Tatham H-M: Gender Roles

In both stories, "Hunting Years" and "Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady," gender is preformed differently, but critiqued similarly being that both take place in the South. In “Hunting Years” gender has sharp definitions that are meant to be fulfilled in order to be considered "manly". For example, the main character Tom is raised to think that in order to be considered a man he has to kill his own deer as a sort of coming of age right of passage. And since he hadn't killed a deer yet he felt he was a "pussy," it’s a fear that he has manifested on himself through his families implied actions. Those actions being: giving him an easy to use gun and his brother's lucky stand. However, he himself doesn't want to kill the deer, but feels the need to over compensate by waking up early, staying out until dusk hunting, and over killing his buck to prove his manliness. These are all ways in which the character has to conform to the rules of societies definition of gender. Now in "Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady," southern society has depicted their definition of the female gender; however, the main character disregards all of those expectations and follows her own standard. The main character, Mama, while growing up with a classic southern mother, disregards all aspects of what is considered to be a traditional southern lady. She started “smoking cigarettes at eight, teaching herself to drive at twelve, quitting school and applying for a work permit at fifteen, then taking her first paycheck and joining her companies softball team.” All these actions were not considered lady like for the time. She in fact acts in a manor of man rather than a women. She is tough and bold in her actions and in no way takes on a weak, shaken demeanor that her neighbor Evelyn so perfectly embodies.The failed gender role even appears in her male suitor Preston who naturally took on a “sissy” male role induced by his father’s “tough love” parenting style. In both stories gender is obviously preformed with regard to society’s expectations but each character innately doesn’t agree with how society thinks they need to act. In "Hunting Years," Tom conforms, but realizes his conformation is unnecessary and pointless as he has gotten older. In "Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady," Mama knows that her mother wants her to be feminine in any aspect, but she behaves in a masculine manor that suits her more.