Stereotypes Of Gender Roles In Jacob Ackerman's The Hill

Jacob Ackerman, author of “The Hill”, uses dialogue and allegory to express the stereotypes of gender roles amongst society and emphasize that everyone fights a battle that one may not know about. “‘Is he crying again?’”, Roberts is ridiculed by John because he is spotted crying on top of the hill before school starts. This quote points out typical stereotypes of gender roles which consist of such sayings as men shouldn’t cry, feelings are for girls, men should be strong, and so forth. This contributes to the overall allegory, which is demonstrated through the dialogue, that our society sees crying as a weakness, especially from men. This part of the story triggers readers, causing those who have opposing views to be angered by the obnoxious tone of the character John and how he treats Roberts. …show more content…
He uses the hill to symbolize that people within a society will always have something to say, although Roberts goes to the top of the hill to get away from everything, he is still constantly judged by everyone below. “‘Hey, I told you there he is! HEY, ROBERTS YOU NEED A TAMPON OR JUST A KLEENEX?’”, through the use of the word tampon, John is referring Roberts to a girl due to the fact that he shed tears. This is yet another example of common gender stereotypes in society, the author adds this to strengthen the allegory, but to also depict what it’s like in a high school environment. Readers feel sympathetic towards Roberts because he is still a high school student and the cruel comments said by John could really scar Roberts since he is already experiencing insecurity and a sense of not