Strength and dominance defines masculinity while submission defines femininity. Women and men alike reinforce this idea. In An Untamed State by Roxane Gay, Mirielle showcases that trauma is life-altering. Despite the constant abuse directed towards her, she remains defiant and will never allow her captors to see how they have broken her. She understands that the kidnapping is not about her; it is about how the captors want to get back at her father. Masculinity is a norm and is the basis for comparison among genders, but attempting to overcome gender stereotypes does not make women equal to men.
In this story, men are portrayed as strong, forceful characters that are only capable of thinking for themselves. Michael is as a good-hearted …show more content…
Mireille can never go back to who she was. She went from loving her country to never wanting to return in a matter of 13 days. In Mirielle’s eyes, “[t]here are three Haitis-the country Americans know and the country Haitians know and the country [she] thought [she] knew” (10). The country Americans know is the one filled with crime, the kidnapping capital of the world. The Haiti that Haitians know is one where getting kidnapped is not a surprising event. The Haiti Mireille thought she knew was the life of a privileged American vacationing in Haiti. The Haiti she knows know is one that she cannot return to, a land where she is stripped of herself. Mireille went from being hopeful to defiant to hopeless. Mireille knew that her kidnapping was a business transaction. She knew they could not break her because “[it is] not personal [and she is] not broken” (1). She kept this mentality throughout her 13 days as her father’s words “[t]here is nothing I cannot get through if I try hard enough” (34) replayed in her head. Her father always demanded excellence out of her. His masculine behavior reflected on to Mireille. She strives to be as strong as her father even if she did not respect him. Although her stereotypical masculine behavior got her through the 13 days, she did not survive. There was nothing her captors could do to her that would affect her because she was already dead. Mireille saw that …show more content…
She follows her husband wherever he goes and supports every decision he makes. When Mireille returns to Haiti she discovers that her mother is like her father. Fabienne believes that her kidnapping was an inconvenience that they should all move past. Her mother, like the men in her life, is incapable of understanding the complexity of the grieving process. Her views may be due to her love to Sebastian or due to her old fashioned views on how women should act.
No matter how hard women strive to push past gender clichés, they are held down by the idea that men see them as objects they can use to achieve their own goals. An Untamed State looks to challenge the ideas of masculinity and femininity. It creates a discussion on how long someone should grieve and the affect this process has on loved ones. No one should have a say on how a woman should live her life, and Mirielle tells the reader just
In this story, men are portrayed as strong, forceful characters that are only capable of thinking for themselves. Michael is as a good-hearted …show more content…
Mireille can never go back to who she was. She went from loving her country to never wanting to return in a matter of 13 days. In Mirielle’s eyes, “[t]here are three Haitis-the country Americans know and the country Haitians know and the country [she] thought [she] knew” (10). The country Americans know is the one filled with crime, the kidnapping capital of the world. The Haiti that Haitians know is one where getting kidnapped is not a surprising event. The Haiti Mireille thought she knew was the life of a privileged American vacationing in Haiti. The Haiti she knows know is one that she cannot return to, a land where she is stripped of herself. Mireille went from being hopeful to defiant to hopeless. Mireille knew that her kidnapping was a business transaction. She knew they could not break her because “[it is] not personal [and she is] not broken” (1). She kept this mentality throughout her 13 days as her father’s words “[t]here is nothing I cannot get through if I try hard enough” (34) replayed in her head. Her father always demanded excellence out of her. His masculine behavior reflected on to Mireille. She strives to be as strong as her father even if she did not respect him. Although her stereotypical masculine behavior got her through the 13 days, she did not survive. There was nothing her captors could do to her that would affect her because she was already dead. Mireille saw that …show more content…
She follows her husband wherever he goes and supports every decision he makes. When Mireille returns to Haiti she discovers that her mother is like her father. Fabienne believes that her kidnapping was an inconvenience that they should all move past. Her mother, like the men in her life, is incapable of understanding the complexity of the grieving process. Her views may be due to her love to Sebastian or due to her old fashioned views on how women should act.
No matter how hard women strive to push past gender clichés, they are held down by the idea that men see them as objects they can use to achieve their own goals. An Untamed State looks to challenge the ideas of masculinity and femininity. It creates a discussion on how long someone should grieve and the affect this process has on loved ones. No one should have a say on how a woman should live her life, and Mirielle tells the reader just