Extra Credit Blog

After reading “Sissy” we are challenged with the idea of gender roles and the major separation of them. A boy, William, is nicknamed Sissy and completely broke the “rules” of what it is to be a little boy and girl. There are many comparisons and contrasts between this story and The Wide, Wide World.

Within The Wide, Wide World we are presented a perfect little girl named Ellen who meets all of the criteria imaginable. This story set out guidelines for how little girls should be raised and within “Sissy” we see a little boy with admirable characteristics just like Ellen’s. “How careful Ellen was about that toast! The bread must not be cut too thick, nor too thin; the fire must, if possible, burn clear and bright, and she herself held the bread on a fork, just at the right distance from the coals to get nicely browned without burning” (Warner 5). The diction used to describe how much Ellen loves to do little chores for her mother, whom she loves dearly, is incredibly similar to the joy the little boy Willie, or Sissy, receives from making his lover clothing. “Sissy went to work with a will, and soon was in the mysteries of flouncing, tucking, ruffling, &c. ‘Snip! Snip! Snip!’ went the cheerful scissors” (Kellogg 139). Both children take great joy, as children should during this time, in doing chores for their loved ones. The challenge here is that Sissy is a little boy and not a little girl yet he takes great enjoyment in his women’s domestic duties. “True he always sat cross-legged when sewing, and whistled around and around his knitting, and fisted his bread instead of kneading it with his palms” (Kellogg 113). The comparisons between the chores Ellen performs and Sissy are very similar and they both take such great joy in doing work for the ones they love.

Gender roles are something that we have seen throughout children’s literature and progressively the line between women’s work and men’s work has been crossed but in Sissy it is blown way out of the water. In both stories the authors are clearly showing the way to raise children because they turned out exactly the way any parent would want their child to. Even though Sissy partakes in tasks women do, which is part of the social commentary the author is challenging, the boys in school still respect and almost admire him. “And so the name Sissy, given to the boy in ill-nature and decision, came to be the lovingly pronounced. He seemed to have a wonderful nature in sympathy with both boys and girls” (Kellogg 114). This passage shows that Sissy is a blend of both genders. Both novels present the idea of the ideal child and how to raise them but Sissy complicates the general perspective thinking of the differences between male and female children and their duties in this new American society.

All about Luck

The idea of luck became prominent in a few of the stories we have read this semester such as Ragged Dick and The Luck of Roaring Camp. As we have seen throughout this course the ideas of the “American Dream” and creating new American individuals has a major influence on what was written for children and secretly hidden for adults. Within The Luck of Roaring Camp we are presented with ideas about the American baby and the idea of luck playing a huge part in turning around lives.

Bret Harte presents us with the idea of the American dream in his story and the idea of being able to succeed with luck. “No, probably not, but you may rise in some other way. A good many distinguished men have once been poor boys. There’s hope for you, Dick, if you’ll try” (394). Working hard is the moral to the story for Dick. Dick was a truthful, earnest, and hard working boy who was given hope that if he continues on this path and really tries that he will succeed in life. As we all know sometimes working hard just is not enough and it does not take us to the places we deserve to be at. From a completely different perspective we see the men from Roaring Camp succeeding with the idea of luck. This story was in the time of the Gold Rush, which was all about luck and striking big. I loved this story because it put a little twist on luck and changes the meaning to the baby being a source of potential and luck. This baby functions as a source of hope the minute it is brought into the lives of these men. “The men had suddenly awakened to the fact that there were beauty and significance in these trifles which they had so long trodden carelessly beneath their feet” (538). I liked this story so much because it shows luck in so many different ways that doesn’t just include making money. These men are lucky because they are being awakened to the beauty of life and being ultimately transformed for the better. “Profanity was tacitly given up” (537). Not only were these men becoming enlightened of the world and nature but they started to clean up their own behavior. The baby was used as a symbol for luck and gave these men luck in a number of ways.

The Yellow Wallpaper

Truthfully the first time I read this story I finished it and went what did I just read. Even though I have read this story numerous times today in class was the first time I ever put together that she could be, and in my opinion is, dead the entire story. As a reader we have the opportunity to be engaged and drawn into stories especially ones like “The Yellow Wallpaper” because it is a first person narrative. The idea of insanity always has intrigued me and is a topic that will inevitably draw the reader in whether they would like to be or not. Short stories offer us a new way of reading and as we approach the 20^th century we enjoy these engaging pieces of literature. As the reader we must alter our reading habits when encountering a short story versus a long drawn-out novel because as we all saw today, every single word counts. Throughout this short story we must make connections that our author is making a very strong social commentary on the treatment of women during this time and the role of husbands.

Gilman is introducing the idea of post-partum depression and uses this and the husband, John, to make a double commentary on marriage and the medical industry. If we do not read incredibly carefully it is easy to miss the social commentary on John as a husband because as she intended he is not made out to be a bad character. “He said I was his darling and his comfort and all he had, and that I must take care of myself for his sake, and keep well” (510). John is presented as the loving husband and father of their new child but when we look closer we are able to see that husbands miss part of their job, and that is to listen. “My darling,’ said he, ‘I beg of you, for my sake and for our child’s sake, as well as for your own, that you will never for one instant let that idea enter your mind! There is nothing so dangerous, so fascinating, to a temperament like yours. It is a false and foolish fancy. Can you not trust me as a physician when I tell you so?” (511). Using John as physician and husband Gilman is able to play off both of these to show that the treatments given to women during this time were not helping and that they were not listened to even though it is their own minds and bodies that are being affected. “If a physician of high standing, and one’s own husband, assures friends and relatives that there is really nothing the matter with one but temporary nervous depression—a slight hysterical tendency—what is one to do?” (505). This quote is directly showing the issue of husband and doctors because what is she to do other than listen to people that “know” better than she?

If we do not read carefully we will miss what the author is trying to portray to us. I am not the kind of person that can read a short story once or even see a movie once and fully understand it. Think about a long story versus one like “The Yellow Wallpaper;” how can you not read more carefully when there are ten pages instead of six hundred? The author of short stories must pack all of the clues and details possible into something that is not drawn out with pages of detail to explain one aspect of a character, plot, setting, or more. Gilman does a beautiful job of incorporating a variety of issues into such a short story with a twist at the end that was unseen to me until today.