Pink English
Posted in Bed Comforter Sets on 09/05/2008 04:51 pm by admin
An Ap English Literature Refresher: Gender In To Kill A Mockingbird And The Catcher In They Rye
One of the biggest problems with the books we read in high school is that most of them aren’t contemporary – in the chronological sense of the word. We then assume that they aren’t relevance in a thematic sense, which takes most of the fun and practically all of the creativity out of how we approach them. With the AP English Literature exam less than a month away, it’s high time to start rethinking the old stand-bys. Let’s take a look at how Harper Lee and JD Salinger toy with gender identity in To Kill a Mockingbird and The Catcher in the Rye.
Our first task is pretty straightforward, since Scout Finch is THE tomboy of US literature. She idolizes her brother, playing almost exclusively with him and his friends. She refuses to dress femininely for fear of becoming trapped within “the starched walls of a pink cotton penitentiary.” When her father is threatened by a drunken mob of full-grown men, it’s Scout who throws the first punch. (Symbolically speaking: she actually kicks him right in the spot that, you know, makes him a full-grown man.)
Although Scout makes To Kill a Mockingbird an obvious candidate for a book that pushes gender boundaries, The Catcher in the Rye is a much subtler choice. Holden Caulfield doesn’t make a dramatic stand against machismo the way Scout does against sugar and spice, but since consistency isn’t really his forte, this hardly disqualifies him from the running. Let’s take a look at some of the moments that slip through amidst Holden’s many self-contradictions.
Exhibit A: The Last Game of the Year. It’s Pency Prep vs. Saxon Hall, and “you were supposed to commit suicide or something if old Pencey didn’t win.” Suffice it to say Holden doesn’t give a damn. Which is not to suggest that people who don’t care for sports are automatically feminine, but given the social expectations of the 1950’s – not to mention the fact that the novel opens at said game – it symbolically sets Holden waaay apart from the novel’s other (enthusiastically cheering) males.
Exhibit B: No Means No. Whenever a girl tells Holden to stop making sexual advances, he stops. Why is this newsworthy? Because most of the guys around him don’t. If you’re feeling creeped out, remember that this was the 1950’s, when, as Holden explains, “no” could mean: 1) yes, but I assume no part of the responsibility for our actions, 2) maybe, but I’m scared, or 3) no way, no how. Holden’s dilemma? He won’t risk opening Door Number Three, regardless of the collective social permission slip. We like him already.
Exhibit C: Crumby Stuff. On the one hand, Holden doesn’t feel you should “get sexy” with a woman you don’t like. On the other hand, if you do like a woman, you shouldn’t do any “crumby” – i.e. sexual – stuff to her. In more upper-crusty terms, Holden feels that sex requires objectification and is therefore inherently degrading to women. Of course, we might argue over the underlying assumption that sex requires objectification, but the point to be taken from all this is that Holden is big on R-E-S-P-E-C-T at a time when it isn’t a cultural norm for men.
So besides the gender-bending, what’s the common thread here? Only that Scout and Holden both hate phonies. Just think of the motives behind their behavior: Scout actively chooses to be a tomboy because she can’t stand the “polite fiction” of the Southern Belle. She perceives femininity as evasive, inhibited, and artificial – and considering what the standards of girliness must have been like in 1930’s Mississippi, we can’t really blame her. Holden has the same problem in reverse. He’s surrounded by images of “hotshot” polo players jumping over fences on horseback and “phony, lean-jawed guys” with ladies at the ready to light their pipes. Of course, Holden accuses everything of being phony, but the macho guy / fawning gal dynamic of 1950’s America is by far the worst offender.
Scout and Holden’s defiance of gender stereotypes fits nicely under the larger category of testing social boundaries. (Where would coming-of-age novels be without it?) By aligning gender with social convention, Lee and Salinger challenge the idea that gender – not to be confused with sex, of course – is somehow inborn. For books written in the fifties and sixties, that’s pretty contemporary stuff.
About the Author
Shmoop is an online study guide for literature like To Kill a Mockingbird, The Catcher in the Rye, AP English Literature, and many more. Its content is written by Ph.D. and Masters students from top universities, like Stanford, Berkeley, Harvard, and Yale who have also taught at the high school and college levels. Teachers and students should feel confident to cite Shmoop.
|
|
HERMES Birkin 40 Bag BOISE DE ROSE amazing MATTE Croc english rose pink $66,775.00 |
|
|
FLAMINGO PINK JEWELLED ENGLISH STAINED GLASS WINDOW $9,599.40 |
|
|
Rose Pink Gold Heart Lock Charm Bracelet Antique 9k English Victorian 13mm Wide $2,450.00 |
|
|
VICTORIAN ENGLISH 15K PINK GOLD.5 STAR SET .25CT DIAMOND HINGED BANGLE BRACELET $2,400.00 |
|
|
Antique English WEBB Pink Burmese Glass Sterling Silver Crown Top Perfume Bottle $2,025.00 |
|
|
Heart Lock Charm Bracelet Antique 9k act Rose Pink Gold English Victorian $1,850.00 |
|
|
ANTIQUE ENGLISH SOUTH STAFFORDSHIRE PINK ENAMEL & GILT METAL EGG SNUFF BOX ETUI $1,500.00 |
|
|
Heart Lock Gate Charm Bracelet Antique 9k Rose Pink Gold English Victorian $1,250.00 |
|
|
I Rode The Pink Pig (2004, Hardcover) – BRAND NEW 1st Edition /1st Printing RARE $1,200.00 |
|
|
The Pink Dress by Anne Alexander c1959 by Doubleday $1,200.00 |
|
|
RETRO DECO 1940 ENGLISH 9K PINK GOLD 7 STONE AMETHYST 16.80CT BRACELET $1,100.00 |
|
|
ESTATE VICTORIAN ENGLISH BROWN WHITE 3 SHELL 1850’s 12K PINK GOLD PIN $1,060.00 |
|
|
Set 6 Antique English Porcelain Plates Rose Pink & Gold w Hand Painted Flowers $999.99 |
|
|
PINK TOURMALINE RUBELLITE ROSE CUT DIAMONDS ANTIQUE 18K GOLD ENGLISH RING $999.00 |
|
|
Super Street Truck Magazine January 1993 Charles Long 50s’ Pink & Black $977.00 |
|
|
Casio EX-TR150 Digital Camera (Pink) +16GB Class 10 SDHC- English/ Chinese Menu $975.00 |
|
|
Casio EX-TR150 Digital Camera (Pink) +16GB Class 10 SDHC- English / Chinese $975.00 |
|
|
TERRIFIC ANTIQUE ENGLISH GEORGIAN 15K GOLD PINK TOPAZ PIN BROOCH c1830 $810.00 |
|
|
Antique 1800s Staffordshire 22 Mint ENGLISH CHILD’S Pink China Play TEA SET $700.00 |
|
|
Pink Topaz Pearl Necklace 10k Yellow Gold English $695.00 |
|
|
INTERNATIONAL HANDBOOK OF URB – GEORGE W. NOBLIT WILLIAM T. PINK (HARDCOVER) NEW $628.79 |
|
|
iClebo “Smart Rose Pink” Robotic Vacuum Cleaner YCR-M04-01P + English Manual $602.45 |
|
|
ANTIQUE ENGLISH 15K GOLD PINK ROCK CRYSTAL BROOCH c1850 $550.00 |
|
|
CASIO EX-WORD XD-B8600 Japanese English Electronic Dictionary Pink $498.00 |
|
|
HEAVY WEIGHT ENGLISH GOLD BIG OPAL PINK TOURMALINE RING $478.00 |
|
|
Sweet HANDPAINTED Chintz English Victorian CARVED Oak TABLE Barbola PINK Roses $425.00 |
|
|
Set 9 Minton English Dinner Plates Queen’s Trellis Pink Blue Green Rose Garden $449.00 |
|
|
2 Antique English Old Paris Porcelain Scenic Dish Pink $425.00 |
|
|
The Metallurgy of Doped/Non-Sag Tungsten by Erwin Pink (1989, Hardcover) $443.74 |
|
|
ANTIQUE ENGLISH PINK MOTHER OF PEARL DIAMOND QUILTED CASED SATIN GLASS VASE $429.99 |
|
|
Old English Style Pink Topaz & Sead Pearl Filigree Necklace 17″ $1900 $420.00 |
|
|
Hainsworth English Hot Pink Billiard Cloth Suits 9′X4.6 $268.70 |
|
|
MADONNA ENGLISH ROSES SIGNED PINK BOX SET SEALED BONUS PROMO GAP BAG + 2 CD BOOK $399.99 |
|
|
Read Write Inc. Phonics: Pink Set 3 Storybooks: School Pack of 100 (10×10 Titles $351.78 |
|
|
Hainsworth English Hot Pink Billiard Cloth Suits 8′X4 $224.73 |
|
|
LARGE VICTORIAN ENGLISH 14K SOLID GOLD GENUINE FIERY OPAL & PINK TOURMALINE RING $359.00 |
|
|
New BESTA CD-888 English Chinese Electronic Dictionary – Pink – Free shipping $357.00 |
|
|
PINK FAIRY BOOK,1897,Andrew Lang,1stEd.,Illust. $350.00 |
|
|
Kippy’s Two Colors Pink and Black Pave Crystal Belt $340.00 |
|
|
*Lee Jofa English Wool Linen Newbury Stripe Persimmon Pink 7yds Value $1,372 $350.00 |
|
|
RARE Vintage 101 Dalmatians Pink Cover w Dust Jacket 1958 Edition by Dodie Smith $349.99 |
|
|
Hainsworth English Hot Pink Billiard Cloth Suits 7′X3.6 $200.31 |
|
|
New BESTA CD-885 English Chinese Electronic Dictionary – Pink – Free shipping $336.99 |
|
|
The Trail Of Pink Petals Shenandoah David Brill Signed $335.00 |
|
|
New BESTA CD-879 English Chinese Electronic Dictionary – Pink – Free shipping $319.99 |
|
|
ENGLISH 9CT WHITE GOLD OPAL & PINK TOURMALINE RING $312.23 |
|
|
BEAUTIFUL ANTIQUE ENGLISH 15K GOLD PINK TOURMALINE & PEARL PIN c1830 $295.00 |
|
|
ENGLISH 9CT WHITE GOLD FIERY AAA PINK TOURMALINE RING $302.62 |
|
|
ANTIQUE ENGLISH COPPER LUSTERWARE PITCHER CIRCA 1830, PINK COW, SPOTTED DOG $246.60 |
|
|
Kippy’s Big Cowboy Pink Belt $250.00 |