In Go Tell It On the Mountain, gender lines are super clear-cut and hyper-normative. There are very particular roles for women and men to fill, and nobody really steps out of line.
This relationship between the genders isn't really sustainable (y'think?!): all the women's husbands keep dying, while they try to take care of their children and hope their sons don't follow in their fathers' footsteps. The daughters, on the other hand, are expected to put up with a lot of sorrow when they grow up to be wives.
Questions About Gender
- Do you think the presentation of gender roles in Go Tell It On the Mountain can still be seen in today's society?
- Would you rather be a man or a woman in the Grimes family? Why?
- John seems to waver a little in his assigned gender role, fantasizing sexually about other boys; how does this affect his standing in the family and community?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
The gender roles presented in Go Tell It On the Mountain are still present in American society today.
The gender roles presented in Go Tell It On the Mountain are pretty much a thing of the past.