From Here to Eternity follows the story of numerous army men and their hilarious experiences during 1941. James Jones' dense novel is filled with a spectrum of emotions ranging from pure anger, to violence, racism, suicide, happiness and depression that at the end of the novel the reader experiences an emotional roller coaster. The army men in this novel are depicted as strong, independent and responsible. On the other hand, women in From Here to Eternity are seen as subordinate and treated as objects that can be commanded by men. The women in this novel live in a hierarchical, male-dominated society where they are seen as objects of desire for men. There appear to be only two options presented at the time for the women in this novel; they can be prostitutes or housewives. Alma Schmidt and Karen Holmes are two examples of the oppression women face in From Here to Eternity, which casts Alma as a whore and Karen as a housewife. Both women are controlled and live in a society where men are dominated. Alma and Karen struggle to find their individuality and identity through much of the novel and both women have a negative image of themselves because they believe all the destructive things they feel are directed towards them. Most of the characters in From Here to Eternity feel trapped and unhappy with their current lives. These individuals feel that they all have something better to discover and achieve in life. I think the two most trapped and unhappy people are Alma Schmidt and Karen Holmes. Alma Schmidt is described as “nothing more than a common whore” (Jones 235) by Prewitt and is later referred to as a “professional whore” (Jones 671) throughout much of the novel. These objectify… middle of paper… this novel. It seems that economic and social classes don't matter in this novel if you are a woman; every woman still gets the stigma of being a whore. Even though Karen has grown significantly and become independent, it is ironic that she found her independence through her relationship with Milt Warden, a powerful and influential man, who still dominates Karen. Overall, the women of From Here to Eternity face oppression from men, which results in a loss of self-esteem and individuality. Women had a limited range of opportunities during this period and were expected to become homemakers. James Jones' overall impression of women seems to be negative and there are rarely moments in the novel where women are glorified or treated equally. Works Cited Jones, James. From Here to Eternity: A Novel. New York: Dial Trade Paperback, 2012.Print.