There is a lot of debate regarding Nancy Drew's identity as a strong and independent female character, or as a stereotypical one. Many argue that Nancy Drew is a strong character because she is portrayed as a detective, which is considered more of a male (masculine) career, and she deviates from stereotypical female behavior and attributes. In many situations throughout the Nancy Drew books, she displays courage, initiative, confidence, and emotional-stability, all of which are not general feminine characteristics. However, others argue that Nancy portrays more of a stereotypical female because, although she inhabits a male-dominated career and on occasion portrays non-stereotypical characteristics, she is still restrained by here femininity. Nancy Drew is described heavily with appositives in Nancy Drew: The Secret of the Old Clock, by Carolyn Keen, continuously reminding the reader that she is a beautiful, eighteen year old girl with blue eyes and blonde hair; she supporting gendered feminine stereotypes such as, selflessness, kindness, and modesty. These conflicting character attributes create an odd sense of gender and gender-expressing ambiguity concerning Nancy Drew and whether or not she is a strong female character. Ilana Nash addresses this issue in the first chapter of her book American Sweethearts: Teenage Girls in Twentieth-Century Popular Culture. Nash supports the presence of Nancy's ambiguous behavior (involving gender,) and then discusses the reasons for Nancy Drew's said ambiguity and provides an analytical perspective regarding Nancy's identity as a female character.
The synopsis of Nash's first chapter involves the general history and inheritance of the Nancy Drew novels and how Nancy Drew's gender ambiguity is...
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...ive to whether or not Nancy Drew is a stereotypical female who is subtly hidden under a guise of false feminization, or whether she, as a character, truly is creating a median between the normal expectations, and roles of the female and male genders. Nancy's loyalty to the patriarchy prevented the Nancy Drew series from appearing too radical or feminine to be marketed to makes as well as offered a balance that allowed Nancy to protect the American social order while also allowing female readers to find moving and inspirational content within the series. However, this perspective may only apply to Nancy when she was marketed to appeal primarily to women - It is possible that this perspective has, or will change over time depending on whether or not the Nancy Drew character, as a female model, will be marketed to either females or males respectively or individually.
Up until and during the mid -1800’s, women were stereotyped and not given the same rights that men had. Women were not allowed to vote, speak publically, stand for office and had no influence in public affairs. They received poorer education than men did and there was not one church, except for the Quakers, that allowed women to have a say in church affairs. Women also did not have any legal rights and were not permitted to own property. Overall, people believed that a woman only belonged in the home and that the only rule she may ever obtain was over her children. However, during the pre- Civil war era, woman began to stand up for what they believed in and to change the way that people viewed society (Lerner, 1971). Two of the most famous pioneers in the women’s rights movement, as well as abolition, were two sisters from South Carolina: Sarah and Angelina Grimké.
...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.
Sarah’s Key, though depressing, and hard to read is still an prodigious book. While the new historicist criticism applies more to Sarah’s parts of the story, as it occurred in the past, this eventually leads to a more feminist type of appeal. Tatiana de Rosnay talks about her inspiration
The transformation that takes place in the way in which the girl thinks about gender roles is not described directly as an issue of what is appropriate for men and women. Instead, the description is much more subtle, and almost a natural change that occurs in every person (Rasporich 130). It is this subtleness in the language causes the readers to not only feel sorry for the young girl, but to also think about their own views of gender
Lister, Rachel . "Gender and Sexuality in The Color Purple ." Alice Walker: The Color Purple. : Palgrave Macmillan, 2010. . Print.
In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray women are often portrayed as passive and weak characters. During the 19th century when these books were written, the proper domestic ideology was that women were naturally squeamish, defenseless, innocent beings, who needed protection from the male worlds of business and politics (Stepenoff). This theme is demonstrated throughout both of these novels through major and minor characters. In the case of Frankenstein, Shelley, who is a feminist herself, covers her book with submissive women who suffer calmly and eventually die. Similarly in Wilde's story, there are a few female characters that do not show much immediate importance, but they ultimately have a major impact on the story. Both authors portray their female characters as weak and passive, yet, despite their minor roles, these women strongly influence the men and greatly alter the course of events in each novel.
In conclusion, Gilman shared her story through a work of fiction, showing how women were really seen in society. The stereotypical man did not see women as an equal, but more as a puppet. Women would go along with whatever their husbands or male family members would say, because they were not allowed to voice their opinions and the men would not listen to them.
Although the novel is written by a woman, there are only male narrators leaving the female representation to be from the perspective of male author's in that time period. Staying true to gender roles in the time period, Shelley portrays women as reflections of their male counterparts- as mothers, sisters, daughters or wives- purposefully misrepresenting women to highlight societal flaws. Caroline Beaufort, Elizabeth Lavenza and Margaret Saville are examples of women who's character puts them in a supporting role to their male counterpart.
Scout's narration and the character's dialog prove that Alexandra is characterized by her traditional values while Miss Maudie is characterized as a modern woman. The issues of gender roles are still a large part of society today and it affects a majority of adolescents because they feel the need to conform and ignore their individualism and that is why this novel is still relevant to society today.. The lessoned to be learned here is to be comfortable in one's own skin and don't listen to negative feedback if it is not constructive.
Spark Notes Editors. “Spark Note on Diary of a Young Girl.” SparkNotes.com. Spark Notes LLC. 2003. Web. 17 Mar. 2011.
This is not serious, but is an example of the tolerance we have for others and outsiders. Women are still facing many stereotypes today, and still do not have nearly as much power as men. Though the stereotypes are less serious than in the novel, they still exist widely today.
...e relationship with men, as nothing but tools she can sharpen and destroy, lives through lust and an uncanny ability to blend into any social class makes her unique. Her character is proven as an unreliable narrator as she exaggerates parts of the story and tries to explain that she is in fact not guilty of being a mistress, but a person caught in a crossfire between two others.
Within every story or poem, there is always an interpretation made by the reader, whether right or wrong. In doing so, one must thoughtfully analyze all aspects of the story in order to make the most accurate assessment based on the literary elements the author has used. Compared and contrasted within the two short stories, “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid, and John Updike’s “A&P,” the literary elements character and theme are made evident. These two elements are prominent in each of the differing stories yet similarities are found through each by studying the elements. The girls’ innocence and naivety as characters act as passages to show something superior, oppression in society shown towards women that is not equally shown towards men.
Fisher, Jerilyn, and Ellen S. Silber. Women in Literature: Reading Through the Lens of Gender. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 2003. Print.
One way teachers can do this is explained in an article “Stereotypes by using picture books with strong female characters,” by Kay A. Chick. She discusses different strategies that teachers, caregivers, and schools can use in order to implement strong female characters in children’s books and to steer away from gender stereotypes. For example, Chick states that “Teachers should share books that include females who display a range of admirable emotions and traits, including perseverance, courage, independence, and resourcefulness” (Chick 22). Sharing books that include all of these traits in women would open up larger opportunities for young females. More importantly, it would help them to be aware of the many career choices open to them and not just the traditional jobs they view women displaying in picture books. Although, Chick makes a great point and suggests a brilliant idea on how to dismiss gender stereotypes in children’s books. The problem still exists because even though “…there are contemporary stories written by female authors with strong female characters, teachers still select books consistent with their ideology” (Louie 146). I, myself, have even viewed these problems taking place in preschools. I’ve worked in plenty of preschools and over and over again, the same traditional books are displayed. There is no diversity where kids can explore outside of what’s