Gender roles are timeless stereotypes that belong in the 1950s, yet sixty years later they still exist. Even today, gender roles are still prevalent and simply change to fit new adaptations of society, but have become less stressed over time. In the two literary pieces, In the Time of the Butterflies and Othello, men control women in some way whether it be as their father, husband, or a man of acquaintance. Both pieces illustrate that a woman's place in society is thought of as being subordinate to a man’s, which causes women to feel inferior to men, and also to seek their approval.
In the novel, In the Time of the Butterflies, the author, Julia Alvarez, uses the Mirabal sisters to show how the sanction of a man changes the outcome of their
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In the event her father obtains this information, he could use it as a justification to keep Minerva home for his own selfish needs. Even though Minerva is a strong individual, she displays a level of obedience to her father, especially in her younger years when he controls her attendance at Inmaculada Concepción. Minerva’s subservience enables her father’s dominance over her. As Patria and Dedé Mirabal age, their husbands control their lives instead of their father. When Dedé wants to join her sisters in the revolution, she is held back by her husband, shown when the narrator explains, “Her life had gotten bound up with a domineering man, and so she shrank from the challenge her sisters were giving her. Dedé sent Patria a note: Sorry. Jaimito says no” (177). Dedé seeks the approval of Jaimito to support her sisters in the revolution. Jaimito tells her she cannot and Dedé remains obedient to Jaimito instead of true to herself. She behaves in conformity with her beliefs about women’s submissiveness to men, and allows Jaimito the right to control her choices.