Last week, I was brainstorming possible ideas for my next column when one was handed to me in the form of a class discussion. So I would just like to take this moment to thank my cohort for the excellent material. When you're an elementary education major you get to read a lot of children's books (whether you want to or not). We actually have a whole class devoted to children's literature and it was in this class that a lengthy and, at times, heated discussion took place.
The topic was, to some extent, gender roles in literature, something I think everyone can relate to, regardless of what types of literature they read for classes or for leisure. The book we were discussing is Pam Muñoz Ryan's "Esperanza Rising," a narrative of girl living in post-revolutionary Mexico who loses her father, forcing her and her mother to move to California and work on a large farm.
The question that brought gender roles into discussion was whether or not a fifth or sixth grade boy would ever (want to) read this book? The majority of the class said no. The majority of the class is also female, although there was a strong contribution made by the male population. What was the reason?
One answer was because the main character was a "strong" female. In the book Esperanza begins as a spoiled, rich girl and over a year transitions into a responsible, mature, young adult. This argument may insult some guys, but try to take a fifth grader's position on the subject. My parents can't get my brother, who loves reading, to read anything but fantasy books outside of school. In addition, the cover's illustration also lands itself on the girly side of the spectrum. Just imagine trying to stimulate a child whose interests don't even reach aesthetics, let alone content and characters.
It was brought up that most boys would opt for a book related to sports or games over one with the main character being a girl. Similarly, a girl would be more likely to pick up "Esperanza Rising" over a biography of Bart Starr. These are clearly generalizations and by no means reflect an entire population. By making a child read this or any other book, he or she could be on a one-way track to hating reading.
Another important point brought up, however, was that a character's gender should not be the main focus for readers. "Esperanza Rising" carried much more important messages about freedom and civil rights that are imperative for children to learn when they are young. Think about your favorite book and tell me if what makes it your favorite book is because the main character is a male or female, or is it because of a plethora of other things: the writing style, the plot or the message the author is trying to reveal.
As adults, we can get past some of the more trivial details — after all, it is not wrong for readers to have their favorites. However, at the same time, if we were not exposed to all sorts of genres and subjects in literature, we would not be as informed in our personal choices today. Think if we were allowed to only read the newspaper or magazines, how different our perceptions would be. Also, think of how boring classes would be if there was never something to debate or at least question and think about.
Obviously, as college students, if we refuse to read a book because we don't like the subject, cover or author, it does not mean we will not be tested on it, so we make concessions for the benefit of our grades. The topic of organic chemistry will also arouse less controversy than perhaps some of the material covered in a philosophy or women's studies class.
Different texts carry different meanings for different people. It is our attempts at understanding them and making the most of them that are important. I had a literature class I particularly enjoyed my freshman year and although I by no means enjoyed all of the books we read, it certainly expanded my horizon and introduced me to one of my new favorite authors, John Krakauer.
Our class discussion also made me question my own choices involving literature as well as any predispositions I have to certain types of books. I wondered if I was only reading books with female characters, written by female writers. What I discovered, after taking a look at my bookshelf, is somewhat surprising.
At first glance, it seemed that for the most part the books with male authors that I enjoy tend to be less recent, while the authors of my newer acquisitions are women. However, when I took a closer look, I realized there were too many exceptions to this to make it a reliable system.
From earlier eras come Charlotte Bront?'s "Jane Eyre," F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby," Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird," J.D. Salinger's "The Catcher in the Rye," Alan Paton, famous for his many books focusing on social justice in South Africa and John Irving's "The World According to Garp," to name a few.
There are also scads of more modern authors, including John Krakauer's "Into Thin Air," Charles Frazier's "Cold Mountain," Asne Seierstad's "The Bookseller of Kabul," Khaled Hosseini's "The Kite Runner," Michael Ondaatje's "The English Patient" and a host of others — including the works of Anita Shreve, Tracy Chevalier, Alice Sebold, J. K. Rowling and many more.
You may think my listing these off is silly, but I think it is just astounding the many directions we take in choosing the books we surround ourselves with. I also like to make recommendations.
As we grow and mature, so do our tastes in literature. Books can teach us many things, as I am sure the boys who choose to dismiss books like "Esperanza Rising" will find, as they grow older. Taking some time to look at the books you love and books you may have unconsciously written-off gives you a chance to take a new direction, without anything to lose.
Meghan Dunlap is a junior majoring in Spanish and elementary education. If you would like her to write about books for people over the age of 12, please e-mail her suggestions/ideas at [email protected].
