Mrs.
Wolff: Don’t talk to me about that slut!
If I could only get my hands on her!
I’d show the hussy! Wouldn’t that
be some fun for you? To fool around with
some fellow every night. The very
thought of it. I’ll beat ya till ya
can’t get up no more. (p 148)
Although Mrs. Wolff’s actions give a
clear description of her character, her attitude can also give us insight. While this is not a central theme in The Beaver Coat, when I read this
passage I instantly thought of our previous conversations in class about slut
shaming. In the play, Mrs. Wolff is
talking about Emilie. Leontine wants to
follow in Emilie’s footsteps and travel to Berlin, but Mrs. Wolff is set
against it because she does not want her daughter to fall in with the wrong
crowd.
Later,
when Adelheid mentions Filitz, Mrs. Wolff is once again outraged and calls him
a pimp, a spy, and a reformer. This made
me think about Mrs. Wolff’s attitude and her dislike of several
characters. Is this slut shaming or
misandry (a strong hatred of men)?
Perhaps it’s both. Could Mrs.
Wolff be classified as a misanthrope? While
she cares for her family and tries to make sure she can provide for them, she
constantly talks down to her husband and berates him. It seems like she would go to great lengths
to protect her daughters, even if that means stealing and lying. She asserts herself as the head of the
household and has a superior mindset. So
maybe she is not a misanthrope so much as she thinks she is better than
everyone around her.
Mrs.
Wolff is the mastermind behind the thefts of the wood and the beaver coat. She believes that she can get away with her
crimes, and she is correct. Mrs. Wolff
thinks that she is above the law and has no faith that the justice system will
ever come around to solving the thefts. She
has convinced others that she is a woman of strong morals and values and could
never be suspected of committing a theft.
Her strong character gets what she wants.
