As a novel set in the 19th century, there are some interesting depictions of gender roles. Specifically the roles of women. I will focus on Eddy and how she performed and/or challenged traditional gender roles and norms.
Eddy from the very beginning of the book was a strong and independent woman. Her dream/goal was to start and run her own restaurant, which isn't something many women during that time tried to accomplish. She didn't see herself as someone who men would want romantic relationships with. Because of her strength and independence she wasn't like other women. She didn't expect a man to make life happen for her, so she wanted to make things happen for herself.
When Rhine comes into the picture, and becomes a well known option for Eddy to get involved with, she makes it clear she won't be his mistress. That's a bold and important action to note about Eddy because she is a Woman of Color telling a "white" man no. She stands up for herself in ways that Women during that time period didn't usually do. This relates back to her strength and independence, which Rhine finds attractive.
Because of her strength and independence, Rhine treats her with respect. He allows her to have feelings and opinions towards certain situations. She felt wanted and heard around him and that is a major feeling to have coming from a "white" man. Also, because of how she acted she was also insulted. For example, being compared to a paper bag. Yes this plays more to racism, but the intention was there to make her know that she isn't worth anything, even though she is trying to build the strength and independence to become someone important.
Since Eddy won't just let Rhine have her, she is seen as a tease/unavailable to him. Rhine likes this coming from Eddy and it makes his want for her grow stronger. This helps their romance because it shows Rhine that he doesn't want some spoiled brat for a wife. He wants someone who can take care of themselves and has their own goals to becoming successful. This leads to Rhine leaving his girlfriend for Eddy. I would say that is a big impact on their romantic life. She gave him something to desire and fight for, and that's exactly what Rhine did. Eddy gave Rhine, not only the confidence to come out and admit he isn't white, but to be true to who he is and what he wants. I believe that is the foundation to their romance, because Rhine loved who he was with Eddy.
I like how at the end of your post you talked about how Eddy gave Rhine the confidence to come out and admit that he wasn't truly a white man. I think this is important because he probably didn't just come out because of his love and passion towards Eddy. I think that being around her and seeing how strong she was as a woman of color helped influence Rhine wanting to be like her. Throughout the beginning of the book, he merely hid behind his skin tone in order to accomplish great things. Now he can still accomplish great things and be successful without hiding.
ReplyDeleteYou made a lot of good points. I liked how you interpreted Rhine and Eddy's relationship. I think they both made each other stronger. Rhine coming out about his true race and Eddy's trust in men. It's like Eddy started to let down the shield she had surrounding her because of Rhine's influence. They're good for each other.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your 1st paragraph about Eddy. She is very hard headed and because of the struggles she went through (her parents passing away). It put her in an independent role and because of that,she made it a little more difficult for men like Rhine. He just wanted to show her how much he loved her. She wasn't willing to open her heart- but eventually she opened it up to him.
ReplyDeleteYou raise an important point about how Eddy's independence and strength, which challenge some gender norms, are what really help attract Rhine. And you nicely show the intersection of race and gender. It would be interesting to see how Rhine would react to Eddy's character if she were white instead of black.
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