Have you ever been ashamed of your body, or hated what you looked like because of your gender? Billions of women around the globe have experienced some form of sexism. That can be catcalling, lower wages than men, societal gender roles, lack of an education, or abuse because of your gender. These acts of sexism severely diminish a woman’s view of herself. In The House On Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, the main character Esperanza and the other women in her community face the constant struggles and effects that sexism has on them. The Help by Kathryn Stockett also presents the effect of sexism in her characters when they try to change the gender roles that society has placed upon them. In each novel, the authors both show the overarching
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Esperanza, a young Hispanic girl, is constantly confronted by the struggles of sexism in her neighborhood. Due to this bigotry, Esperanza’s neighborhood is devaluing her because of the systemic gender roles she is introduced to when she is expected to be quiet and tame like her grandmother. In the text, Sandra Cisneros writes, “She was a horse woman too, born like me in the Chinese year of the horse – which is supposed to be bad luck if you're born female – but I think this is a Chinese lie because the Chinese, like the Mexicans, don't like their women strong,” (10). Esperanza wants to be wild and free, but she does not want to be like her grandmother, who was forced to remain at home by her husband. Esperanza’s grandmother was trapped into a life she did not want by systemic gender roles that her husband had placed on her. She was a strong woman, but men and her husband did not like how independent she was, so he controlled her in their marriage by keeping her at home. When Esperanza thinks of her name, she thinks of the life that her grandmother lived: a life where she has no freedom or opinions. Esperanza wants to be strong and independent without being constricted to a world of housework and children by the males in her life. This idealism forces Esperanza conform to social rules she did not believe in; thus, degrading her into a lifestyle she does not …show more content…
One of the main characters, Skeeter, regularly encounters the harsh reality of injustice against women. To fight her oppression, Skeeter resists the gender roles placed on her by not finding a husband and becoming her own breadwinner. Skeeter says, “My eyes drift down to HELP WANTED: MALE. There are at least four columns filled with bank managers, accountants, loan officers, cotton collate operators. On this side of the page, Percy and Gray, LP, is offering Jr. Stenographers fifty cents more an hour,” (Stockett
Esperanza, a young Hispanic girl, is constantly confronted by the struggles of sexism in her neighborhood. Due to this bigotry, Esperanza’s neighborhood is devaluing her because of the systemic gender roles she is introduced to when she is expected to be quiet and tame like her grandmother. In the text, Sandra Cisneros writes, “She was a horse woman too, born like me in the Chinese year of the horse – which is supposed to be bad luck if you're born female – but I think this is a Chinese lie because the Chinese, like the Mexicans, don't like their women strong,” (10). Esperanza wants to be wild and free, but she does not want to be like her grandmother, who was forced to remain at home by her husband. Esperanza’s grandmother was trapped into a life she did not want by systemic gender roles that her husband had placed on her. She was a strong woman, but men and her husband did not like how independent she was, so he controlled her in their marriage by keeping her at home. When Esperanza thinks of her name, she thinks of the life that her grandmother lived: a life where she has no freedom or opinions. Esperanza wants to be strong and independent without being constricted to a world of housework and children by the males in her life. This idealism forces Esperanza conform to social rules she did not believe in; thus, degrading her into a lifestyle she does not …show more content…
One of the main characters, Skeeter, regularly encounters the harsh reality of injustice against women. To fight her oppression, Skeeter resists the gender roles placed on her by not finding a husband and becoming her own breadwinner. Skeeter says, “My eyes drift down to HELP WANTED: MALE. There are at least four columns filled with bank managers, accountants, loan officers, cotton collate operators. On this side of the page, Percy and Gray, LP, is offering Jr. Stenographers fifty cents more an hour,” (Stockett