I find this article to deal much more with gender roles than anything else. In the beginning we find the husband telling his wife that she should have breakfast ready for him even though she admits to being horrible at making it. She burns the coffee and turns pancakes into sheet rock.
The husband, even knowing already that he would have to get breakfast outside the home, has her make it anyways. Toward the end of the story the gender roles become evident again. The husband says to his wife that he would kill her if he came back and found her married to someone else even if he married 50 times. I find this very wrong on the part of the husband. This type of mentality shows the ideological principles that were evident during the period that this was written. It focus's more on the fact that the women should be home cooking and cleaning and the man should be out working.
I tried to find some type of racial undercurrent in this story, but this was to no avail. The only mention of slavery was in the past tense and it does not seem to be an important part of the story.
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I completely agree with you when you say that this piece of writing was based primarily on gender roles. Personally, I got frustrated reading this because the husband, Roger, seems to be such an arrogant jerk. I felt that he was extremely wrong in the beginning but toward the end we do get a sense that he felt awful for treating his wife like that. I guess that eased my nerves a little bit... Until the comment at the end where he stated that he would kill her.
You are right in saying that gender roles are the main focus of this piece. I felt as if the focus was taken off race and placed on gender struggles. I feel like this piece could be very accessible to both african american and white women because both had to function around gender roles.
I agree that the story, Mary Elizabeth, tells a lot about life during the Harlem Renaissance. The story is very reflective of the gender roles that were typical during this time. The story provides the reader with a lot of insight into the values of Americans, particularly those from the south where the story took place. Like you pointed out, Shawn, Roger expected that Mary Elizabeth was to do all of the cooking and cleaning in the household. This is one significant example of gender roles in this story.
I agree that the main point about mary elizabeth is the gender roles in the time period of the Harlem renaissance. I think that the role of roger was a little much but it got the point across to the reader the gender roles. I agree with ashton that the gender roles could be for white women and afircan american in the time period of the Harlem renaissances.
I agree that this piece was mainly about depicting the gender roles in society during that time. I thought the whole multiple marriage was strange and one sided since it was okay for him to do it but if his wife did it he would kill her. Guess that just shows the mentality during that time.
I do believe this piece focuses on gender roles as well. AFter reading it and coming up with my own meaning and then discussing it in class, I kept mixing pieces up. I read the story early and kept mixing up how different sections ended both in Mary Elizabeth and her family's case as well as Sally and Roger.
THe whole breakfast issue and being in the household shows the gender roles, Sally at home and Roger out in the workplace.
That statement he made where he would marry 50 times and she couldn't or he would kill her...whoa. I didn't like that at all! I agree that it shows the principles during that time period.
In class, I was trying to put the point that Mary Elizabeth's story affected how Sally and Roger's relationship went because in a way I felt it was a way for Mary Elizabeth to show them how to appreciate what they have and the love they have. But the whole idea of slavery does not seem to be the main issue here, more of relationships and the idea of gender roles.
i think that some women should stay home and cook and clean. dont forget that is what some women want, to be good moms in the house. i guess it doesnt appear that roger and the wife have any kids, but if they did and they didnt have mary elizabeth she would need to learn how to cook and clean, especially in this time period. roger was jerk but he realized this and wanted to make it up to his wife. for him to say that he would kill her was him just being a pyshco not a "typical male" of the time period. whatever the case it shows that values have changed over the time and roger doesnt realize what is like to be a slave or be sold off. he doesnt have a clear connection to his african american roots because none of hs immediate relatives had to endure.
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