Sexism
How is Marilyn affected by the sexism of the society in which she has grown up and in which she still lives? How does it affect her sense of self and her relationships with her husband and her children?
Race
How does race play a role in James' life? How does it affect his adolescence? How does it impact his career and personal life? How does it affect his marriage and his relationship with his children?
When Marilyn is in the laboratory at school, she's the only girl in a room of 16 people. Her classmates would tell her things like "Can I light the burner for you?", "Let me open that jar for you", "Better let us help", "Better let me pour that acid for you", and "Better stand back". Everyone, her instructor included assumed she was incompetent because of her sex.
ReplyDeleteAlso when she tries to sign up for the shop class, they say they can’t make exceptions. I think it’s because she is a female, and they didn’t want a girl in their manly shop class
ReplyDeleteI think that Marilyn's experiences as a woman trying to achieve her dreams but impacts the way she interacts with her children, particularly Lydia. Her life as a wife and mother was in conflict with her dreams and she had to give some of those dreams up. It is as if she can push Lydia to accomplish what she could not, her own dreams will be fulfilled.
ReplyDeleteI feel like most, if not all, parents want their kids to have more successes than them in life. My parents have always told me they just want me to succeed and be happy doing it, and they'll be happy too. I do think it gets a little bit pushy when a parent tries to force their kid to a certain job or occupation, especially if the kid doesn't want to do it.
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