The external image of a woman and her role in the family in English proverbs

Abstract

The article explores the external image of a woman and her role in the family in English proverbs. The paper considers the concept of ‘proverb’ and analyses in detail the visual image of a woman, which causes a diverse attitude in society towards the beauty of women. On the one hand, the visual appeal of women is fascinating, but at the same time, men lose their minds and can commit acts whose consequences will lead to sad circumstances. Therefore, men and society as a whole attributed negative character traits to attractive women. In addition, men who become hostages to a woman's beauty lose their financial well-being. By analysing the external visual image of a woman in English proverbs, the author has established a pattern that if a woman is beautiful, she necessarily has some character flaws, but this does not prevent men from appreciating female beauty. The paper also examines a woman as a wife, who is represented in English proverbs very widely, but it is safe to say that her fate was difficult and unenviable. As soon as she got married, she was completely dependent on her husband and had to perform many duties. One of the main roles of a married woman was to be a virtuous housewife. If a woman successfully fulfilled her duties, she was treated with more respect, although from a dominant position, the difficult fate of married women quickly led to their ageing. The image of a woman-wife is very widely represented in English folklore. The charming, chaste bride faces a consumerist attitude after marriage, and as a woman-wife she must serve her husband and the whole family, take care of them, and still look good. In addition, a woman is responsible for the well-being of the home, and must be a hostess, a cook and a passionate wife at the same time. Such an onslaught of responsibilities exhausts women and leads to early ageing.