ipl-logo

Gender Stereotypes In Bobbie Ann Mason's Shiloh

606 Words3 Pages

There are multiple times in Bobbie Ann Mason's short story "Shiloh" in which gender stereotypes are altered and subverted. Leroy and Norma Jean, a married couple, are the central figures of "Shiloh." Leroy, who served in the military and personifies the usual expectations of a husband as a provider and protector, exemplifies the traditional masculine role. However, Leroy is no longer able to work as a result of a trucking accident, and he is forced to stay at home while Norma Jean works outside the house. The stereotype that men are the breadwinners and women are the homemakers is called into question by this gender role reversal. Bobbie Ann Mason purposely manipulates gender roles in "Shiloh" by portraying the male character as disoriented and domestic and highlighting the female character's desire for independence and self-discovery, thereby challenging societal norms and illustrating the …show more content…

Leroy was a trucker who got into an accident and was no longer the breadwinner for the family anymore. Since trucking requires a lot of independence and strength, not being on the road he has become mentally and physically weak. “Since he has been home, he has felt unusually tender about his wife and guilty over his long absences.” (Mason 678) Since being in this vulnerable state of mind he’s often thought about the loss of their child together, and Norma Jean leaving him because he “read that for most people losing a child destroys the marriage…” (Mason 678). Readers can sense the insecurity of Leroy which is usually portrayed by a woman. We also sense this insecurity when he makes a statement about her being faithful to him. “ He is reasonably certain she has been faithful to him….” (Mason 678). The gender roles with Leroy have switched due to his injury and he now experiences staying at home all the time by himself with his thoughts and feelings instead of driving those thoughts into his

Show More
Related
253 Words | 2 Pages

Both “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” and “Shiloh” have the main symbol of a Nuclear family with similar characters like: the overbearing mother, the “Man of the House” or “Provider”, the desensitized mother, and the child/children that aren’t how they are supposed to be. In the prior, the children are shown as rude, spoiled and annoying. One could decide if this was to show how the American Dream could be unfulfilling in some way, or decide to shrug it off as a part of the American Dream that has to be accepted. In the latter however, the child character, although important, is not present. The death of Norma`s baby is actually an extremely strong factor for her and her husband’s separation, as well as the fact that her husband cannot provide

Read More
1314 Words | 6 Pages

"Shiloh" affords readers a glimpse into her portrayal of symbolic allusions, specifically through her references of the log cabin, the dust ruffle, and the battleground at Shiloh. One of the earliest symbolic references that the audience is knowledgeable of is the log cabin. The log cabin is mentioned quite commonly throughout the duration of the narrative, accentuating its importance. The cabin functions as an assortment of various symbolic interpretations during the course of the short story; the most ubiquitous referring to the state of Leroy and Norma Jean 's marriage. While Leroy believes the cabin to be some type of beacon of hope for his marriage, Norma Jean is skeptical of its existence and views it as unwanted and incongruous.

Read More
1282 Words | 6 Pages

Bobbie Ann Mason’s short story Shiloh is a story explaining the events leading up to a husband and wife’s marriage coming to an end. This couple rushed into marriage because they had a baby on the way, but four months after the baby was born it died of sudden infant death syndrome. In this story Norma Jean ,the wife, is the breadwinner of the family while her husband Leroy stays at home because of an injury he sustained at work. Both Leroy and Norma Jean fail to confront the issues they are having, and because of this, the bond between them grows weaker the longer they are together. Their marriage is bound to end at some point.

Read More
1209 Words | 5 Pages

Shiloh (Vonda Griffith)4 In the short story of "Shiloh," Betty Mason illustrates throughout the story of how a happy marriage is in the eyes of the beholder until reality slaps you in the face and wakes you up. Mason writes about a couple, Leroy and Norma Jean, with events in their lives that depict the shape of their lives and how their future as a married couple will be. Mason uses the battlefield of "Shiloh" to compare to that of Leroy and Norma Jean's marriage and the battles that they face in the unfolding of events in their lives. In this story, Mason writes about a log cabin that is symbolic in the marriage of Leroy and Norma Jean's marriage by depicting the emptiness within the log cabin as being the emptiness within their

Read More
1826 Words | 8 Pages

Because “Shiloh” reveals atypical gender roles, Norma Jean gains the physical and mental strength to start the new life she has always aspired to begin. Leroy, Norma Jean’s husband, was in a trucking accident four months ago, which rendered him unable to walk due to a leg injury, leaving Norman Jean as the working partner of the relationship. Leroy’s fairly new physical

Read More
759 Words | 4 Pages

The importance of the title “Shiloh”, the short story by Bobbie Ann Mason, signals the story is all about Norma Jean and Leroy’s marriage falling apart after Leroy had an accident on his rig. Although he is almost fully recovered now, he is afraid to drive the rig again. That means that he is no longer the head of the household, and he begins to lose his identity as the provider. Truck drivers work long days and are normally always on the road only coming home for short periods of time. I think Leroy was just hardly ever home.

Read More
971 Words | 4 Pages

The contrast of the dream and the setting represents the contrast between the minds of husband and wife, and how it will be rectified will comment heavily on who has the power-individuals or the masses. Overlaid with the ambiance of reminiscence, rural Kentucky has been chosen as the setting for the short story Shiloh. After an accident, the husband, Leroy, has returned to his home after years on the road as a truck driver. His wife, Norma Jean, remains faithful and kind through his sufferings.

Read More
704 Words | 3 Pages

The instability of the stereotypical gender roles in the household, music that Norma Jean drifts away from, and log cabin all play significant roles in symbolizing the inevitable end of their marriage. Leroy and Norma Jean appear to swap the conventional gender roles in the story, and this troubles their marriage. Leroy sits at home all day like a bored housewife, and takes on hobbies that are considered to be traditionally feminine. While Norma jean assumes the role of the sole breadwinner and engages in hobbies like body building, Leroy makes crafts from kits and sews needlepoint

Read More
234 Words | 1 Pages

Misogyny or just the age of time? That is the question that is often asked of Washington Irving and his writings. Misogyny is the dislike of, contempt for, or ingrained prejudice against women.. I believe that Washington Irving’s works were a combination of the two. In his time of writing, women were in the background instead of being equal to men.

Read More
1746 Words | 7 Pages

The Roaring Twenties Have you ever wondered what the stereotypes of women were in the 1920’s? Well, in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s book, The Great Gatsby, there are three major different types of stereotypes of women. In this book, a man named Nick Carraway moves near a millionaire who goes by the name Gatsby. Gatsby hosts frequent parties which include several different types of people, such as gold diggers, golden girls, and the new women. Throughout this book, Nick gets to meet all three types of these girls, and gets to spend time with them.

Read More
869 Words | 4 Pages

He is not true to himself or to Maggie, and is in denial of Skipper’s love for him. Brick lies to himself about his feelings for Skipper until Big Daddy forces him to face it. He then is apprehensive, because his friendship is being misinterpreted. Brick is driving Maggie insane, because he will not sleep with her. She rather stick a knife into her heart than to know Brick will never make love to her again.

Read More
1854 Words | 8 Pages

Commonly, males provided for their family while women took care of the home. Gender roles were necessary for survival in primitive times because of the volatile, Darwinian environment. However, as the world developed, gender roles were still engrained in society and patriarchy was solidified. Thus, husbands have become dominant at home and in the workforce and earning income became a fixed job of men (Farrelly 4). Likewise, Jackie Elliot is shown destroying his dead wife’s piano for firewood is symbolic of traditional gender roles.

Read More
1122 Words | 5 Pages

For example, Mabel‘s brothers did not want her to be on her own when they moved out. Since they are all in debt, they try to convince her to go live with their married sister (Lawrence 455). This conflict between siblings shows that because she is a woman, she is seen as lesser than her brothers. It is suitable for the men in the family to live on their own and make a living but she needs to be taken care of. Another example occurs when Mabel has an internal conflict with herself when she attempts to drown herself in a lake (Lawrence 460).

Read More
666 Words | 3 Pages

Bill displayed more confidence than Carol at first. Society typically display men as having more confidence later in life. Women with older age are viewed negative due to their wrinkles and aging physical appearance. As soon as Carol and Bill hit it off, Carol receives a message from her daughter, Katherine, who has not came to visit her in a while and spends time with her. She starts building new relationships and renewing relationships.

Read More
891 Words | 4 Pages

Trophies are not always made of gold, or even placed on a high pedestal. That’s right, housewives can be trophies as well (at least, that’s what men thought during the early 20th century). Unless they wore an apron, had food in hand, and maintained an hourglass figure, society forced women to believe that this was the only way the could be housewives, and deserved to be married to a husband. Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie featured Amanda Wingfield, a housewife that is unfortunately a victim of societal pressures.

Read More

More about Gender Stereotypes In Bobbie Ann Mason's Shiloh

Related Topics

Open Document