Servants or Doormats?

[rj_anderson]

It seems to me that for most people nowadays, servant is a dirty word. We tend to think of it as a synonym for slave, associating it with drudgery, dependence, and bondage. Oh, sure, we may have to work for a living, we may have other people telling us what to do, but still we're employees, or contractors, or caregivers - definitely not servants.

Comments

[kristin_briana]

I completely agree! I was actually thinking about this recently, and how sad it is that so many fictional heroines have to be independent and rude and willful to be seen as good role models. I suddenly realized that in my story, the female MC is weak and willful and pathetic - until she falls in love. Until she makes the conscious choice to love this boy despite the fact that it could get her in huge trouble, despite the fact that it could possibly get her killed. She isn't strong until she is willing to be weak, willing to let go of her selfishness and her superficiality.

And then I wondered if feminists will try to kill me if this ever gets published. :P

[yahtzee63]

Yeah, all us feminists hate love. It's well known.

[kristin_briana]

Sorry, that was kind of a generalization, wasn't it? Unfortunately my WIP just doesn't have that many strong women in it. I'm just afraid some people might be offended by that.

[yahtzee63]

I josh you. For me, personally, I don't know that I would find a lack of strong women offensive unless there were tons of very well-developed, strong men, in which case it might make me feel like the author wasn't talking about these women but about Women. But if you are writing about a very superficial, strife-filled world (reading between the lines there, but that was my guess), I would imagine most of the male characters are in the same boat.

[kalquessa]

Nothing to add, but I wanted to voice my appreciation for this post. And tomorrow's even Maundy Thursday! Very timely of you. *grin*

[rj_anderson]

LOL, I didn't even think of that! Liturgical FAIL. :D

[mrstotten]

This was a very thoughtful and insightful post. I couldn't agree more with the view that people seem to feel now that there are certain professions beneath them. During a discussion in work recently someone was moaning about their job as a person is wont to do on an occassion when the girl nextto us piped up, "it could be worse, you could be cleaning toilets in Asda" now I knwo the message she was trying to get across but was dumbfounded by the way she tried to express it. My grandmother was a cleaner her whole life and she took great pride in her work and a job well done. Even now she takes great measures to keep her house spick and span. It's sad that we have come to a point in society where not only is a job like this classed as menial and shameful, but the idea of someone taking pride in a job like this, taking pride in doing it well is laughable.

Anyways rant over I just wanted to comment on how well you expressed this viewpoint.

Mags

[rj_anderson]

Thank you for your rant! I enjoyed it. Toilet cleaners of the world, unite! Hopefully while armed with gloves and a very long mop. :)

[apis_mellifera]

Except not everyone is good at scrubbing floors. If my skills were to lie in the realm of, say, writing detective novels, shouldn't I continue to write detective novels even though I was accused--and cleared--of murder even if scrubbing floors were a more acceptable sort of job? (Ahem. Couldn't resist.)

I am exceedingly fond of the ideal of the proper job*, I just don't know how achievable it is for a lot of people. Which is a whole other kettle of fish, I expect. Life is complicated! I do not know if I approve of this! *grin*

* And by job I don't mean "work done in exchange for cold hard cash", I just mean whatever it is you do on a day to day basis that has to get done--even stay at home parents have jobs, after all.

[rj_anderson]

LOL, thank you, Harriet.

Agreed that not everybody gets to do the job they want most to do (or even knows what that is!). But I'm not referring specifically to one's paying occupation (or necessary chores) so much as one's overall attitude to life.

Or in other words, you may be scrubbing floors to pay the bills, but coming home at night and writing intelligent detective novels for the pleasure and edification of others (and expressing your own gifts in the process).

What's not so good is if you throw yourself into becoming The Most Celebrated Detective Novelist Ever, neglecting your duties and obligations to others on the grounds that they are Beneath An Artist Of Your Calibre, and trampling over everyone who stands between you and your dreams of fame...

[rj_anderson]

You do make sense, and I think it's well said -- thank you.

[tree_and_leaf]

But willing, principled, intelligent servanthood, given out of love and as a free choice, is a very different and much more positive thing. And personally, I would like to see more stories that acknowledge and even celebrate this kind of servanthood, and fewer that seem to disparage it.

Tolkien does it beautifully, with Sam - who in many ways is the real hero of LotR. And there's Bunter, of course....

[rj_anderson]

Oh, yes, Sam is a wonderful servant hero. Talk about love, loyalty, and courage -- and really, he ends up with the greatest reward at the end. I think it's primarily because (when Frodo is captured by the Orcs) he's carrying the Ring for Frodo's sake that he isn't corrupted by it.

[quiller77]

Absolutely right. Attitude is everything. I loved Sam's stalwart, unwavering loyalty. It is the unsung heroes who hold things together, generally behind the scene, be they janitors, stage hands, mothers or faithful friends.

Thanks for a wonderful post, RJ. It also ties into "it's better to give than receive." People with servants' hearts have embraced that truth and know full well how satisfying it is.

[kerravonsen]

And Jeeves. (grin)