The Absinthe Drinker as a commentary on the subjugation of women. Through the centuries, women have been viewed as objects to be owned and controlled by male dominated society. Even today, in many parts of the world, women have very little freedom. In the Absinthe Drinker, the passive woman rises from the position she has retained for centuries to become the active observer. She frees herself from the gender identifying and confining clothing she wears, and transforms into an androgynous human being. By doing so, she breaks the bonds that hold her in a subservient position. When she returns to her original place, she does so on her own terms.