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Natalie Paredes
Professor Ditch
English 115
6 December 2017

Societys Gender Rejecters

There is no guarantee that one who is born to a specific sex will follow the expectations

of society and conform to prescribed gender norms. Societys definition of gender is composed

from the act of performing the way the sex one was born to is intended to act. It is normally

perceived as males performing masculine and females performing feminine. However, males

who perform feminine and females who perform masculine are truly radical as they deny the

gender norms and impact societys views and expectations of what should be considered

normal. In The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society novel, there are several characters

who both conform to and break free from the gender norms in which society has decided gender

should be perceived as. I contend, that the characters Elizabeth McKenna and Juliet Ashton are

examples of those whom defy gender norms by ultimately behaving masculine, making them

radical within society and greatly influencing people around them.

The main character of the novel, Juliet Ashton, portrays both masculine and feminine

characteristics, however, her masculinity overpowers her femininity. Toward the beginning of

the novel, Juliet already shows her masculine side by reacting aggressively to an insult during an

interview. Instead of sitting calmly and respectfully accepting the insult, Juliet refuses to do so as

her frustration ignores all feminine responses and leads her to throwing a teapot at the mans

head. In Stephanie Rigers article called, Whats Wrong with Empowerment, Riger says,

...men's achievement strivings are directed at agentic concerns of self- assertion, attainment of
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status, and mastery over the environment (285). Juliets reaction came about because she felt

the need to assert herself as someone who will not be disrespected. She would not let this man

demoralize her well-deserved status because of some childish rumors he may have either heard

or made up. This aggression that Juliet had shown is what society labels as masculine. It is

labeled this way not because men are just born loud and out of control, but because this action

was a form of standing up for ones beliefs which is what society believes only men are capable

of doing.

Being a successful writer, one may perceive Juliet as more masculine during this time

period after World War II. Her status as a successful writer was not common and society viewed

this as a rejection to the gender norms. In the article Rethinking Womens Biology, Ruth

Hubbard states, Similarly, descriptions of womens frailty, passivity, and weakness need to be

juxtaposed with the reality of women as providers and workers who in most societies, including

our own, to work harder and for longer hours than most men (50). What Hubbard is saying is

that it is not fair that women work so much harder just to achieve the same goals as men. If

women were to put the same amount of effort into something as men, women would fall far

behind the achievements of a man. This is because society did not intend for women to work

alongside men. Juliet, of course, does not have as many advantages as men do in her line of

work. It was she who created her own success and many men, including Mark Reynolds who

tried to convince her that they would make the perfect couple, were somehow intimidated by her

accomplishments as a female writer. She achieved her success by working thrice as hard as any

man would because society did not view women as workers at that time but instead as

housewives or babysitters.
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Juliet is a rhetorician through her radical writings which influenced many readers, thus

making her as successful as she became. Many readers reached out to her and she spoke up for

the members of the club known as The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society. In Rhetoric

for Radicals by Jason Del Gandio, the author writes, Every rhetorical choice affects our minds,

emotions and responses. We can investigate these choices and understand why different people,

messages and approaches create different effects. Such investigations often but not always focus

on language, oral, and written articulation and the use of rhetorical tactics (14). The author is

explaining how there are several forms of rhetoric and all forms of rhetoric affects peoples

minds and opinions because the purpose of rhetoric is to persuade. Juliets rhetoric is presented

in the form of writing. Even if we have not seen or read any of her work, it is evident that her

success had to have come from a persuasive and strong skill in writing. As successful as she

already was, she still decided to respond to those who wrote to her in search of help and

generosity for their communities such as Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society member,

Dawsey Adams. As a matter of fact, it was also Juliet who decided to propose to this man.

Proposal normally being seen as the mans responsibility, Juliet yet again rejects societys gender

norms by performing as the man in this proposal which makes her a radical character in the

novel and in society.

Although society insists that women should not act like men, there are those like

Elizabeth McKenna who defy this concept. Elizabeth is the strongest example of a woman within

the novel who does not prescribe to gender norms as she rejects the idea that woman must be

submissive to orders that come from higher authorities. The main focus of Elizabeths character

is on her strong will to stand up for those who cannot do so themselves. As we read the novel, we

learn the cause of her death and the valiance which caused it. Elizabeth was shot in the head for
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beating up a soldier who she believed was in the wrong for punishing a woman who was simply

menstruating. In Aaron Devors article, Becoming Members of Society: The Social Meanings

of Gender, the author states, As we move through our lives, society demands different gender

performances from us and rewards, tolerates, or punishes us differently for conformity to, or

digression from, social norms (35). In other words, people will normally conform to prescribed

gender norms in order to be accepted by society and avoid being the outcast. However, there are

a number of people who will rise above this forced influence and become radical toward

societys views of gender norms. Because Elizabeth acted out as a radical individual by not

performing the way she was expected to, she faced consequences such as being placed in the

punishment bunker and eventually by facing death, for performing in a masculine manner. Her

courageous and outspoken qualities may have killed her, but her radicalism lives on as she

impacted those she helped in such dark times within the concentration camps.

Within the novel, Elizabeths masculine approach toward bullying are similar to that of

what a mans is supposed to be. Men are expected to show signs of aggression and defensiveness

when it comes to bullies, which are much opposite of what women are supposed to show.

However, Elizabeth being not very opposite of men performs much like them in her daily life. In

the article, Development and Validation of the Masculine Behavior Scale: A Measure of

Behaviors Stereotypically Attributed to Males vs. Females, by William E. Snell, Jr., the author

states, "The masculine role encourages aggression for males, where they are taught to aggress in

a hostile fashion against others and to defend themselves if accosted by bullies..." (751). In

relation to gender behavior expectations within situations of bullying, Elizabeth does not contend

to the normal behaviors of a women. Instead she portrays the aggressive and defensive behaviors
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which she performed when she took blame for stealing a potato and beat a soldier for wrongfully

punishing a woman.

Elizabeths experiences within the concentration camps led her to develop a radical

character and disapprove of the injustices as she fought back aggressively toward the foul

treatment of the women in these camps with her. Gandio writes in his novel, These experiences

dont simply uncover but actually produce your self-knowledge. You create yourself through

your rhetoric and activism (Jason Del Gandio, p.95). The author indicates that ones

experiences can open up so much about a person and influence that person to become radical as

rhetoricians and activists. Elizabeths time spent in the concentration camps did not weaken her

character but instead, it influenced her to become a rhetorician. Her form of rhetoric is shown

through her many masculine actions. She rejected the feminine approach of passivity and

acceptance to the circumstances she encountered. Her reactions were violent but necessary in her

mind because she knew that physically fighting was the only way to catch the attention of others

and demonstrate how wrong it is of these soldiers to mistreat such innocent people.

Although Juliet and Elizabeth are both females, their presentation throughout the novel

leads readers to believe that they are not as feminine as society wishes for them to be. They are

not only rebellious females but they are also radical characters in society. Their masculinity is

expressed through their rejection of the social norms and they use this to influence those around

them with their rhetoric. Society continues stereotyping and discriminating those who do not

follow what is expected of men and women in all forms in an attempt to give gender a limited

definition that men should act masculine and women act feminine. These two characters defy

this definition and prove that all women are capable of doing the tasks that men are intended to

do. Whether it is acting aggressively by throwing a teapot for an insult or being assertive through
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physical violence against unnecessary cruelty, Juliet and Elizabeth show little to no signs of

femininity. They are masculine female characters who are radical by not conforming to

prescribed gender norms, thus making them rejecters of societys gender norms.
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Works Cited
Devor, Aaron. Becoming Members of Society: The Social Meanings of Gender. Composing
Gender: A Bedford Spotlight Reader, Bedford/ St. Martins, 2013, pp. 35-45.
Gandio, Jason Del. Rhetoric for Radicals: A Handbook for 21st Century Activists. New Society
Publishers, 2008.
Hubbard, Ruth. Rethinking Womens Biology. Composing Gender: A Bedford Spotlight
Reader, Bedford/ St. Martins, 2013, pp. 46-52.
Riger, Stephanie. Whats Wrong with Empowerment. A Quarter Century of Community
Psychology, Springer, Boston, MA, 2002, pp. 285.
Snell, William E., Jr. Development and Validation of the Masculine Behavior Scale: A Measure
of Behaviors Stereotypically Attributed to Males vs. Females. Sex Roles, vol.21, nos.
11/12, pp. 751.