Shilh Bobbi Ann Mason Analysis

Both “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” and “Shiloh” have the main symbol of a Nuclear family with similar characters like: the overbearing mother, the “Man of the House” or “Provider”, the desensitized mother, and the child/children that aren’t how they are supposed to be. In the prior, the children are shown as rude, spoiled and annoying. One could decide if this was to show how the American Dream could be unfulfilling in some way, or decide to shrug it off as a part of the American Dream that has to be accepted. In the latter however, the child character, although important, is not present. The death of Norma`s baby is actually an extremely strong factor for her and her husband’s separation, as well as the fact that her husband cannot provide

The gender roles with Leroy have switched due to his injury and he now experiences staying at home all the time by himself with his thoughts and feelings instead of driving those thoughts into his

Imagine growing up on a cotton plantation to former slaves in Delta, becoming an “orphan at the age of 7, becoming a wife at the age of 14, a mother at 17 and a widow at 20?” This all describes the early life of Sarah Breedlove, better known as Madam C.J Walker. “She supported her family by washing laundry and she used her earning as a laundress to pay for her daughter’s education at Knoxville College” .In 1889, Madam C.J Walker moved to St. Louis in search of a better future.

A slothful man, Leroy Moffitt is the husband of Norma Jean. After injuring his leg, Leroy is deemed unfit to drive his beloved rig and spends his days at home. While collecting dust in the house, Leroy begins to feel “unusually tender about his wife,” (760). He fondly notes her prettiness and flawless skin (761).

In her essay, “The Importance of Work,” from The Feminine Mystique published in 1963, Betty Friedan confronts American women’s search for identity. Throughout the novel, Betty Friedan breaks new ground, concocting the idea that women can discover personal fulfillment by straying away from their original roles. Friedan ponders on the idea that The Feminine Mystique is the cause for a vast majority of women during that time period to feel confined by their occupations around the house; therefore, restricting them from discovering who they are as women. Friedan’s novel is well known for creating a different kind of feminism and rousing various women across the nation.

Stereotypes are widely accepted pieces of judgment about a person or group but can be very biased, even though they aren’t always accurate especially when it's about being given a gender a role in today’s society. While there are some differences between Fences and other stories read are quite obvious, the similarities between the plays Fences and Trifles are the harsh gender roles given to women and they deserve to be spoken deeper about. Although gender roles today are better than it was ten or more years ago, looking at Trifles’ text pieces one can reflect and say women not so long ago had it hard too, possibly more than in today’s time. In Trifles, Mrs.Peters (Sheriff’s wife) and Mrs.Hale were neglected by the County Attorney,

Bynum writes “woman have held their own very well on the “front line” against encroaching militia officers send to disloyal regions of the state to arrest deserters and evaders of the Confederate army.” Bynum emphasized the importance of women’s positions in evading the militia. They’re the visible partner who responsible for their children’s security. So women are the reliable sources that know the whereabouts of their family (husband and son).

Jean Toomer’s “Becky” continues three key themes that put it in conversation with the Harlem Renaissance and Modernism. The theme that appears as soon as the story begins is the breakdown of social norms. The story begins with “Becky was the white woman who had two Negro sons.” During this time, interracial relationships were outlawed, and black men would be putting their lives in danger if they even glanced at a white woman. Therefore, for people who read this during the Harlem Renaissance, this would be taboo and disturbing.

Another aspect would be men leaving their families. In the movie, Sara Wilson 's husband walked down the

Widows had a hard time keeping their families together and support them while still maintaining the proper role of a woman in the time. Some women decided to stay single during this time because it was easier to not start a family and some decided to focus more on their education. In order to be equal to a man who graduated from elementary school, a women had to get a full education.()No matter if women were good at their jobs and work as hard as a man they wouldn't get paid about half compares to a man. () If they were involved with either their careers or jobs; the more disadvantages they faced was because of their gender. Instead of viewing women as a helping hand, they were viewed as a threat because of the typical stereotype of American men had in families.

Bobbie Ann Mason’s short story Shiloh is a story explaining the events leading up to a husband and wife’s marriage coming to an end. This couple rushed into marriage because they had a baby on the way, but four months after the baby was born it died of sudden infant death syndrome. In this story Norma Jean ,the wife, is the breadwinner of the family while her husband Leroy stays at home because of an injury he sustained at work. Both Leroy and Norma Jean fail to confront the issues they are having, and because of this, the bond between them grows weaker the longer they are together. Their marriage is bound to end at some point.

Sarah Willis Parton or better known as “Fanny Fern” in her columns in the New York Ledger was one of the highest paid columnist in her time. Parton’s writing style was quite controversial for women at the time and she experienced many criticisms from people around her, including many of her family members. Going against the social and gender norms of her time, Parton was able to use her column as an outlet to express her feelings towards the world around her. In her article A Law More Nice Than Just, Parton uses the characterization of both Mr. and Mrs. Fern to speak out about the men and women in 19th century society. By reaching into the events of her past and the hardships she endured, she was able to pave the way for feminists of her time

"Shiloh" affords readers a glimpse into her portrayal of symbolic allusions, specifically through her references of the log cabin, the dust ruffle, and the battleground at Shiloh. One of the earliest symbolic references that the audience is knowledgeable of is the log cabin. The log cabin is mentioned quite commonly throughout the duration of the narrative, accentuating its importance. The cabin functions as an assortment of various symbolic interpretations during the course of the short story; the most ubiquitous referring to the state of Leroy and Norma Jean 's marriage. While Leroy believes the cabin to be some type of beacon of hope for his marriage, Norma Jean is skeptical of its existence and views it as unwanted and incongruous.

Upon reading the chapter from Junger’s book, I was drawn to the status of women in the Western and Native American cultures. The rights women had in the Native American culture are similar to the rights men have in today’s culture: the right to marry who they want, divorce, and the right to sexual limitation. In August Wilson’s Fences, Rose Maxson are faced with the challenge of forgetting and forgiving the wrongdoing of her husband, Troy. As a result of the western cultural beliefs, Troy felt like because he was the man of the house and the provider, he had the right to step out on his wife and she should deal with it. The mentality that men have the right to have sex and engage in a relationship with anyone they want and women should just deal with it has become a crutch for men.

“Motherhood is somewhat difficult for a slave like Roxy because children of slave women were legally slaves, regardless of the status of their fathers” (Rasmussen 199). Although her love for her child is unceasing, it is her decisions that, eventually, bring him into