Multimodal Project 1: Literature Through a Gender Lens by Chelsea

Tommy Orange

chalvorson85 — 2025-02-13 03:02:33 UTC

Edwidge Danticat

chalvorson85 — 2025-02-13 03:06:14 UTC

Octavia Butler

chalvorson85 — 2025-02-13 03:09:06 UTC

chalvorson85 — 2025-02-13 03:48:52 UTC

Testimonial by Edwidge Danticat

chalvorson85 — 2025-02-13 03:49:58 UTC

Female Solidarity

chalvorson85 — 2025-02-13 03:51:42 UTC

But the story truly starts after the mother has died, and the daughter is forced to face the consequences of her mother's life. Visiting her jail cell, where she spent the past 25 years, and must also deal with the cult-like sisterhood that she is now trapped in.

Gender Roles + Preferences

chalvorson85 — 2025-02-13 04:00:37 UTC

The story is about being a woman, highlighting the relationship a mother has with her children. Feeding into a common trait/stereotype that women often take on the role of primary caretaker of their children.

However, in this story, or at least in the sisterhood the mother is part of, they prioritize their daughters over their sons. In fact, the mother killed her son as a sacrifice to the gods to help her daughter survive.

Gender Inequality/Preference

chalvorson85 — 2025-02-13 04:12:16 UTC

Overall, story is a bit messed up because her mother killed her baby son simply for not being a girl. But I believe it is a way to highlight the gender inequality in the world today because the opposite kind of happens (usually without the killing) when boys are often valued over girls.

Solidarity and Betrayal

chalvorson85 — 2025-02-13 04:12:44 UTC

The sisterhood, in a twisted way, highlights the complexity of how women often support one another. Initially, the sisterhood appears supportive, sticking together and facing challenges with one another, which is why her mother probably joined it. However, this unity dissolved once it no longer benefited them.

In the story, the sisterhood chose to not help the girl's mother in trial because a journalist was catching onto all of the "mysterious" deaths of baby boys in the area, and they prioritized saving their cult over helping her.

chalvorson85 — 2025-02-13 04:18:51 UTC

chalvorson85 — 2025-02-13 04:24:10 UTC

chalvorson85 — 2025-02-14 21:50:42 UTC

Challenges the Binary

chalvorson85 — 2025-02-14 21:52:38 UTC

The story also challenges the gender binary by mentioning how it doesn’t matter who hosts the eggs, whether male, female, or non-binary, it simply doesn’t matter to the Tlic as long as they can help them reproduce.

Bloodchild by Octavia Butler

chalvorson85 — 2025-02-14 21:54:05 UTC

chalvorson85 — 2025-02-14 22:03:48 UTC

Gender Roles

chalvorson85 — 2025-02-14 22:06:34 UTC

Bloodchild challenges the typical gender role that only women can get pregnant and have children. While Gan didn’t want to have the eggs in him after witnessing the horrific process, he ultimately decided to save his sister from the experience and decided otherwise. In the afterword, Butler writes about how she finally got to write her “pregnant man story” which affirms my idea.

chalvorson85 — 2025-02-15 00:17:17 UTC

Swaps Stereotypes

chalvorson85 — 2025-02-15 00:18:00 UTC

Gender plays a significant role in Bloodchild. Going against typical masculine traits, Gan, the male main character doesn’t play into the “dominant” power that is usually present. Instead, T’Gatoi holds the power in their relationship, ultimately portraying herself as a strong, kindhearted, and powerful woman/Tlic.

chalvorson85 — 2025-02-15 00:20:03 UTC

Final Thoughts

chalvorson85 — 2025-02-15 00:20:50 UTC

Despite all of this, I don’t feel like the story really focused its attention on the gender of the characters. In fact, it took me a couple passes through the story to truly be able to analyze it using the gender lens. The first time I read it I didn’t know what to expect and didn’t even pay attention to the gender of the characters, rather just the relationships and actions of the characters.

That being said, while the text definitely plays around with gender roles and breaking stereotypes, I don’t think that was the only intention behind the story. Butler also seemed to just write a story about love and identity. However, when you do pay attention to gender while reading, it adds lots of depth to the story that not only tells a romance, but also leaves readers to question the societal norms they live with.

Reopening by Tommy Orange

chalvorson85 — 2025-02-15 00:45:19 UTC

chalvorson85 — 2025-02-15 00:52:20 UTC

Gender Roles

chalvorson85 — 2025-02-15 00:53:18 UTC

Gender plays a subtle role in the story. The story revolves around the relationship between a boy and his mother as they navigate the challenges of returning to school during a pandemic. The mother's role as the primary caretaker is definitely emphasized, reflecting the stereotype of women as nurturers and protectors of their children. This dynamic is reinforced when the mother expresses concern for her son’s well-being in addition to her attempts to reassure him about his weight and the dangers of the virus.

chalvorson85 — 2025-02-15 01:03:23 UTC

Challenging Stereotypes

chalvorson85 — 2025-02-15 01:04:31 UTC

While the story reinforces gender stereotypes, such as the mother being the primary caretaker and protector of her son (as mentioned earlier). The story also challenges a common stereotype that men aren’t emotional by highlighting the boy's awareness of the pressures placed on him by society, including concerns about his weight and the impacts of returning to school on him. The boy's vulnerability and emotional complexity add depth to his character in addition to showing how the stereotype can be false, and they can be just as emotionally expressive as anyone else.

chalvorson85 — 2025-02-15 01:34:04 UTC

Within the Binary

chalvorson85 — 2025-02-15 01:35:16 UTC

The story pretty much follows the standard binary with the mother and son in traditional gender roles. However, it subtly challenges these constructions by presenting the boy as a complex character (like humans actually are) who defies simplistic and inaccurate gender norms. His self-awareness and emotional depth demonstrate how truly unrealistic most assumptions about gender roles and identities are.

Conclusion

chalvorson85 — 2025-02-15 01:38:57 UTC

While the story definitely explores gender roles, stereotypes, and even challenges some of them, that wasn't the main point of the story. Rather, it is just a fraction of the true meaning. The story also explores vulnerability, perseverance, and more during the time of a crisis (pandemic).

Compare and Contrast: Tommy Orange "Reopening"

chalvorson85 — 2025-02-15 01:52:32 UTC

In Tommy Orange's “Reopening”, gender plays a subtle yet significant role as it delves into the relationship between a boy and his mother during a pandemic. The mother's role as the primary caretaker reflects traditional gender norms, while the boy's emotional depth challenges the stereotype that men aren't emotional. This is similar to Edwidge Danticat's “Testimonial”, because the story also highlights the role of caregiving and motherhood, but contrasts with Danticat's more extreme depiction of sacrificing children. The story also challenges the notion that men lack emotional expression, which is similar to Octavia Butler's “Bloodchild,” where a male character assumes a nurturing role and the gender lines are very fluid.

Compare and Contrast: Edwidge Danticat "Testimonial"

chalvorson85 — 2025-02-15 02:01:31 UTC

Edwidge Danticat's story centers on the relationship between a mother and her daughter, reinforcing the stereotype of women as primary caretakers. The narrative takes this further by exploring the extreme measures a mother might take, such as prioritizing daughters over sons and sacrificing her son for her daughter's survival. This is different from Tommy Orange's more subtle depiction of maternal caregiving. By highlighting extreme actions such as sacrifice to show societal gender biases, Danticat's narrative reveals the harsh realities of gender inequality, similar to Octavia Butler's switching of traditional gender norms.

Compare and Contrast: Octavia Butler "Bloodchild"

chalvorson85 — 2025-02-15 02:04:18 UTC

Octavia Butler challenges traditional gender stereotypes by making Gan, a male character, a host for T'Gatoi's eggs, ultimately changing the narrative that only women can have children. Her switching of gender roles is more prevalent than Tommy Orange’s, but there are still similarities in how Orange also challenged some simpler gender norms. Additionally, presenting Gan in a nurturing role and T'Gatoi in a dominant role adds depth to the story, which is similar to how Orange's story portrays the boy’s emotional. While not primarily focused on gender, including the topic creates a layered narrative that encourages readers to dig deeper into the meaning, which is also what Orange and Danticat did in their stories, just to different extents.