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Originally Posted by issybird
I had a similar reaction, but I also suspect that was the reality for a 12 year-old boy in 1928. Girls, women, didn't count. Except for Grandmas. In another year, it would be different.
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At which point he would still likely be confining them to a specific feminine role in relation to himself, rather than seeing them as fully functioning human beings.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bookpossum
They are balanced out by the boys’ mother, who went looking for Doug despite her fear, Lavinia asserting her right to walk home and then fighting and beating The Lonely One, and of course the aforementioned Great Grandma, who turned her hand to anything and knew how to die with grace and kindness, giving Doug wise advice on how to live his life.
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Mom was fulfilling her mom role, caring for the children.
Lavinia was being incredibly dumb in walking home alone. I don't see that as evidence of her being strong, just stupid. The tacked-on bit about her killing the Lonely One is evidence of strength, but it IS tacked on, and in any case, the boys don't respect her for it. She's ruined their fun and excitement (so what if their fun requires women to be murdered?).
Quote:
Originally Posted by issybird
And don't overlook Lena Auffman, who saw the truth about the Happiness Machine and renounced it.
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Yes, but the takeaway there could be that women are only happy in the home when they don't know what they could have had, so keep the blinders on. Just like the takeaway from the Green Machine story could be that women shouldn't seek adventure.