Epilogue

Arguably the strongest, most powerful aspect of Eve Ensler’s writing is her ability to capture and project the voices of the hundreds of women to whom she has spoken over the past two decades.  Not only does she articulate this purpose in various introductions and discussions about The Vagina Monologues, VDay, and I Am an Emotional Creature, but as I reader and audience member, I could always feel the collective or individual voices of other women emerging through the greater meaning of a monologue.  Even in monologues clearly narrated by one individual, there is a collectivism about Ensler’s writing that furthers her purpose of giving a voice to the silenced—because so many women have experienced similar plights, the voices of one, ten, or even one hundred serve as liberation for thousands, even millions.

However, in the epilogue of I Am an Emotional Creature, this changes. Suddenly, the voice speaking was Eve’s, and Eve’s alone.  Not that her voice didn’t thread all of the other monologues—between her distinct style of writing and introductions/notes/etc., it was clear that her experiences were a part of each piece.  In “Manifesta to Young Women and Girls” Enlser is speaking directly to her readers, as herself.  The second section is not titled Things You Should Know or Here’s What You Should Take Away from My Work. It's called Here's What I'm Telling You. Above any other piece, this one is Ensler’s direct appeal, request, and call to action to girls, young women, and adult women around the world; Eve is saying, in paraphrase, 'Trust me, I’ve seen a lot, and now I’m telling you what I truly believe you need to know.'

There is confidence behind that voice that is saying “Always fight back/ Ask for it/ Say you want it/ Believe in kissing/ Fight for tenderness/ Care as much as you do/ Take your time” (143).  Personally, I would argue that this does as much as any monologue—feeling Eve’s conviction and confidence is empowering.  No matter the reader’s reaction to Ensler’s work or ability to relate to her monologues and characters, the power of her passion sends a truly important message.

 ~*~

In retrospect, I noticed that, in both of my blog posts on I Am an Emotional Creature, I couldn’t help but mention The Vagina Monologues. I am very curious as to what my experience of I Am… would have been had I not read The Vagina Monologues or had not known as much about Ensler’s work and the VDay movement first.