Female Friendship and Mentorship

Wolitzer’s The Female Persuasion presents a constant dialogue examining “good” feminism versus “bad” feminism. The novel constantly criticizes contemporary feminism as a form of feminism that panders to the wealthy rather than attempts to create real change for women. While the traditional definition of good feminism – being an ally for women while teaching, helping and loving them seems to stand true, Wolitzer’s main characters seem to constantly be at odds with their own concepts of proper feminism and mentorship.

Greer Kadetsky finds herself thrown into feminism for the first time when she and a few of her college classmates are sexually assaulted on campus. Enraged at the administration’s treatment of the incident, Greer and her friend Zee Eisenstat take it into their hands to enact their own form of idealized feminism. While they are still naïve to what feminism...