My ntonia, written by Willa Cather in 1918, explores the experiences of Jim Burden as he reflects upon his life growing up with a girl named ntonia. While these recollections primarily focus on ntonia, Jim’s memories encompass all the people and events he met and attended through his interactions with her. With the inclusion of these memories, Cather successfully incorporates the story of Lina Lingard, a poor, young girl who opposes societal expectations to become a successful business woman, into the novel. Despite not being one of the central characters, Lena Lingard’s role in My ntonia contributes to the development of Jim’s character, presentation of traditional gender roles as acceptable by society, and incorporation of stereotypes surrounding …show more content…
Staying in Black Hawk was never a viable option for Lena; the small-town life would have suffocated her and stifled her energy. Instead, she sets out to improve her own life, taking the initiative to put her wellbeing first by moving away. Once away, Lena begins improving her life and as Jim affirms, “Certainly she had no one but herself to thank for it” (Cather 115). This statement refers to the immediate success her store receives, and the pride Lena garners from it. Moreover, with the influx of income Lena gains, she will finally be able to accomplish her goal of building her mother a new home. Although this job would typically fall under the responsibilities of the men in the family, Lena ascertains that, “the men will never do it” (Cather 106). Therefore, by assuming responsibility for her mother’s home, Lena opposes yet another gender role created by society. Ultimately, Lena Lingard challenges typical gender roles and sets a new standard for women’s capabilities. Lena Lingard not only challenges the perception of gender roles in My ntonia, but also contests the stereotypes and prejudices held by members of the Black Hawk
This book demonstrates a set of gender roles for women are the opposite of those seen in Hamlet. Nurse Ratched is described as, “big as a tractor, so big you can smell the machinery inside the way you smell a motor pulling too big a load,” (Kesey 5). In this novel, Nurse Ratched is the main antagonist and she is portrayed as much stronger, both mentally and physically, than the men in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest; she is far stronger than the women in Hamlet. Around 20 years before One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest was published, the famous symbol for strong American women, Rosie the Riveter, became popular. Nurse Ratched’s characteristics resemble those of Rosie the Riveter much more than she resembles the women in Hamlet. During the 1940’s, Rosie the Riveter was fighting against gender role prejudice. In her time, “women also had to determine their role in those industries that had a strong union presence,” (“Women’s Roles” 1). Just like Nurse Ratched, Rosie the Riveter had a solid presence that helped establish an aura of
Female agency is a significant topic of exploration in Cather’s My ntonia, as throughout the novel many female characters display dominance within their small community in ways ranging from household management and finances, to making individual life choices. This type of personal agency is particularly impactful, given the typically restrictive and traditional mindset that is associated with nineteenth century towns such as the one depicted in the novel, particularly in regard to women. Interestingly, the women who are portrayed as having and enacting agency in the novel are the immigrant girls, particularly ntonia and Lena. Each of these characters occupy the space of the social “other” in the American landscape; not only are they female, they also come from large immigrant families that are on the lower end of the socio-economic scale.
Toni Morrison’s short story “Recitatif” deals with the reader's perspective on stereotypes. It allows the reader’s mind to be creative and question who is the African American women and who is the Caucasian women. The short fiction is based on two main characters; Roberta and Twyla. Neither women’s race is discussed in the story but they are, in fact, different. The setting took place in St. Bonny's shelter where both had no other choice but to be placed together. Roberta and Twyla were not fully considered “orphans” because their parents were not dead; one was sick and one was a dancer. Being that they are not actual orphans, many of the others did not want to hangout with them. “Recitatif” was also filled with stereotypical references to
...c plot" limits and ignores the non-traditional female experience which is just as important to analyze. The Nan Princes, Lena Lingards and Tiny Solderalls of the fictional world deserve and demand critical attention not for what they don't do (the dishes) but for what they are-- working women.
In the short story, “Girl,” the narrator describes certain tasks a woman should be responsible for based on the narrator’s culture, time period, and social standing. This story also reflects the coming of age of this girl, her transition into a lady, and shows the age gap between the mother and the daughter. The mother has certain beliefs that she is trying to pass to her daughter for her well-being, but the daughter is confused by this regimented life style. The author, Jamaica Kincaid, uses various tones to show a second person point of view and repetition to demonstrate what these responsibilities felt like, how she had to behave based on her social standing, and how to follow traditional customs.
Race comes in various forms however; it is a topic of concern because no matter if a person claims that they are anti-prejudiced, it is impossible for this world to be free from stereotyping them. A stereotype per dictionary.com is a, “set of inaccurate generalizations about a group/race that allows others, outside the group, to categorize them and treat them according to their group/race”, (SITE DICTIONARY.COM). In the story, Recitatif, readers will come across prejudice acts or stereotypes; however, people tend to realize their own stereotypes as they read or learn about someone else’s, hence making it comfortable throughout the story for themselves.
...Own: Attitudes Toward Women in Willa Cather's Short Fiction." Modern Fiction Studies 36:1 (Spring 1990): 81-89.
RaStereotyping is a way of thinking about groups of people. It ignores the differences of the group, while emphasizing its similarity. One belief, that is a stereotype, is that red-haired people are hot tempered. Another belief is that Scottish people are stingy. Such thinking ignores many even-tempered redheads and generous Scottish people. Stereotyping emphasizes many differences between groups while ignoring their similarities to other people. It ignores that many blond and brown-haired people also lose their tempers. Stereotyping overlooks the fact that many American, Brazilians and French people are stingy.
What is a nurse? According to the dictionary, a nurse is someone who is trained to care for sick or injured people. Nurses are well respected because they are in a skilled profession and work to remain accident free. Even though nurses are well respected there are stereotyped every day and many people have biased opinions about them. Some of which include being stereotyped as all being women, a profession many call men gay for being involved in, always working in a hospital, will always marry someone that is the medical field, all nurses wear white hospital gowns and a cap, that nursing is easy, are reject doctors, they are all the same, and they do not make a lot of money.
Women play a key role in this novel in many ways. In the case of...
Image and profession go hand in hand. Image plays a very important yet controversial role in the nursing profession. The image of nursing is often inaccurate and falls short of the fair and correct portrayal of what the role of nursing truly is (Summers, 2010). With an inaccurate portrayal of what nursing really is comes the challenges of the profession. Popular stereotypes in nursing coming from both the past and today media and expectations take away the true meaning and role of the modern profession. Some common stereotypes include but are not limited to: unskilled, a way to marriage, and a physician’s helpmate. These stereotypes lead to many problems within the nursing profession including poor working conditions, insufficient support
The two main female characters, Stella Rodney and Louie Lewis, among others in this World War Two time-frame novel, carry working class jobs. They are starting to change the stereotypical views of women just being housewives and serving their “husbands”. These characters allow readers to plainly see that women are capable of and deserve equality on the same level as men. This essentially paves the road to other novels of this time after World War II, such as Iris Murdoch’s, “Under the Net”. In this novel, women are starting to receive respect for their positions in the world.
The young girl in the story is struggling with finding her own gender identity. She would much rather work alongside her father, who was “tirelessly inventive” (Munro 328), than stay and work with her mother in the kitchen, depicted through, “As soon as I was done I ran out of the house, trying to get out of earshot before my mother thought of what to do next” (329). The girl is torn between what her duties are suppose to be as a woman, and what she would rather be doing, which is work with her father. She sees her father’s work as important and worthwhile, while she sees her mother’s work as tedious and not meaningful. Although she knows her duties as a woman and what her mother expects of her, she would like to break the mould and become more like her father. It is evident that she likes to please her father in the work she does for him when her father says to the feed salesman, “Like to have you meet my new hired man.” I turned away and raked furiously, red in the face with pleasure (328-329). Even though the young girl is fixed on what she wants, she has influences from both genders i...
“Girls wear jeans and cut their hair short and wear shirts and boots because it is okay to be a boy; for a girl it is like promotion. But for a boy to look like a girl is degrading, according to you, because secretly you believe that being a girl is degrading” (McEwan 55-56). Throughout the history of literature women have been viewed as inferior to men, but as time has progressed the idealistic views of how women perceive themselves has changed. In earlier literature women took the role of being the “housewife” or the household caretaker for the family while the men provided for the family. Women were hardly mentioned in the workforce and always held a spot under their husband’s wing. Women were viewed as a calm and caring character in many stories, poems, and novels in the early time period of literature. During the early time period of literature, women who opposed the common role were often times put to shame or viewed as rebels. As literature progresses through the decades and centuries, very little, but noticeable change begins to appear in perspective to the common role of women. Women were more often seen as a main character in a story setting as the literary period advanced. Around the nineteenth century women were beginning to break away from the social norms of society. Society had created a subservient role for women, which did not allow women to stand up for what they believe in. As the role of women in literature evolves, so does their views on the workforce environment and their own independence. Throughout the history of the world, British, and American literature, women have evolved to become more independent, self-reliant, and have learned to emphasize their self-worth.
Many women in modern society make life altering decisions on a daily basis. Women today have prestigious and powerful careers unlike in earlier eras. It is more common for women to be full time employees than homemakers. In 1879, when Henrik Ibsen wrote A Doll's House, there was great controversy over the out come of the play. Nora’s walking out on her husband and children was appalling to many audiences centuries ago. Divorce was unspoken, and a very uncommon occurrence. As years go by, society’s opinions on family situations change. No longer do women have a “housewife” reputation to live by and there are all types of family situations. After many years of emotional neglect, and overwhelming control, Nora finds herself leaving her family. Today, it could be said that Nora’s decision is very rational and well overdue.