The Wages of Sin vs. Add Cake, Subtract Self-Esteem: Analyzing the Perspectives

“The Wages of Sin” by Francine Prose and “Add Cake, Subtract Self-Esteem” by Caroline Knapp are two passages that share similar ideas but also have opposing views. Prose focuses on the fact that sometimes one just does not know where to draw that line of “enough being enough.” Knapp shares the same view of one not knowing when enough is enough however, she does it by speaking on her own struggle with anorexia.

In the passage “The Wages of Sin” by Francine Prose, she contemplates whether it’s okay to blame obese people for their eating problem or not. Prose keeps the debate leveled so that it is not biased and you can create your own opinion. She makes many different points from personal guilt, ignorance from the government, and religious sin.This is different from Caroline Knapp who writes this story based on her own experiences. She does so in a way which she directs her words to give comfort and critiques to young women who are confined by eating disorders and can relate to the pain. She analyzes individual behavior and group behavior among women in eating situations. She uses a metaphor of an inner budget when she describes women who eat their options and she describes risks when they order food. Prose believes that when a woman adds a bunch of calories to a meal, she immediately subtracts her confidence. That is the ‘self-budget.’ This is the darkness that she believestakes over eating disorders while talking about her experiences. Knapp also relates anorexia with the cultural shift that implies skinny women as ‘sexy’ women.

This is similar to Caroline Knapp’s essay. The concept of women and the consciousness they have of their bodies when it comes down to food is the main topic of discussion. She explains that women of the past and of today, battle with the desire to eat and the desire to be thin. This is very similar to Prose’s belief of personal guilt.Women are always worrying about what they’re eating and how they will rid the weight later. They both believe that women should eat what they want whenever they want and nothave to worry about what others think.

Knapp raises a lot of interesting ideas about the way that women see food in her essay. She discusses many different ideas for what she thinks causes eating disorders. Something that is common in all of the reasons that she gives for eating disorders is control. She talks about an instance where she was waiting in line to buy food. She observes and hears women talking about what they should or should not get to eat. She says that she feels as though she is superior over the other women because she has ‘control.’ The anxiety that she sees the other women dealing with as to what they should and should not eat, she does not have to deal with because she has the rules for what she will eat or won’t eat. This gives her control over the sense of anxiety that food cause women.

When Knapp is describing how our culture is still male dominated, she says “Don’t get too hungry, don’t overstep your boundary.” This comment shows a lot about the author, and a lot about what she chose to speak on. It is clear that she has a lot ofdisapproval with the‘male-dominated’ society. It’s like she blames the male population a little bit with this comment. She is saying that women are supposed to be these tiny, thin people, and that if you choose to eat a little more than usual you are overstepping what a woman is supposed to be seen as. This is the basis of what Knapp is trying to say with her essay. She is trying to change the way that people view women. She wants women to be seen as strong, independent people that can care and consume for their bodies as they please.

“The Wages of Sin” is directed toward an adult audience, whereas “Add cake, Subtract Self-Esteem” can be intended for an adult audience or an adolescent one. Throughout Prose’s essay, she uses a tone that one can relate to but it is not as good as it could be in helping her to prove her point. For instance, she begins the readingstating “More and more often, we read articles and hear TV…” (Prose 181). This sentence begins the piece in a tone that one could possibly relate tohowever it would be more powerful if she didn’t use the “we.” If she used a sterner p.o.v like “I,” maybe it would be more relatable. Knapp’s essay is more relatable by just the title alone.

In conclusion, both of these texts examine the sense of shame and self hate that can come about as a result of ‘overeating.’ Both authors share multiple beliefs about the fear of not being able to maintain a desirable weight. They include reasons of why women are addicted to starvation, both agreeing that there are multiple ways that women attempt to get rid of food obsessions. Knapp however does this more effectively by including her struggle with Anorexia as a way of getting us to understand the ‘images’ of the female body that are put on them. She wants people to understand it is a harmful form of self-inflicted cruelty.