Miranda's femininity seems stressed by Porter. There are more than one reference to her touching up her make up and hair and putting on gloves (pgs. 275, 283). Miranda and Towney can only write such things as the society page or theater reviews for the paper while Chuck can only write about sports.
This is, presumably, the world Porter is living within, but she does not appear to merely accept it at face value. Chuck tells Miranda to "toughen up" at one point, but she is a woman and this would go against what women "should" be in this world. The disgruntled actor tells Miranda that he'd hit her if she were a man (pg. 289).
Chuck is the sports writer, as I have mentioned, but his dream is to write the theater column, and "didn't see why women always had the job" (pg. 287). As a man in this society, Chuck should naturally want to write about sports. Chuck gets his chance to write the theater column, but is quickly suppressed by society when the newspaper restricts him to the sports page (pg. 315).
This story blatantly lays out the binary opposition of nurse(female)/soldier(male) in its gender roles. Chuck makes some very misogynistic comments about Florence Nightingale and there being no place for women around the battlefield (pg. 287). In light of this comment, I found it very interesting that it is Adam that plays Florence Nightingale for Miranda when she is sick. It would perhaps have been less out of character to have Towney or the land lady come take care of her, but it is Adam, the big masculine soldier. The nurse/soldier gender roles are reversed cleverly here. Now I know what most of you hopeless romantics will say, and I do agree that it was very sweet and loving for him to do that, but especially with the Florence Nightingale reference, I read this as being more about the gender roles.
Anyone else notice these challenges to gender roles? Any other possible examples, and what, perhaps, might Porter be intending with this?
2 comments:
I think that this analysis could provide a great contrast with the fulfillment of traditional gender roles in "Old Mortality." The old maid, the society girl, the upstanding father and the young rogue he used to be in Miranda's old world could speak volumes to Miranda's new world, where as you say gender is bent.
Given the singular focus of "Pale Horse, Pale Rider" on Miranda's inner life, could this speak to the dissolution of social constructions when everything is made personal? I feel like it could say something more than that, but just what I don't know.
I would definitely agree that Porter twists gender roles especially when she emasculates Adam by placing him in the role of Miranda's nurse. I would not, however, go so far to say that Miranda's femininity is emphasized in the text. In contrast, I would argue Porter is going for a feminist plug with Miranda's character. Miranda, first, works at a newspaper, a male dominated profession during that time period. She has a career as a reporter when literally the only jobs for women were teaching, nursing, and motherhood. The 1940s era ideology of women taking charge in the workplace had not arisen yet. Even within that workplace, Miranda refuses to buy a Liberty Bond and yields not under the pressure of her colleagues. She really rejects the idea of nationalism in general, a very feminine "family" idea of bringing the nation together. Miranda, furthermore, outlives her disease while her lover dies. Miranda, the chain smoking, outspoken, night-owl of a woman that she is anything but delicate and feminine.
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