Within reading "Bernice Bobs Her Hair" you see that traditional gender roles are questioned a lot. How should a woman act? What is the true proper way? Bernice thinks it 's perfectly normal to be proper and to talk about cars with boys. Whereas Marjorie thinks that as a girl, you must be lively and learn to entertain boys. Marjorie 's way of life defies her female role in some ways. For example, she is smart (she knows how to play dumb), she enjoys being dominant by ruling over Warren, and she is strong emotionally (not shedding a single tear the whole story.) Bernice fits the female gender role much better. She is very emotional, when she confronted Marjorie for saying mean things about her, Bernice was an absolute wreck. She cried hysterically.
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Even though Marjorie does not follow traditional gender role, she does fit in as patriarchal women, but Bernice does not. Patriarchy is a culture that privileges men by promoting traditional gender roles. (Tyson 81) Patriarchal women have internalized the norms and values of patriarchy. (Tyson 81) I believe Marjorie is a patriarchal woman, because she lets men think they are dominant over her. Even though Marjorie wants to be on the top of the social hierarchy, she must admit that her whole world depends on men. What if no guy ever cut in on her? What if she was seen as unwanted by both the sad birds and the popular boys? She spends all her time trying to impress the men around her. Even though she defies her gender role more than Bernice, Marjorie aids for the male gender role ultimately. At the end of the story, Bernice decides that she will no longer be ruled by Marjorie or Warren. I know this because she bobs Marjorie 's hair, which is her way of getting even with Marjorie. Now that they are even, she leaves and I don’t think she’s ever coming back. I also believe she has cut her ties with Warren by the quote, “She was passing Warren 's house now, and on the impulse she set down her …show more content…
Throughout the scene Marjorie seems so uninterested and heartless. So it is surprising to imagine that’s how she acts in bed. Also the fact that these boys are a little drunk makes this seem less loving. Wait did I say boys? Well actually it never specifies does it? Fitzgerald does not tell us the gender of these undergrads name, but because of heterocentrism I just assumed this was hetrosexual sex. Now that I have opened up my interpretation to queer theory, I think it is important to explore the idea of that undergrad begin a woman. This would explain why she never gets together with Warren, she just does not want him, but Bernice stealing him away affects Marjorie 's status. That is why she gets jealous, she does not want Bernice to take away the social standing she has worked so hard for. Marjorie never shows affection the boys she dances with, she only uses them. Everything for her is about her class, that is why being with a woman is impossible for her. She needs the men to give her that status she desires. Either way she does not enjoy sex and that just lends more into our idea of Marjorie being a patriarchal woman. If that undergrad is a male then to me that proves that Marjorie is
Even though Marjorie does not follow traditional gender role, she does fit in as patriarchal women, but Bernice does not. Patriarchy is a culture that privileges men by promoting traditional gender roles. (Tyson 81) Patriarchal women have internalized the norms and values of patriarchy. (Tyson 81) I believe Marjorie is a patriarchal woman, because she lets men think they are dominant over her. Even though Marjorie wants to be on the top of the social hierarchy, she must admit that her whole world depends on men. What if no guy ever cut in on her? What if she was seen as unwanted by both the sad birds and the popular boys? She spends all her time trying to impress the men around her. Even though she defies her gender role more than Bernice, Marjorie aids for the male gender role ultimately. At the end of the story, Bernice decides that she will no longer be ruled by Marjorie or Warren. I know this because she bobs Marjorie 's hair, which is her way of getting even with Marjorie. Now that they are even, she leaves and I don’t think she’s ever coming back. I also believe she has cut her ties with Warren by the quote, “She was passing Warren 's house now, and on the impulse she set down her …show more content…
Throughout the scene Marjorie seems so uninterested and heartless. So it is surprising to imagine that’s how she acts in bed. Also the fact that these boys are a little drunk makes this seem less loving. Wait did I say boys? Well actually it never specifies does it? Fitzgerald does not tell us the gender of these undergrads name, but because of heterocentrism I just assumed this was hetrosexual sex. Now that I have opened up my interpretation to queer theory, I think it is important to explore the idea of that undergrad begin a woman. This would explain why she never gets together with Warren, she just does not want him, but Bernice stealing him away affects Marjorie 's status. That is why she gets jealous, she does not want Bernice to take away the social standing she has worked so hard for. Marjorie never shows affection the boys she dances with, she only uses them. Everything for her is about her class, that is why being with a woman is impossible for her. She needs the men to give her that status she desires. Either way she does not enjoy sex and that just lends more into our idea of Marjorie being a patriarchal woman. If that undergrad is a male then to me that proves that Marjorie is