margrét. This type of association is not only shown through Agnes' confession from the pages 268 onwards, but also from the birth of Roslin's child and the description of the Kornsá women, including Agnes, cooking and preparing the lamb. The description of both these events, especially the narration on page 204, emphasizes the care, the precision, experience and knowledge that Agnes possesses. “When Lauga has finished filtering the blood, I add the rest of the suet and the rye flour, and I suggest adding a little lichen too, as we did as Geitaskard.”-page 204.The final death of Margrét and Natan illustrates the little influence that the characters in this novel have on the direction of their destiny. The death of these characters and, ultimately, of all the characters present in the novel, exemplifies the constraints and pressure that time imposes because as it passes it brings each of them closer to their own death. In the first chapter Margrét talks briefly about her desire to own more livestock and how this could improve her family's well-being: “Another cow would be nice anyway. The extra butter. We could afford another hand for the harvest.”-page 20. Jón, her husband, suggests that with time and patience they would acquire everything they desired, however, his wife's reply, “In due time I will be dead. ” – page 20, shows his bitterness and recognition towards his illness and its impact on his lifespan. The memories described by Agnes to Vice-Reverend Thorvardur Jónsson from pages 238 onwards describe Natan as an extremely private person who,while giving primary priority to his independence, he also places the protection of his wealth and property first. Natan was, therefore, an extremely possessive person who liked to exercise dominance over socially weak characters, such as Sigga or Fridrik. In cases such as: his refusal to allow the two to marry and his severely discordant sexual relationship with Sigga. This is shown in the quote: 'He said he knew that Sigga was getting away with Fridrik's back, but he didn't think it would lead to this.' - page 277. Natan, however, was unable to determine who would have possession of what he owned because this responsibility had been assigned to the District Commissioner, who had an extremely dispassionate view of the debacle. This is demonstrated through the public notice on page 3, which suggests that an auction will be held to sell the items that "farmer Natan Ketilsson left behind" - page 3. Natan's mistreatment and disrespect towards Agnes is unable to put an end to the infatuation and love she has for him; he is unable to control his feelings. Their discussion before Nathan's death, described on page 287 onwards, really alluded to the differences in their commitment to their relationship, predominantly through the quote: "And do you think that I love you?" Nathan shook his head. "You Agnes?" He narrowed his eyes and stood up, his breath warm on my face. “You're a cheap woman. I was wrong about you.” - page 288. Agnes' overwhelming feelings of isolation (which stemmed from her adolescence) perhaps, caused her manic obsession to cling to the last form of security she knew; Nathan. Her love for him was so great that it became unbearable to accompany him on the night of his death and she was forced to stab his stomach. Kent describes Agnes' fixation on Natan through an internal monologue on page 81, "A hunger so deep, so capable of driving me into the night, that it terrifies me.". It suggests that regardless of her actions and criticisms, Agnes would continue to seek Natan's acceptance or forgiveness and would only blame herself. «Suddenly I was overcome with gratitude: he looked at me clearly. It felt like forgiveness.'-page 303. Agnes' misconceptions about Nathan's behavior and affections caused her to form arbitrary expectations of him. The PsyBlog article titled "How Others' Unexpressed Expectations Control Us" describes the ways in which expectations change people. Agnes and Natan's inability to understand each other's character caused them to develop irrational expectations that initiated and influenced a difference in their behavior and interactions with other characters and each other. “The effect may be subtle, but it is a powerful realization that the behavior of others derives in part from how we see them, just as our behavior derives in part from how others see us.” - ("How the unexpressed expectations of others control us - Psyblog"). For example: when introduced to the poet Rósa, Natan's former companion, he presents Agnes as his simple servant through the quote: "Rósa, Agnes is my servant". – page 250. Although the reader is not informed of any sadness or irritation that Agnes had felt through this introduction, she apparently expects Natan to inform people of their relationship, as, shown through the quote, “What did you tell her about us? " I whispered to Nathan. "I didn't say anything to Rósa." - page 251. Agnes also predicted that she would have the position of housekeeper in Natan's house in Illugastadir due to Natan's request to live with him while he fulfilled this role. She, therefore, expected to receive this role upon her arrival, but not. 2017.