Gender Roles

Paton show a clear distinction between the roles of both males and females. Woman are suppose to serve the men in this book, and their opinions have no influence on the men. In this novel Paton even says "Then she sat down at his table, and put her head on it,and was silent, with the patient suffering of black women, with the suffering of oxen, with the suffering of any that are mute "(40). The men in this book make all the decisions, and the women get no say. The men order the women around made clear several times in the first chapters of this book "Bring me  the St. Chad's money"(38) "Go to the mother then. Perhaps she has some food"(35) This shows that the men can't do anything themselves at home. He tells his wife to go fetch him something (why don't you get up and get it yourself you lazy old man). He tells the small child to go to the mother and see if she has food for her, when he could have gone with her and said well, let's see if we have any food for you. The gender roles clearly show the superiority of man vs woman.