Gender in The Rainbow Alissa Grams 11th Grade

The differences between men and women have been distinguished since the beginning of time. Though traditional gender roles by circumstance often portray the niche best exuded by a gender, it is undeniable that the emblematic characteristics accredited to a specific sex are often false. For example, the belief that men are the true movers-and-shakers of the world is misleading. Gender stereotypes are the most basic form of oppression, for they limit one's right of choice. D.H. Lawrence's The Rainbow characterizes it's heroine as the master of her own fate by way of juxtaposing the men and the women of the farm, ultimately conveying the notion that women are the foundation of change. The combination of juxtaposing the men to the singular woman, as well as the contrast between the city and the country men, decidedly predicts the use of active voice to empower the protagonist of the piece.

The juxtaposition of the male and female roles of the farm is represented in the use of referring to each gender as "the men" and "the woman". Not only is the significant approximate number of each sex stated in this terminology, but also their niche. While the protagonist's husband "looked out to the back at sky and harvest and beast and land",...