2. A lot of focus on the girls in the store: take on the veil of a feminist critic and analyze any of the models:
the biological, cultural, and linguistic models of feminist criticism I
introduced you to briefly in class. This is just dipping a toe in –
play with it and see what you come up with. Try to come up with a number
of ideas given the three possibilities here.
In general, a feminist struggle can clearly be seen through character interactions regarding wearing bathing suits. In a society ruled by oppressive gender roles, the trio of girls stood up for the right to be accepted and be respected after being reprimanded by the bourgeois-like store manager who sees their garb as shameful and disrespectful. What i found intriguing was the contrast between Sam's actions and thoughts. through his thoughts: "You never know for sure how girls' minds work (do you
really think it's a mind in there or just a little buzz like a bee in a
glassjar?) ", we see that he doesnt understand the females and assumes them to be unintelligent. throughout the story, Sam views the girls simply as sexual objects, finding it acceptable for them to wear bathing suits, while desiring older women with vericose veins and children to be decently dressed.
Sam, though overall depicted as a stereotypical male, also displays a feminist viewpoint as certain points; at the very least, he respects their viewpoint. he notes that the "queen" walks straight and slowly without shame or concern with what others thought of them. here, Sam seems to respect the girls stand for independence and freedom. he admires how the girls walk through the store, which is filled with "house-slaves"-women who have submitted to the enslaving gender roles- with no concern about how they are viewed. the girls stand in stark contrast to the sheep who simply follow tradition. even when Lengel, a figurative slave-master, proceeds to reprimand them, Queenie argues that "we are decent".
it is at this point in the story that i believe Sam makes a feminist(?) stand. when Lengel tells the girls that covered shoulders are "our policy", Sam defines policy as "what the kings want", while what everyone else desires is juvenile delinquency; the delinquency is indeed juvenile when compared to old, long-standing tradition. Sam challenges this tradition after Lengel tells him that upsetting it would fair badly for him. i guess you could say that he rebels against his role by quitting, not so much for the girls and their cause, but for himself.
that's my idea anyway, im just stabbing in the dark.Sam could just be following the whole heterosexist idea that a woman always needs a man to rescue her. in which case, the fact that the girls leave and ignore him could be another feminist action on their part.
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