On the surface, The Rape of the Lock is a retelling of an episode that caused a feud between two families in the form of an epic. One might believe that in his version, Alexander Pope portrayed the women of the story as superficial and vain little girls, however on a deeper level the women are crucial to the story. In addition to not being as helpless as they seem, each woman possesses a different kind of power that contributes greatly to their character. Rather than being the presumptuous, superficial figures we have come to expect from that time period, the women in The Rape of the Lock possess more power than meets the eye. First of all, the main focus of the poem is Belinda. She is presented as an upper-class aristocratic woman with no real duties or worries. She is constantly surrounded by Sylphs whose sole purpose is to protect and pamper her. This is an example of its importance, the fact that it requires such protection suggests a certain level of importance to begin with. Over the course of the day, he sleeps in, takes the time to get ready and get pampered, then decides to enjoy the afternoon with friends. Not once does he have to ask anyone's permission or answer to any man. For a woman during this time, this is a big deal, women were usually seen as dependent on their husbands, but here Belinda can do whatever she wants. He also has a heated argument with the Baron: "See, fierce Belinda flies over the Baron, with more than usual lightning in her eyes"; (Canto V, 75-76). While Belinda may not triumph in the end, her power of agency stands in stark contrast to most 18th-century depictions of women. Another important female character in this story is Thalestris, one of Belinda's friends. She is also portrayed as rather... middle of paper... convinced that she believes that women can in fact have similar or even greater power than men. In the end, a story that seems to poke fun at the carefree lives of upper-class women actually gives great appreciation to the subtle powers women wield over men. It could be argued that one of the most important powers of women is to control men with their trivial problems and needs. Perhaps Pope was demonstrating women's ability to control men simply by playing the vain, superficial debutante. Whatever his intentions, it is clear that Alexander Pope did not actually find the women of his time completely powerless, but were instead the driving forces of family and society. Works cited "The rape of the lock". The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Eds. Stephen Greenblatt et al. 8th ed. New York: W. W. Norton, 2006. 1137-1155. Press.