Gonzalez 1

Bianca Gonzalez
English 113B
Professor Ditch
23 March 2015
Taking on a New Role
In the novel The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, By Marry Ann
Shaffer and Annie Barrows, explains the gender roles after the devastation of World War II.
Shaffer and Barrows supports their argument by illustrating the courageous acts women in the
book club took during this time, in order to overcome their hardships. The authors purpose is to
inform the readers that in the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society gender roles are
nontraditional. Due to the tough circumstances in their society women carry masculine traits that
later made them take fearless actions as also seen in real life situations.
The term gender is very important and it is taken place every day as people make
decisions and take actions. Understanding the term "gender roles" requires an understanding of
the term "gender't''Gender" is a social term that is often confused with the term "sex:' Sex and
gender are different concepts(Blackstone 335). In order to truly understand how gender roles
are used in the novel The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society both words have to be
understood because they are completely different. Therefore Sex is a biological concept,
determined on the basis of individuals' primary sex characteristics (335). Sex is based on the
physical things each individual is born with. Then there is Gender, on the other hand, refers to
the meanings, values, and characteristics that people ascribe to different sexes (335). As people
interact with each other they take different gender roles. As seen the role of a women have
qualities like dependent, emotional, passive, and sensitive(Gender & Gender Identity). For
men their gender qualities are seen as superior than women for example theyre known as

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independent, non-emotional, and strong(Gender & Gender Identity). Due to these qualities
stereotypes are created for example, caring for children is often considered best done by
women, while house hold repairs are often considered best done by men (Gender & Gender
Identity). These roles are seen as like only women are allowed to do certain things and men as
well. In the novel these gender roles are broken, because of the circumstances after the war.
At beginning of the novel Juliet writes to Sophie and this is where gender roles are first
seen. Julie starts to question her self Sophie- what is the matter with me? Am I too particular? I
dont want to be married just to be married. I cant think of anything lonelier than spending the
rest of my life with someone I cant talk to, or worst someone I cant be silent with (Barrows,
Shaffer 8). As traditionally seen women want to find a man that they can marry build a family
with, and spend the rest of their life with. As seen in this novel Juliet breaks this traditional
norms. Although women are known to be dependent in this case Juliet is an independent not
having to live with someone besides her. Through Juliets hard experiences after the war it
brought her to make such actions how they behave and communicate their identities how
cultural context impact their personal belief systems, how this affects their relationships, and
various other issues that arise as they learn who they are and how to interact in their daily
lives(JacksonII, Glenn, Williams 118). People go through situations that make them act a
certain way with people around them. These situations forces them to behave a certain way and
change their ways in their everyday lifestyle. The things going on around Juliet made her come
to a point where she had to become a courageous person which is seen as a performance of a
men. This happened because of the things going on around her during this time after the war it
was upon her to take action, and change her ways and she did so by acting in a courageous way
knowing that she can be an independent happy woman.

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Another gender performance that is seen in the novel is Elizabeths. When Juliet writes to
Dawsey she starts mentioning how they were caught by the German officers and the Brave soul
to step up and talk to them to protect the book club was Elizabeth. That night when everyone in
the book club was shaking in fear Elizabeth drew in her breath and stepped forward. Elizabeth
isnt tall, so those pistols were lined up at her eyes, but she didnt blink. She acted like she didnt
see any pistol at all. She walked up to the officer in charge and started talking( Barrows and
Shaffer 29). Elizabeth gender actions were very much masculine, when going up the officer she
took with her very masculine traits. She was a brave women something that is not known as a
women trait because women can usually be seen as sensitive or weak in this situation.
Elizabeths masculines traits brought her to protect her people in the book club and get them out
of trouble or death from the German officers. Overall Elizabeths actions were brave and
outspoken, she was able to be strong minded as a women. Jason Del Gandio explains that
although it is normal for women to pursue personal endeavors, its even more normal for
women to be caretakers and homemakers. In this case Elizabeth was being a caretaker but in a
different way. She was caretaker but not of a home this time it was outside a home. She had to
take her role of a protector to a new level meaning that she will take care of her family physically
and not by just having to cook, or clean for them as normally seen in society. She was protecting
her family the family she was now part of which was the book club. As regularly seen women
have to be the ones that are homemakers and that is normal, but to stand up to officer and putting
their life in danger would be a mans job but because of the circumstances at this point in her life
it brought her to take performance seen by men.
Elizabeths masculine performance did not stop there. When Amelia wrote to Juliet she
described to her what happened when the officer were in her town telling her that Elizabeth was

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at my house, but we couldnt summon up the spirit to make hair tonic, even though my yarrow
was in. we just drifted wound like a couple of ghouls. Then Elizabeth gather herself up. Come
on, she says. Im going to town to seek out my enemy(Barrows, Shaffer 140). Elizabeths mind
was so confident and brave she wanted to seek out her enemy. There was no stopping her,
Elizabeth words were strong and so was she by taking action. After the war many people gave up
they did not see a point in life, they were weaker and their mind would tell them to stop trying,
but not Elizabeth. What brought Elizabeth to her strong set of mind and brave soul was her
masculine performance. As a woman she still kept trying, she was not afraid to the things that got
in her way. What this did was that it gave courage to other women like in this case Amelia.
Women were not just taking traits like this during this time but even during the war
particularly a women named Gail a fighter in World War II. After being hurt in war Gail writes a
letter to a friend saying that Soon I will be on my feet again. But if someday I had to fall in
battle, I dont fear death, because I know-in our place will come a million [fighters], who will
achieve what we did not (Eglitis ang Zelce). This is a voice of a women who was in war. This
women was hurt and her mind was still kept strong. Women were going to war at this time and
this is where gender performance is seen because the fighters were men but not anymore, women
were getting involve they were the fighter just like Elizabeth who wanted to fight her enemy.
Women during and even after the war shared many similar traits that gotten through this brutal
time in their life. This masculine traits made them bold, confident, and courageous. The novel
truly describes how women like Elizabeth are fighters. Gender norms are seen but not as usually
seen in our society anymore. It also shows how gender norms are forced to change because of the
circumstances in a persons life.
Many might say that having masculine traits can lead to a devastating path. Like Elizabeth
having masculine traits lead to her own death. Although Elizabeth died because of her of her

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gender performance she was able to protect the life of many people, the people that was very
important to her. Having masculine traits for Elizabeth made her protect the people she loved the
most, like her daughter and the people in the book club. She was able to put everyone else first,
before thinking about her own self. Having to be brave came with consequences that took her
own life but saved an innocent person like her daughter. If it was not for Elizabeth bravery her
daughter would not have people that care for her and would not have anyone to stand up for her.
Now kit gets to live her life, although she wont have her mother she was left with people that
would treat her with the same love. When Juliet writes to Sophie the love she has for Kit was
shown finally, I mustered my courage and told Amelia that I wanted to adopt Kit. Her opinion
means a great deal to me-she loved Elizabeth so dearly; she knows kit so well( Barrows and
Shaffer 258). Kit was left in good hands that Juliet was willing to bring her into her home as her
own daughter, and this was thanks to her mother, that was able to protect her and give her life in
order for kit to enjoy hers. Masculine traits were beneficial in Elizabeths life after the war they
were able to help many people.
Over all in the novel The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society it is seen how
gender performance takes a new role in characters like Juliet and Elizabeth. Both characters were
able to have masculine traits to stand up for themselves and be the strong women no matter what
the war had left them. In the novel they showed that it was possible to break from the traditional
norms seen in society in order to be protectors, to be independent, to be fearless and outspoken.
In this book it truly shows that because of the circumstances someone goes through an individual
had to take action to really overcome the situation in this case having to take gender performance
as an advantage to break free from that it is usually seen in society. A women instead of being at
home doing what it was expected for them to do like clean and cook they were able to still
complete their role but as well go outside their role, and take on the gender role of a men.

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Works cited
Blackstone, Any M. "Gender Roles and Society." Human Ecology: An Encyclopedia of
Children, Families, Communities, and Environments (2003): 335-38. Web.
Eglitis, Daina, and Vita Zelce. "Unruly Actors: Latvian Women of the Red Army in Post-war
Historical Memory." Nationalities Papers 41 (2013): 987-1007. Gale. Web. 30 Mar.
2015.
Gandio, Jason Del. Rhetoric for Radicals: A Handbook for 21st Century Activists. Gabriola
Island, BC: New Society, 2008. Print.
"Gender Identity | Stereotypical Masculine & Feminine Traits." Gender Identity | Stereotypical
Masculine & Feminine Traits. N.p., 2014. Web. 31 Mar. 2015.
Ackson, Ronald L., II, Cerise L. Glenn, and Kesha M. Williams. Self-Identity and Culture (n.d.):
117-35. Print.