Sissy

We have yet to study a text similar to Sissy written by George Kellogg (who is actually a female herself.) In this story, the idea and the separation of gender roles are completely broken. Sissy enjoyed doing girly things like sweeping, knitting, and these things make him happy.

When we think of Sissy living in the 21^st century, we view little William as a very strange character. In the story, both girls and boys accepted him. If he grew up going to my high school, he would be made fun of and more than likely beat up by all the guys.

Why he is accepted? I don’t really know the clear answer but have a few suggestions. Is it because the boys used him for doing things they were not taught to do? Such as bake, sew, and knit? Or was it because they were children and didn’t really know better at the time? The answer only Kellogg knows. Whatever it may be, Kellogg created this text for a reason and showed Sissy as of value to both boys and girls. No one bothered him about the way he dressed or the activities he did, they accepted him regardless of these decisions.

Another thing that came to mind when reading this text was the fact that it was in the time period of the women’s rights movement. Was Kellogg trying to show the people of the 19^th century that women can do a mans job and that a man should be able to do the things that women were automatically supposed to do (e.g. sweep, clean, knit, cook).

Gilman and Chopin

As we have moved on to study literature of the early 20^th century where we see more short stories rather than long, we are almost forced to change our reading habits and take a closer look at the text. I really did not realize the need to read more carefully until we discussed The Yellow Wallpaper in class on Tuesday.

When we talked about the idea that the main character may possibly be dead throughout the whole story, I had not noticed this and realized the need to more carefully read and interpret this style of writing. On the very first page of the text we see a number of hints to the fact that she might be dead through out the story. For example, she says “John is a physician, and perhaps – (I would not say it to a living soul, of course, but this is dead paper and a great relief to my mind) – perhaps that is one reason I do not get well faster.” I failed to recognize that the author might be hinting at the fact that she has passed before the story has even begun.

As we talked about a deeper meaning of The Yellow Wallpaper, we discussed how Gilman is actually writing a “double commentary” on the problems involved in marriage and medical issues. I would not have recognized this without it being pointed out to me or taking a deeper look on the text.

The same is true for the text, Desiree’s Baby. Because the text is so short we must carefully read each and every word and take a deeper meaning into mind. We have to think outside of the box. If I were to skim the text, I would never think to say that it is a story of irony. Because this story is so short and I was aware of the fact that these short stories are full of hidden meaning, it was easier for me to think outside the box and try and figure out what the author is really trying to tell us as readers. Chopin has changed the idea that children are the future to using babies as bad plot devices.