Juxtaposition of Masculine and Feminine Roles

Masculine and feminine roles are juxtaposed next to one another to emphasise the differences in the Bergman family; “Hester and Meg indoors, baking, doing needlework, cooking, putting up preserves, churning butter, separating cream and collecting gossip. Jessica and Joe outdoors, doing all the things needed to keep a farm going. (p.7)”, “Joe and Jessica do the heavy digging, but she (Hester) and Meg will carry water from the windless tank and they take some pride in what they produce for the table. (p33)”. The masculine tasks are mainly physical labour whereas the feminine roles consist of housekeeping and calm activities. Double standards was used between the two girls when Jessica (and supposedly Meg) fell pregnant. She expresses her disappointment in Joe for taking Hester’s ‘evil’ side by pointing out the obvious; “Meg’s a lady, so it’s all right for her to trap Jack into a marriage he don’t want, but Jessica’s a slut!… like I done something terrible and Meg done something glorious. (p.339)”. And thus, “it’s Jessica’s observation that it’s the small, helpless creatures who always cop the shit. (p.296)”, referring to herself as she is the ‘less womanly’ daughter.

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