For women living in a time period where they had the freedom to do and be almost anything, it must have been a bit ironic to encounter instances where they were challenged by culture which implied that as women they had certain limitations based on gender. Grace Paley, Gish Jen and Jhumpa Lahiri address questions of both gender identity and ethnicity in a satirical manner, using humor to highlight the ironies surrounding these issues.
In “The Loudest Voice”, Grace Paley introduces a Jewish character, Shirley, whose loud voice earns her the part of Jesus in the school’s Christmas play. The irony lies not only in the fact that Shirley is a Jew playing the role of Jesus, but also in the fact that Shirley is an authoritative, confident and self-secure …show more content…
Moreover, Jen chooses a first person, Chinese, female narrator to discuss the issues of gender and ethnicity, and, in doing so, she gives the reader a raw point of view on these issues. The narrator describes herself as a fierce woman, who was well respected by all the men in her life, including the gang members who came to her restaurant for protection money. She also claims that her daughter, Natalie, shares her ferocity; however, this claim is challenged by the fact that Natalie does not seem to be respected by her husband, John – despite her being the one who provides for the family and him being unemployed. Furthermore, the narrator talks about John’s mother, Bess, who has raised four children – all of whom lack a job and do nothing but collect welfare – as a strong woman, which is ironic because it is clear that Bess does not get much respect from her sons and even blames the difficulty of raising four boys on the fact that they did not have a father. This accusation underlines the ethnic difference between the narrator and Bess: Bess believes that the authoritative figure in the household should be the father, while the narrator has no problem believing that she, the women, is in charge and even supports this …show more content…
Additionally, the male figure, Shukumar, is portrayed as playing the role of stay at home husband, who does groceries and cooking while the wife works to sustain the family, which is ironic since through “The Third and Final Continent” Lahiri shows the reader what the traditional Indian roles look like. As a result, it is obvious that in “A Temporary Matter” the gender roles were definitely switched. Lahiri also highlights gender difference by allowing the reader to peak into the couple’s relationship from only Shukumar’s point of view. The reader never truly knows how Shoba felt about the marriage nor the loss of their baby. As a result, Shoba is as much of a stranger to the reader as she is to her husband. As the story progresses, Lahiri gives both the reader and Shukumar the feeling that the couples relationship may be salvageable, but in the end Shoba abruptly tells Shukumar that she has found a place to live and is leaving him, both ending the game they had been playing during the nights without power as well as their marriage. In doing so, Shoba
In “The Loudest Voice”, Grace Paley introduces a Jewish character, Shirley, whose loud voice earns her the part of Jesus in the school’s Christmas play. The irony lies not only in the fact that Shirley is a Jew playing the role of Jesus, but also in the fact that Shirley is an authoritative, confident and self-secure …show more content…
Moreover, Jen chooses a first person, Chinese, female narrator to discuss the issues of gender and ethnicity, and, in doing so, she gives the reader a raw point of view on these issues. The narrator describes herself as a fierce woman, who was well respected by all the men in her life, including the gang members who came to her restaurant for protection money. She also claims that her daughter, Natalie, shares her ferocity; however, this claim is challenged by the fact that Natalie does not seem to be respected by her husband, John – despite her being the one who provides for the family and him being unemployed. Furthermore, the narrator talks about John’s mother, Bess, who has raised four children – all of whom lack a job and do nothing but collect welfare – as a strong woman, which is ironic because it is clear that Bess does not get much respect from her sons and even blames the difficulty of raising four boys on the fact that they did not have a father. This accusation underlines the ethnic difference between the narrator and Bess: Bess believes that the authoritative figure in the household should be the father, while the narrator has no problem believing that she, the women, is in charge and even supports this …show more content…
Additionally, the male figure, Shukumar, is portrayed as playing the role of stay at home husband, who does groceries and cooking while the wife works to sustain the family, which is ironic since through “The Third and Final Continent” Lahiri shows the reader what the traditional Indian roles look like. As a result, it is obvious that in “A Temporary Matter” the gender roles were definitely switched. Lahiri also highlights gender difference by allowing the reader to peak into the couple’s relationship from only Shukumar’s point of view. The reader never truly knows how Shoba felt about the marriage nor the loss of their baby. As a result, Shoba is as much of a stranger to the reader as she is to her husband. As the story progresses, Lahiri gives both the reader and Shukumar the feeling that the couples relationship may be salvageable, but in the end Shoba abruptly tells Shukumar that she has found a place to live and is leaving him, both ending the game they had been playing during the nights without power as well as their marriage. In doing so, Shoba