+JMJ

Statement of the Problem

This study seeks to analyze DepEd’s Celebrating Diversity through World
Literature (Learners’ Module in Grade 10 English) for gender parity and propose
improvements later on. It hopes to accomplish this by answering the following
questions:
1. How are gender relations presented in the textbook in terms of:
1.1. characterization
1.2. setting
1.3. plot
1.4. theme
2. What differences are found in the representation between males and females?
3. How significant are the differences in representation between males in females in
the selections?
The significance of differences in representation between males and
females should be answered with two considerations. First is in terms of the
number of representation. Second is in terms of how both/either gender/s are
represented/characterized in the text. (See question 1).
4. What activities in equality of the sexes may be suggested to deepen appreciation
of (women in) literature?

Answers.

1. Gender Relations
The question of gender relations as presented in the textbook may be
answered by peering into the individual selections presented therein. While there
may be other ways of doing so, such as including graphical representations of
men and women in the analysis, this study shall limit itself on the narratives and
how they structure the political relationship between the sexes.
To reiterate, the stories to be dealt with in this study shall be divided as
they appear in each quarter. Myths such as Daedalus and Icarus, The Gorgon’s
Head, Orpheus, Arachne, and How Odin Lost His Eye comprise the narratives
from the first quarter. The Thief Who Became a Disciple, Canto III of Virgil’s
Inferno, The Song of Roland, Federigo’s Falcon from the Decameron, The
Hunchback of Notre Dame, and The Three Musketeers comprise that of the
second quarter. From the third quarter are The Plague, A Day in the Country
(Anton Chekhov), The Story of Keesh (Jack London), To Build A Fire (Jack
London), The Voice of the Mountain (Stephen Crane), A Grain as Big as a Hen’s
Egg (Leo Tolstoy), and The Last Leaf (O’ Henry). The Little Prince (Antoine de
St. Exupery), Excerpt from Les Miserables (Victor Hugo) and, Excerpt from Kaffir
Boy (Mark Matahbane) shall be the representative samples from the fourth
quarter. Thus, there shall be 21 stories in all to be scrutinized for this paper.
Grouping them according to the quarter they belong to will help later on in the
identification of areas where enrichment activities may be proposed.
1.1. Characterization
1.1.1. Daedalus and Icarus
The myth of Daedalus and Icarus presents an array of characters—
both males and females—affecting one another’s life along the flow of the
narrative, negotiating power and benefitting one another as the story
progresses. For the sake of the argument, however, the male and female
characters may be juxtaposed so as to bring to light the balance with which
their characters were created.
1.1.1.1. The Male Characters
Significant male characters in this myth include Daedalus,
Icarus, King Minos, and King Cocalus. While each of these characters
have their respective weaknesses—Daedalus’ capacity for murderous
envy, Minos’ apathetic violence, and Icarus stubbornness—each arguably
remains as formidable, if not heroic, characters. They, in a way or another,
are able to redeem themselves along the narrative line. This is especially
true for Daedalus who despite his crime back in Athens is later on
depicted as the victim of Minos’ tyranny, as a loving father, and as a
perennially wise and inventive engineer. This masculine wisdom and
benevolence is even more evident in King Cocalus who acted as
Daedalus’ patron and protector from the plots of Minos.
1.1.1.2. The Female Characters
Two female characters stand out in the narrative thread of
this myth as it appears in the textbook—Queen Pasiphae of Crete and the
unnamed daughters of King Cocalus of Camicus. Viewed from the political
lens of feminism, these characters are presented in the negative light as
objects of machismo and of masculine bidding.
Both mentioned in passing, these characters are not given
any redeeming qualities. Thus, Queen Pasiphae is relegated as the lustful
queen enslaved by her passions for a bull—with whom she would
conceive the monster that is the Minotaur of Crete.
Nick Pontikis, author-reteller of the myth in the textbook,
does not tell readers anything about her after the birth of the Minotaur.
What is made clear instead is that the latter was used by King Minos as a
plaything, as a tool of destruction, and as a symbol to incite fear in his
enemies. This may be read as another form of feminine subjugation
wherein the woman and her child (however monstrous) is brought under
the tyranny of the male authority figure.
The unnamed daughters of Cocalus were also presented in
this retelling in passing—their only role being the murderers of King Minos
while the latter was at bath. The other side of the coin to their characters
though is that they killed King Minos to protect Daedalus whom they loved.
What may be more striking is that the crime carried out by these
daughters of Cocalus is performed while King Minos is supposedly a guest
under their roof—a clear case of treachery and betrayal.
1.1.2. The Gorgon’s Head
 The Gorgon’s Head, as presented by Anne Terry White in the
textbook, is another retelling of the life and heroism of Perseus, the pursuits
of whom are arguably the templates for the alpha male, and of course its
implied subjugation of women in the vestiges.
1.1.2.1. The Male Characters
Most of the male characters in this myth exemplify the
patriarchal image of masculinity as kings, heroes, and warriors.
The hero of the tale, Perseus, described as the “fine tall youth”,
exemplifies the hero figure, the alpha male. This figure becomes the
template of what it is to be a male in the society—dashing, adventurous,
brave, never relenting from danger, and going from battle to battle. This
world of politics even defies blood relations as in King Acrisius’ bid to get
rid of his own daughter and Phineas’ desire to snatch away his niece
Andromeda for the throne of Ethiopia. This might readily be assumed of
the male characters in this particular story because it is in the classical
mode: populated by kings, heroes, and warriors and their never ending
quests for power and dominion.
1.1.2.2. The Female Characters
The other side of the coin in many classical stories is the
relegation of women and children to secondary and/or downright cruel
roles and representations.
Danae is a victim of the power play between her father King
Acrisius and the gods who have sealed his fate. This leads her to become
the object of desire of both god (Zeus, in the form of the golden shower)
and man (King Polydectes, in whose jealousy her son is sent on a
journey).
Andromeda is the template of the “damsel in distress”. Hers is
the traditional feminine figure of the “proper lady” who in her selflessness
allows herself to be sacrificed to the sea serpent and who upon the arrival
of the hero is heralded by her noble parents as a “prize”, which equates to
the throne itself. She, therefore, is always on objectified character from
whom the faculties of self-determination have been denied.
The Greae (Gray Women) were presented in the story as “old”
and “weird” having only one eye to share and pass among them three.
While they were presented as wise, in the sense that only they know
where the Gorgons lived, they were nevertheless blind and helpless
without their shared eye. This is in contrast to old men figures in the text
who were presented as kings as counselors (Dictys) who moved in their
own accord.
The most striking representation of the woman in the myth is
that of Medusa and her sisters—the Gorgons. They represented the other
half of the hero-monster/male-female binary, which are the extreme
opposites in the tale. The male/hero (Perseus) has to earn glory, fame and
self-approbation by killing the female/monster (the Gorgon Medusa). The
most arresting detail is that the male hero’s motivation of killing the female
monster does not even include such noble ideals as retribution for fallen
 comrades or the attainment of peace. It was the just the pursuit of glory,
and with it, the destruction of something he did not understand. Perseus
did not even know who Medusa and her sisters were, nor where they
lived. He had no deep-seated reason to kill other than the need to prove
himself a man, a hero. (While it might appear far-fetched, this act of
violence central to the plot of the tale may be read as the literal rape of the
woman-monster Medusa who becomes the object with which prove one’s
masculinity since she does not seem to accept the proper lady/damsel-in-
distress figure. Her “head”, “maiden-head” so to speak, is claimed by the
alpha male figure in Perseus, after the failed attempt of so many other
males whose failure to do so is immortalized in the stone that they
became.
1.1.3. Orpheus
The myth of Orpheus is basically a love story set in the romance
mode where this male artist turns out to be a hero in the face of grief and
loss of her damsel. As such, this myth does not have the heavy themes of
classicism present in the story of Perseus.
At any rate, it will be good to look into the characters in terms of
gender relations. Orpheus is the son of the Calliope, Muse of music of
poetry with a mortal. As such, he has his mother’s gifts in him, enabling
him to “charm all things on earth”, as Alice Low would say, with his lyre.
These virtuoso qualities even enabled him to descend to the realm of the
dead and push Hades and Persephone into the compromise of regaining
his beloved Eurydice should he succeed in not looking back on the way to
the land of the living.
The same is not the case in the character of Eurydice who was
simply known as the beloved wife of Orpheus, the qualities of whom were
never discussed. Thus, it becomes a difficult to imagine the narrative
thread if it went the other way around. What if Orpheus got bitten by the
snake, instead of Eurydice? What redeeming qualities would Eurydice
have used to breach the gates of the Underworld?
Thus, we see in this tale that the real imbalance is on the talents
the characters are imbued with. The male figure in Orpheus is presented
as of divine-descent and thereby gifted with excellence in the arts while
the female figure in Eurydice is only presented as the wife figure no
different from that already embodied by Andromeda in the tale of Perseus.
Nonetheless, readers may rest with the fact that neither man or
woman, talented or otherwise, may in the end escape the reality of death
and finitude.
1.1.4. Arachne
Among the selections for the first quarter, the myth of Arachne is most
unique in that men are absent from the narrative thread, in that women take
the center stage. Moreover, there is the absence of the conquest motif
present in most myths, owing probably to its being an origin myth. And as
one, it explains how the tiny creatures called spiders came to be – through
the arrogance of a woman. It is through this window that the story may be
valuated for its gender relations.
The first point for analysis is that the conflict is set between two women
however different in status (mortal-goddess), and their respective character
traits (hubris). Arguably, the conflict may even be considered internal
(character vs. herself); but more on this later in the discussion of conflicts.
The second point is that juxtaposed with other characters, who are
mostly heroes, in the textbook selections, Arachne is the only female ‘heroine’
and the only with both talent and hubris working towards her doom. This fact
is something not seen in the life of male characters, i.e. Daedalus, Perseus,
And Orpheus, who have redeeming qualities to cover up for their obvious
flaws.
Arachne is first presented as a skillful weaver who achieved fame
through her fine clothes and gorgeous embroidery, with people often
comparing her to the goddess Athene, herself most noted upon the loom.
However, her obstinacy and pride got the better of her when the goddess
Athene confronted her and ultimately challenged her in a weaving contest.
It might be right that one should ask why hubris in women is never
paired with any redeeming quality that would cushion the effects of that
hubris; unlike male characters whose mythological downfall are redeemed by
a certain form of heroism. Anyhow, this theme is not exclusive to Greek
mythology as Eve’s callousness is blamed for the fall of mankind from grace,
as ‘hell’ was is originally conceived to be the goddess Hel who was a vengeful
and cold woman in Norse mythology.
1.1.5. How Odin Lost His Eye
Odin, as the head of the Norse pantheon is starkly different from Zeus
in that he is often depicted as the benevolent all-knowing father of gods and
men, and whose role it was to protect them from the impending Ragnarok.
The same might not be said of Zeus who was by and large concerned only
with the politics of Greece and its neighboring kingdoms or the beauty of its
women—and men, in several instances. This owes probably to the absence
of rapture narratives inn Greek mythology.
At any rate, while there are no women in this particular tale to compare
Odin with, this nevertheless provides the picture of the “father”, the foundation
and template of the patriarchal system itself. As well, the absence of women
in this foundational tale may itself be taken as the point of analysis in relation
to patriarchy.
What is most striking in this narrative is that Odin, as the almighty
father of gods and men recognizes the necessity to have more wisdom and
the necessary sacrifice the acquisition of this wisdom would entail. In his
case, it was his eye that needed to be sacrificed in exchange for a look into
Old Mimir’s well of wisdom.
This trait is also foundational in other patristic traditions. It is also seen,
for example, in the narrative of Abraham willingly placing his own son on the
sacrificial altar to establish a covenant with the Lord. Thus, we see that in
 terms of building the character-template of the “Father”, there is always that
readiness for sacrifice.
It might be argued that this concept of self-sacrifice justifies the father’s
right and mandate to rule and decide for the household – a concept that got
perpetuated in family systems.
1.1.6. From the Zen Parables: The Thief Who Became a Monk
This selection is the only one drawn from the oriental tradition for the
first quarter. What that implies for the ongoing analysis, so far, is that it cannot
be fully understood using the strict man-woman binary feminists use in
critiquing the patriarchal system. Viewed from philosophical perspectives, the
Buddhist tradition that informs it does not rely on such binaries but is rather
more accepting of the roles of men and women in the process of
enlightenment. Or indeed, it may be argued that gender is never an issue for
Buddhist enlightenment. This is especially true for Zen Buddhism which
abides with the Buddhist foundational concept of Kurana, “compassion for all
sentient beings”—whether male or female.
That Zen Buddhism is not as concerned about gendered systems as
its Western counterparts may further be gleaned on the presence of women
in koans, or parables, from which this particular narrative is lifted; and that
they also take center stage in their respective narratives.
To cite an example, a koan entitled The Monk speaks of how an old
woman burns down the hut of the monk she’s fed for 20 years after learning
the latter has not learned kurana in the said period of time. This point is
emphasized when the old woman sends another woman—a prostitute—to try
and seduce the monk. The real intention of course is not primarily to seduce
the monk but to test whether he would show compassion towards the
prostitute or not. He did not. This turn out of events reflect the centrality of
kurana and enlightenment to Zen Buddhism despite one’s gender.
Nevertheless, for the purposes of this section of the paper, gender
analysis therefore should be made on the text not in light of the internal
tradition whence it comes from. Rather, analysis should be carried out
following the thread of surveying how gender relations are presented in the
textbook and in comparison to other narratives therein.
On that line, the first point is that of the absence of women in the text.
While that should not mean a gendered-ness of the text, that nevertheless,
and second, focuses the narrative on the virtues men are capable—that of
benevolence and repentance.
This endeavor to compare contrast the texts as they appear in the
textbook may be summarized in the table below:

Table 1. Summary of Characterization in Selections for the First Quarter

Presence of Roles/Character Traits
Story
Women Female Male
Lustful Queen, Inventive
Daedalus and Icarus Yes Murderous Engineer,
Children Protective King,
 Assertive King,
Stubborn Son
Helpful Goddess,
Brave heroes,
Fearsome
insecure kings,
Monsters,
benevolent
The Gorgon’s Head Yes Damsel-in-
fishermen,
distress,
power-hungry
Objectified
soldiers
Princess
Damsel-in-
Talented
Orpheus Yes distress, Muse of
Musician
Poetry
Proud weaver,
Arachne Yes unrelenting Talented Dyer
goddess
Self-sacrificing
How Odin Lost His Eye No N/A
father of all
Benevolent
The Thief Who Became a
No N/A master,
Monk
repentant sinner
12 14

What we see, thus, is that almost all of the selections included for the first quarter
of the textbook present positive characterization for their male characters. The same
may not entirely be said about the women characters in the same narratives. While two
of the stories are silent on femininity because women are absent in their narrative
threads, they also present male positive traits.

1.1.7. Canto III of Virgil’s Inferno

The excerpt from Virgil’s Inferno provided in the textbook is on the
opening part of Canto III: The Vestibules of Hell. As an introduction to the
whole Canto, it does not generally present to the fore any discussion for
gender conflicts. In fact, except for the named characters (such as Virgil,
Dante, and Charon), almost all others are simply placed under the generic
“souls” or “naked spirits”. Even Celestine V’s name is not mentioned when the
poet sees him and is even only addressed as “the shadow of that soul, who,
in his cowardice, made the Great Denial”.
As a textbook literary selection, the impression this gives as an excerpt
in relation to this paper is that of being gender-neutral. For one, it makes no
mention of gendered allusion to the souls the persona sees in the vestibules
of Hell. Indeed, who he pinpoints in his account is the highest patriarchal
figure of his time—the pope. That is a more political issue than a gendered
one.
Indeed, Dante’s Divina Comedia, among the world epics standout
because it lives up to its critique of European social order through the eyes of
Divine Justice, effectively establishing itself as a national mythology that, to
borrow from Campbell, “validates and maintains certain moral orders”—
irrespective of gender. Thus, men and women are both seen in Hell,
Purgatory, and Paradiso.
Moreover, and by extension, that the named characters are all males is
not a ground to raise critiques of inequality in gender representation in this
epic. At any rate, Dante is later on guided by a woman in his ascent to
Paradiso—Beatrice who symbolized theology in the text.
Ultimately, it would depend on the creativity of the teacher to integrate
this in the discussion of the given except. This issue shall be dealt on in the
latter part of this paper.
1.1.8. The Song of Roland
The Song of Roland is considered to be the national epic of Germany
(?). The selection presented in the book is in condensed form aided by
graphics which more or less helped in students’ understanding of the text.
As with most classical/classicistic epics, the Song of Roland focuses
on the roundabouts of male characters who are often kings and heroes. Thus,
what it presents is a politico-religious narrative thread populated by men who
decided, so to speak, the fate of the world—or Europe, for this instance.
(Nonetheless, it will be beneficial for the intents and purposes of this
paper to look into how these male characters are framed in the narrative
thread.)
Roland, Charlemagne’s nephew advises the latter on their predicament
with the Saracens, a position that earned him the envy of his stepfather Count
Ganelon. This juxtaposition between Roland and Count Ganelon presents
many themes for the image of “the man” in the epic. First, they represent the
faithful-traitor binary men are both capable of being. Second, both characters
represent the double-sided nature of masculine pride—one injured by the
seeming superiority of a junior and the other one haughty even in the face of
impending death.
Certainly, it must not have been the author’s intention to present the
world as a male-dominated universe. As a historico-literary artifact, this epic
merely reflected the status quo of the political clime it was patterned after.
There are instances women were mentioned in the text—both of which
provides a peek into the flipside of society (femininity) dominated by men.
First is when Oliver threatens Roland that the latter would never marry
the first’s sister should he blow the horn Olifant. Second is when
Charlemagne meets the widow of the fallen King Marsilion whom he treats
courteously. These instances reveal the lower place women occupy in the
universe of Roland and Charlemagne—they were used as tokens for
marriage (probably to secure more political ties) and that they were often the
ones left weeping at the defeat of their respective husbands. Moreover,
Marsilion’s queen betrays another image of the “proper lady” motifs that often
signify women’s inability to become subjects themselves and not mere
objects of men. This betrays therefore women’s secondary nature to men in
the narrative.
1.1.9. Federigo’s Falcon (from Boccaccio’s the Decameron)
 Federigo’s Falcon is one of the many stories presented by characters
in Boccaccio’s frame story, The Decameron. This story is narrated by
Filomena, one of the female storytellers, and whose name means “the
beloved”. Further, her character is equated with the virtue of fortitude which is
reflected in the story she thus relates.
To some readers of classical literature, the Decameron’s treatment of
women may be arresting as it presents women not as the second class
objects whose lives are determined by the patriarchy. Rather, they are
presented as occupying positions of prestige and power in the society and
that they are able to determine their own fates.
Two important points come up about women as subjects (and not
objects) in the narrative thread. First is the fact that the persona recounting
the narrative, Filomena, is a woman. This gives her full control of the
narrative. She becomes, therefore, an author determining the fates of both
male and female characters in her own narrative. And indeed, her story
presents the female character Mona in a more privileged position than her
male counterpart Federigo. Moreover, Filomena’s introduction to her tale is
quiet telling of its proto-feminist tones:

Quote ni Filomena

This brings us to the second point: Mona, as being in a more privileged

position, is the decider of her fate. Such is a revolutionary presentation of
women in a world dominated by men. This status of being “the decider” is
clearly portrayed in several instances. First is the fact that she successfully
evaded the earnest and lavish courting of Federigo in the first stretch of the
story. Second, Mona shows a certain strength of character that borders on
cruelty when she finally comes to Federigo’s hut to ask for the falcon. Lastly,
this is shown when she marries Federigo against the wishes of her brothers
and sisters in the end of the story.
1.1.10. The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Alexander Dumas)
Alexander Dumas’ “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”, is an effective
capitulation of its milieu and its tumultuous socio-political landscape. In the
realism of this novel, Dumas deals effectively with issues concerning religion,
ethnicity, social stratification, and gender relations; showing in the end how
these issues intertwine to form the society that was medieval France.
That being said, it is inevitable not to take each character as the
symbol/representative of these social facets. (Whatever they represent shall
be the basis of reflection/analysis of gender representations for the purposes
of this paper). The upper stratum of the society is represented by people like
the Archdeacon and the soldiers; they clearly have the reins of power in their
hands. Meanwhile, the lower stratum is represented by people like
Quasimodo and Esmeralda who struggle daily in their setting. As is obvious,
both strata are pit against each other in this setup with the second trying to
bear the grunts of demanding and abusive elite.
 It is of course unwise to jump into conclusions and equate this socio-
economic stratification to the man-woman dichotomy and struggle. The
discourse, rather, on gender relationships should be read through the
narrative thread occupied by the character of Esmeralda who stands at the
center of struggles of men who represent various social realities; and who as
being in the said center stands as victim to that struggle. For example, she is
locked between the dichotomy of innocence and corruption as she becomes
the object of Quasimodo’s ardent, simple-minded love and of the
Archdeacon’s insatiable lust. It is in these spaces in the center of struggle
where we find the space of the woman in the text. This brings us to the
realization that, often, as is in the text, women are trapped in the struggles of
men and whatever socio-political frame they represent.
1.1.11. The Three Musketeers
Among the selections for the second quarter, it is in “The Three
Musketeers” that men and women are engaged in a direct and fatal rivalry; or
more properly, that four men are set in deadly contests against a woman.
More importantly, the Three Musketeers, as a semi-autobiographical sketch
reveals glimpses into the lives and roles of women and the intricacies that
they thrive in in their milieu. (“The Three Musketeers”, therefore, may be a
rich text in terms of the male-female characterizations and typology.)
In this particular selection, men—as represented by the musketeers
and the clerics—are painted as bold and scheming to the point of being
manipulative. This owes of course to the militaristic trainings of knighthood
that demands such qualities from its members. Additionally, they are locked in
the codes of brotherhood followed by the said institution.
Meanwhile, women in these stories also come to the fore not in the
form of the “damsels-in-distress” but themselves as active players in the
political maneuvers around and about the palace. Three of them are worthy of
note as presented in the textbook: the Queen, Constance, and Milady.
In her own right, the queen wields a considerable amount of influence
and will so as to have set the conflict in motion by having amorous affairs with
her kingdom’s rival, and which of course is nothing short of illicit.
Constance is also painted as a brave woman for taking direct hand in
the affairs of the Queen and the musketeers. (more)
Needlessly, Milady is probably the most cunning woman in the text.
The story’s femme fatale, she equals the men in the narrative in terms of wit
and political maneuvering.
This is not to say, however, that Dumas treated women in the text as
equals of the men therein. Indeed, while the women characters prove
themselves having minds of their own throughout, they are nevertheless
treated with double standards.
Milady was repeatedly and solely blamed and punished for crimes in
which men had direct connivance in. In particular, her husband Athos tied her
hands, hanged her on a tree and left her for the dead when he realized she
was an ex-convict. This instance showed that a woman may easily be blamed
and condemned by men who hide behind codes of legalism and chivalry.
 Table 2. Summary of Characterization in Selections for the Second Quarter
Presence of Roles/Character Traits
Story
Women Female Male
Mixed traits:
visitor in hell,
Canto III None N/A wise guide,
demon, coward
pope
Warriors and
Marriage token, kings, mixed
The Song of Roland Yes queen, proper traits: bold, wise,
lady jealous,
treacherous
Old husband,
Strong-willed
Federigo’s Falcon Yes sickly child,
woman
broke lover
Coming from
various
economic strata
The Hunchback of Notre Victims of fate
Yes representing
Dame social injustices
both the
oppressor and
the oppressed
Kings, nobles,
knights, and
musketeers all
The Three Musketeers Yes Femme fatales caught up in
required
machismo of the
milieu.
8 23

(Note: In the totals given below, how many of the characters in both categories are
portrayed in a positive light? In the negative?)
It may therefore be observed that there is a more varied presentation of men and
women characters in the texts given for the second quarter. “The Song of Roland” and
“The Hunchback of Notre Dame”, as more or less faithful representations of their times
portray women in ways that would be viewed by modern feminist movements as
“subjugation”, if not entirely “oppression”. On the contrary, “Federigo’s Falcon” and “The
Three Musketeers” present an entirely different picture of women by placing them in
positions of power and privilege. Meanwhile, men are also portrayed variedly across the
selections. While there is the domination of kings and nobles, some characters are also
presented as simpletons (ie, Quasimodo), hopeless romantics (Federigo), and even
demons (Charon).
 While the focus of this paper is on the investigation of the characterization of men
and women in the text and how that affects the overall gender system of the textbook, it
is worthwhile to take the context of the arrangement of the selections into account.
Doing so will aid in the clearer understanding of just why the selection appeared in that
particular part/lesson in the book.
In this line, it might be helpful to remember that the selections for the third quarter
aim at exemplifying the tenets of realism and naturalism through their very structure.
This shall be helpful in analyzing the said selections in the light of gender theories.

1.1.12. The Plague (by Albert Camus)

Albert Camus’s “The Plague”, (at least as it is presented in the
textbook) proves highly the naturalistic tenet of nature as a disinterested party
in the existence of man. In other words, nature determines man, not the other
way around.
Oran, the town beset by the bubonic plague, became a bird’s eye view
into just how nature ruthlessly limits man in the face of catastrophes such as
the plague.
Viewed with the lens of feminism, Camus’s novel may be read in two
polarized ways. First is that through naturalism, it is a critique of masculinity
and of patriarchy’s professed superiority over women. It should be noted that
almost all characters playing important roles in the novel’s narrative threads
are males—from the main character Dr. Bernard Rieux to Father Paneloux
and all other characters who figured either heroically or tragically along the
story. That they were all gripped by the bubonic plague and tried in vain to
contain—and were actually contained by it—belies that superiority men has
always professed over women. At the face of catastrophes, gender does not
matter. Even the male heroes like Father Paneloux, Othon, and Tarrou died in
the end of the plague they tried to battle.
Second, and directly opposed to this, is that Camus’ novel advances
sexist agenda. This claim is made for several reasons.
First is that all important characters are males. Indeed, all major
players in the plague-stricken Oran are males—from the medical heroes
(Rieux, Castel, Tarrou, Othon) to the spiritual leaders (Father Paneloux),
down to the law-breakers (Cottard). This implies a belief in man’s superior
nature evidenced in their active participation in the containment of the
disease. So to speak, these characters did not just back down from the
disease and actually stood up to it despite its limiting powers.
Second is that women characters are absent from this group of active
players and are external to the main narratives thread. This is true in the case
of Rambert’s girlfriend whom he badly wants to be with and Dr. Rieux wife
who had been in a sanatorium even before the plague broke out.
Third is that women characters are portrayed only as belonging to the
domicile or are lumped with the collective “crowd” from the outbreak to the
remission of the plague. In fact, one can only surmise that among the 30
people who died in the peak of the plague, some were women. The readers
were not told.
 Thus, the novel therefore highlights and celebrates the capacity of
males to stand in the face of natural adversities; thereby sending women in
the fringes of the narrative thread.
1.1.13. A Day in the Country (by Anton Chekhov)
Chekhov’s “A Day in the Country” is often read simply as a story of
local colors—and rightly so, for it indeed paints a realistic picture of the
countryside and focuses heavily on the presenting the setting.
In terms of gender characterization, we find in Chekhov’s work two
images of the male characters— the towering and benevolent father-figure of
Terenty and the beggar-child image of Danilka. Meanwhile, the feminine
figure is presented as the child-beggar Fyokla.
Reflection on gender issues may be gleaned from a paragraph taken
near the end of the story:

“The two of them, the cobbler and the orphan, walk about the fields, talk
unceasingly, and are not weary. They could wander about the world endlessly. They
walk, and in their talk of the beauty of the earth, do no notice the frail little beggar-girl
tripping after them. She is breathless and moves with a lagging step. There are tears in
her eyes; she would be glad to stop these inexhaustible wanderers, but to whom and
where can she go? She has no home or people of her own; whether she likes it or not,
she must walk and listen to their talk.”

This paragraph explicitly gives readers two things: (1) that only the
male characters “talk unceasingly” about the “beauty of the earth” and that
the frail female character is left tripping after them. The second implies further
that she is burdened by this condition, that she has objectives/demands
herself but is voiceless, that she is totally dependent on the men, without
really much of a choice but to walk and listen to their talk because her age
does not allow her to stand on her own yet.
This may be read in two polarized ways. On the first hand, this could
be a blatant support for the general idea of the superiority of men over
women. On the other hand, this could be the author’s explicit critique of the
said belief and in effect, of the reigning social order in his milieu.
In support of the first is that when contrasted, Danilka represents
man’s hunger for knowledge, for conquering the world while Fyokla
represents the woman’s role of trailing with and after the man simply because
she doesn’t have much of a choice.
In support of the second is that at the end of the story, despite his
hunger for knowledge (which his sister seemingly lacks), they are still beggars
anyhow; beggars who thrive under the protection and benevolence of the
father-figure they found in Terenty.
Perhaps, the settlement of this issue should not end with contrasting
the siblings but realizing that Terenty actually stands over them as a father
figure. He acts as a patriarch who by extension represents the Church often
viewed as the most patriarchal of institutions:
 “… and in the night, Terenty comes to them, makes the sign of the cross over
them, and puts bread under their heads. And no one sees his love. It is seen only by the
moon…”

Making a gendered reading of the text is hereby complicated by the

presence of Terenty as a harbinger of peace and charity as these ideas are
transcendental to any feminist reading. What might be striking in the end to
any gendered reading of this short story is the absence of women; after all,
the peace and charity exemplified by Terenty are often considered to be
motherly traits hereby assigned by Chekhov to a man.
This mere absence, plus his explicit description of Fyokla’s plight,
might indeed lead one to believe that at certain degrees, there is in the author
that men are indeed higher than women.
1.1.14. The Story of Keesh (Jack London)
The universe created by Jack London in “The Story of Keesh” is
undeniably patriarchal—a man’s world—and overflows with the bravado
expected from men in any such community. Especially so since it is a
patriarchal community living in one of the most extreme places for humans on
Earth—the Arctic.
The story follows the “rebellion” of Keesh, son of a forgotten hero,
against an aging and continuously becoming ineffective patriarchal leadership
that has forgotten the virtues of fairness and justice. In the process of this
“rebellion”, Keesh necessarily reveals manly (and heroic) characteristics that
exude the aura of strong-mindedness, cunning, and indeed, machismo—
making him the epitome of “the man” despite being only thirteen years old.
These characteristics are seen in many instances. First, Keesh dares
and confronts the council of elders, shouting at them at the end of the council:

“Hear me, ye men! Never shall I speak in council again, never again till the men
come to me and say, ‘It is well, Keesh, that thou shouldst speak, it is well and it is our
wish.’ Take this now, ye men, for my last word. Bok, my father, was a great hunter. I, too,
his son, shall go and hunt the mean that I eat. And be it known, now, that the division of
that which I kill shall be fair. And no widow nor weak one shall cry in the night because
there is no meat, when the strong men are groaning I great pain for that they have eaten
overmuch. AN in the days to come there shall be shame upon the strong men who have
eaten overmuch. I, Keesh, have said it!”

Through this quote emanates Keesh’s sense of self-assurance and

overflowing self-confidence and indeed, arrogance. More importantly, he
outlines in here his understanding of what it means to be “a man” in their
community. First, a real Arctic man hunts for his own food—as against the
members of the council who rely on the game of their best hunters. Second, a
real man is a just leader—as against the unfair distribution of meat as
overseen by the elders.
While Keesh epitomizes the role of “the man”, his mother Ikeega gives
a peek into the life and status of women in their community. First, the status
“the woman” is dependent on the status of the man in the household. Thus,
Ikeega has been through ups and down with the fame of her husband and his
tragic demise and now the daring of his son. This rise and fall and rise again
is stated in the story thus:

“…Keesh and his mother moved into it (igloo), and it was the first prosperity she
had enjoyed after the death of Bok. Now was material prosperity alone hers, for because
of her wonderful son and the position he had given her, she came to be looked upon as
the first woman in all the village; and the women were given to visiting her, to asking her
advice, and to quoting her wisdom…”

Having thus presented the gender system within the story, it might be
of worth to readers to note and go back to the motif of naturalism with which
this chapter of the book was brought together. That Keesh had to have the
arrogance and “headcraft” that lifted his social status may also be seen as a
force of natural necessity in a community perennially at the brink of hunger.
Further, it may argued that the social roles assigned to men as hunters also
stem from the natural physical strength men generally have better than
women.
1.1.15. To Light a Fire
1) Of the stories selected for the third quarter, “To Light a Fire” by
Jack London epitomizes the tenet of naturalism that characterizes
nature as an indifferent force shaping the existence of man. This
runs counter to humanistic lines of thought that adhere to beliefs
that man can do and conquer anything.
2) It follows the single narrative thread of an unnamed man who dares
venture out into the snow alone at sixty degrees below zero. That
the character is unnamed is a reinforcement of the idea of nature—
here represented by the snow-covered fields— as something
always bigger and more overpowering than man.
3) The story has only two characters—the unnamed man and his dog.
The absence of women characters in the text should not really be
viewed as an issue of gender bias. After all, the naturalistic tenet of
nature’s superiority expounded in this story holds for everyone
regardless of gender.
4) For the sake of this paper, how is the man (who might also be
representative of a woman in the same circumstance)
characterized as a person.
a. First, he is stubborn. He had been told by the old men that
“no man should travel alone in the Yukon when the
temperature is sixty degrees below zero”. Yet he did, trusting
his capacity to make fire would see him through. It did not.
Natural circumstances proved itself more controlling in the
end.
b. While he is angry that he would accidentally wet his feet—a
fatal mishap out in the subzero, he would later on prove to
be submissive to the indifferent limitedness of nature, albeit
unwillingly.
 c. The story ends with a striking detail—the dog lived. The
unnamed man did not. That is telling as to the worth of man
in the story. London might be telling us that out in the wild, or
in the cold, dogs are better than us.
1.1.16. The Voice of the Mountain (Stephen Crane)
1) Myth-like in its tone, The Voice of the Mountain by Stephen Crane
is a seeming anti-thesis to the superiority of nature Jack London
established in “To Light a Fire”. In this narrative, we see man acting
like an ancient trickster who applied cunning to bring a certain
dilemma to the world—that of his dominion itself.
2) Women are not represented in this text. Readers can only imagine
them as belonging to the “kind” or humankind summoned by the
man to dwell on the plains.
3) The figure of the man, throughout the text called as the “little
animal”, may be taken as representative of both genders since the
theme centers on mankind’s relationship with Nature as
represented by Popocateptl.
a. Mankind is thus characterized as controlling of nature— in
the negative sense that he does so by using continued
trickery and abuse.
b. The said relationship between nature and man is that of
irreverence on the part of the first and of threats on the part
of the second. Man continues to subdue nature but is afraid
of the latter. Thus:
“Over the little animal hung death. But he instantly bowed
himself and prayed: ‘Popocateptl, the great, you who saw the King of
Everything fashioning the stars… forgive this poor little animal…”
c. Prior to this scene however, there is the sense of
braggadocio in man, making demands on an easily angered
mountain: I said pay, and moreover, your distress measures
m price. And later on bragging about how “we can make one
mind control a hundred thousand bodies.”
d. Reliant, thus, on his intelligence, the little animal thus
declares himself superior to nature (and other human
beings), the personification of which he later on calls a “fool”
and an “old idiot”.
1.1.17. A Grain as Big as a Hen’s Egg (Leo Tolstoy)
Like Crane’s “The Voice of the Mountain”, this tale by Leo
Tolstoy explores the relationship between humanity and nature.
1) The narrative thread follows a king’s search of how, and when, and
where a grain (of corn) could grow as big as a hen’s egg. This search
leads him to more mysteries as his investigation gets weird along the
way.
2) By the end, Tolstoy explicitly states his moral:
“These things are so, because men have ceased to live by their own labour, and
have taken to depending on the labour of others. In the old time, men lived
 according to God’s law. They had what was their own, and coveted not what
others had produced.”
2.1.) This conclusion thus posits and leaves the story as a social critic of
economic systems hinged on greed. Within the story, this is witnessed in the
paradox embodied by the successive family line presenting themselves before
the King but appearing seemingly from eldest to youngest when the truth was
otherwise. This investigation leads into a deadlock as the eldest forebear reveals
that the cause of the decimation of both grain (nature) and man is the very
institution the King represents—oligarchy and its economic machinations.

2.2.) Material greed is thus blamed for the decimation not only of the
grain but of man’s stature, both physical and metaphysical.
2.3.) Thus, this story may be read as a Marxist tale that criticizes
capitalist social systems herein represented by the King.
3) In terms of gender relations, there also is absence of women in the text.
As in the Voice of the Mountain, the males stand for both sexes because
the theme demands that the text be read as a social critique of capitalism
and ownership.
4) Nonetheless, that women have been excluded in these texts could very
well mean that after all, women have no voice in social discourse. Men
represent everything: the King, the learned men, and the old man and his
seemingly younger forebears.

1.1.18. The Last Leaf (Sidney William Porter)

This story still falls in the third quarter and is therefore intended to
be read with the light of naturalism. It follows the continuing man vs. nature
theme the last two narratives have been pursuing.
Read in that light, the story portrays an ambiguous relationship
between nature and humanity. Nature, in this story represented by the spread
of pneumonia poses as a sword of Damocles over the neck of the
characters—especially Johnsy who has seemingly started falling into despair.
Humanity is therefore conditioned by the limiting realities of nature, namely,
sickness and death.
Nonetheless, we see the characters struggling against it as well.
Thus, Sue tries to keep Johnsy’s spirit up; Johnsy starts to count the leaves
saying she would go with the last but hoping the last would not fall; and Mr.
Berhman daring the causes of pneumonia itself just so that Johnsy would be
re-spirited.
The case of Berhman, in the light of naturalism, appears as a most
ambiguous case. Pnemonia must have gotten the better of him—a score for
nature— but he nevertheless achieved his life goal before succumbing to the
disease—a score for him.
In terms of gender relations, the story offers a wide avenue for
reading into the issue because gender grouping is loose.
(1) Johnsy and Sue are the central characters.
(2) The Doctor and Mr. Berhman are the side characters.
(3) Or it may argued differently and say that Johnsy and Mr.
Berhman are the central characters while Sue and the doctor
are the side characters. Such is so since both artists are
hampered from achieving greatness as painters: Johnsy with
the imminence of death by consumption and Mr. Behrman by
old age.
(4) Should No. 3 be followed, then the gender relations in this story
is loose, or ungrouped. The characters should be taken
therefore as individuals rather than reading them categorized
into the male-female binary.
a. Johnsy is the sick female character. She has all potentials
but has given up on life because of the disease. She soon
hinges her fate on the falling leaves of a vine dead in the
root— a metaphor for the impossibility of recovery.
b. Sue is the image of the best friend. Faced with Johnsy’s
condition, she remains beside her in an effort to at least
cheer her up and bring her back to the good sense of life. As
she discovers later on, her efforts may be in vain since her
friend has succumbed not only to the disease but to the
thought that she’d be going with the leaves of the dead vine.
c. The doctor, a male, plays an authoritative figure in the text,
albeit subdued and almost detached from the narrative. His
character determines that of Johnsy on whom the narrative
thread rotates. Thus, he declares near the beginning: She
has about on chance in ten to live… and that chance
depends upon her desire to get better… In these sentences,
the doctor is able to set the limits and dilemmas not only for
Johnsy but for all other characters.
d. Mr. Berhman is a perplexing figure in the narrative. He is
introduced as an old painter who considering his age is
already a failure in the art. Nonetheless, he provides the
peripeteia of the story, a reversal of fortune whereby a young
artists whose dreams and potentials are threatened by a
deadly disease is restored back to health and, we may
surmise, to her artistic endeavors. It is also a reversal for
him—an old loser who redefines the meaning of
“masterpiece”, giving it a salvific, sacrificial, and
metaphysical layers, thereby redeeming himself in the
narrative thread.
e. In terms of gender roles and representation, what is striking
is that this same roundness of character to whom there is a
redeeming quality is not given to Sue. Although it may be
argued of course that the author was developing the old-this
same roundness of character to whom there is a redeeming
quality is not given to Sue. Rather, she is left as a flat
character who is as helpless as Johnsy hersef.
 f. Although it may be argued of course that the author was
developing the old-helping-the-young/master-apprentice
trope and not that of gender roles.
To conclude, it may be argued that “The Last Leaf” by O’Henry contains
sexist undertones since it relegates women to the roles of sick and/or
helpless characters while the male ones are assigned positions of power
and determination in the text, or at least, characters who have redeeming
qualities, enough to set them as inspirational figures.

Table 3. Summary of Characterization in Selections for the Third Quarter

Presence of Roles/Character Traits
Story
Women Female Male
Various: heroes,
friends, doctors,
Very minor
The Plague None to Scarce priests,
characters
smugglers,
lovers
Benevolent
benefactor
A Day in the Country Yes Helpless child (Church image),
curious,
intelligent child
Mother
(dependent on Chiefs, hunters,
The Story of Keesh Yes
the men in her leaders
family)
Victim
To Light a Fire None of/Determined
by nature
Trickster,
The Voice of the Mountain None manipulator of
nature
A Grain as Big as a Hen’s King, old men,
None
Egg wise men
Sick artist, best
friend, flat Doctor, old
characters catalyst for
The Last Leaf Yes
without change and
redeeming inspiration
qualities

1.1.19. Excerpt from The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint Exupery)

“The Little Prince” excerpt given in the book zooms in on Chapter XXI
of the novel— the encounter between the Little Prince and The Fox.
 A story of a journey to enlightenment, the story starts to climax in this
part whereby the Fox guides the Little Prince through the mechanics of
friendship and love—the capstone in the lessons the latter learned
throughout his travels to many planets.
This story may be approached both as an excerpt and in consideration
of the whole plot to come up with any meaning for gender analysis.
Taken as a whole, readers readily notice the absence of women in the
text. In a universe populated with planets and personified beings, readers
would help noticing that the concept of the femininity in the text is
represented not really as ‘the woman’ but as ‘flowers’. Arguably, the only
women in the narrative are the Rose in the Little Prince’s planet, the
multitude of Roses on Earth, and the Flower with Three Petals. Unlike
masculinity directly represented in its various idiosyncrasies, femininity in
here is simplified and set in metaphor within personified flowers.
Taken as an excerpt, Chapter XXI betrays another psychological
peculiarity in the story. The meeting between the Little Prince and Fox
draws attention because it contains bits and pieces of wisdom that
summarize the entirety of the story; as in the famous line by the Fox:
“What is essential is invisible to the eye. It is only with the heart that
one can see rightly.”
However, for the purposes of this paper, focus may be given on the
unusual relationship between the Little Prince and the Fox. Virtually, the
two go into a sort of a courtship ritual, which the Fox aptly calls as
“taming”, in the story taken as the equivalent of the establishment of love
and/or friendship.
Some researchers would comment that this reflects a personality trait
known as the “puer aeterna” on the side of the Little Prince. Puer aeterna
is a psychological concept for men who seem too attached to their
mothers and their childhoods and therefore develop certain personality
traits such as homosexuality, love for the extremes and a deep sense of
inner self or being as byproducts of the said attachment.
“Is the Little Prince gay?” then might not be the right question to ask
since that might already be implied in his being “puer aeterna”. To any
reader’s mind, the Little Prince is a curious child, a lost wanderer—
although it is clear his reason for leaving is the indeterminacy of the Rose
in his own planet.
The power plays of love prove too much for the Little Prince, the puer
aeterna, so that he seeks the refuge of adventure, and ultimately learns
more and about himself in his encounter with various models of
masculinity throughout his sojourn in the universe.
1.1.20. Excerpt from Les Miserables (Victor Hugo)
The excerpt from Les Miserables selected for the book is on the third
act. In this part, Val Jean meets Cossette and intends to take her away
from her guardians, the Tenardiers.
Val Jean—the male representation—is portrayed as a compassionate
father figure. (Cite lines.) He comes to Cossette and saves her, taking her
 as her own from the practical slavery into which the Tenardiers have
subjected her.
Cossette—the female representation—is still a child in this selection.
Thus, her circumstances render her powerless, more so because she has
been orphaned by her mother and has been taken in by an abusive family.
Nonetheless, the text reveals a certain strength of character in Cossette:
“The man walked tolerably fast. Cosette followed him without difficulty.
She no longer felt any fatigue. From time to time she raised her eyes
towards the man, with a sort of tranquility and an indescribable
confidence.”

Further, we see that the gender power relation in this selection (and
indeed in the whole story) is that of mutual empowerment. The presence
of Val Jean as a liberator empowers Cossette and elevates her state in
the society. Meanwhile, the cooperation of Cossette and her own strength
gives value and meaning to Val Jean’s salvific act.
This relationship is highlighted in the excerpt through the metaphor of
the bucket Cossette was carrying when Val Jean found her. It symbolizes
the burdens set upon her by her circumstances—such as her growing up
without her mother and the unjust treatment the Thenardiers subjected her
to. Val Jean helps alleviate these in the act of taking the bucket from
Cossette.
That is as far as the excerpt goes. The presence of women and the
role they play in their respective story lines reveal them in various
capacities that will expunge the novel and its author from accusations of
sexism. After all, as a libertarian piece, Hugo’s Les Miserables focuses
more on social inequalities, a facet of which is women’s roles and rights in
whatever social ordering.
Val Jean, as the novel’s central character, stands as the benevolent
figure that transcends legalism, inequality and sexism through kindness
and undeniable Christian morality. This theme may be analyzed in another
paper. For our purposes, the foregoing discussion should suffice.
1.1.21. Excerpt from Kaffir Boy (Mark Matahbane)
The excerpt in the textbook from Matahbane’s “Kaffir Boy” directly
addresses the intertwined nature of education, gender development and
social progress.
In the excerpt, the unnamed persona (the Kaffir Boy) asks his mother
whom his father has just apparently beaten why as to the necessity of
attending school.
The mother directly answers that education is important for him “to
have a future” and that she does not want the boy to be like his father”.
Thus, the mother outlines a two-fold function of education for his child—
the intertwined economic and political function of education, discussion of
which cannot be taken separately.
These intertwined functions are well-explained when the mother
blames the father’s failure to attend school for what she simply takes as
“the bad things he’s doing”. These bad things include battering her as may
be surmised when she dabs her puffed eyes with a piece of cloth dipped
in warm water to reduce the swelling.
Practically, the mother connects a lack of education and literacy to the
latter’s inability to find a decent job. Further, this causes the father to have
a narrow focus in life, limiting his vision to himself alone.
Along with these observations, it may further be argued that indeed the
father’s lack of education and its consequences took toll on his masculine
ego which cannot bear the burden of emancipation in the environment
education creates whereby equal footing is given to the sexes.
Further, as the mother expounds on these functions, she reveals other
dimensions to the problems presented previously—that of postcolonial
trauma characterized by resistance against any foreign influence (through
education) and the drive to preserve precolonial systems (which include
the adherence to highly patriarchal social structures).
This resistance may be understood in parallel to the subjugation of
women in the society. The native patriarchal structure resists the fact and
power of colonialism and its aftermath because it represents emasculation
on its part—that colonialism subjugates the patriarchy and treats it as it
would a woman. By and large, such scenario is destructive to the
patriarchal ego.
This scenario proves more complicated and burdensome for women in
their context as they are subjugated further and because they now come
under two masters with opposite views of them. On the first hand is the
native patriarchal system, operating under the “sway of tribal traditions”,
think it unnecessary to educate females. On the other hand is the new
social system disrupted and hybridized by colonialism, a system that
leaves a clearing for women to move along the social strata through
education.
Thus, in this excerpt, a clear delineation between men and women is
first given: the first as the violent persona whose character is motivated by
the power and privilege it previously enjoyed and is now threatened; the
second as the persona subjugated in any case, with education as its
supposed liberator. This may be said between the characters of the father
and the mother.
Another gender relationship appears between the mother and the son.
In this relationship, it may be said that the Mother remains in her
subjugation, herself being powerless in the circumstances social biases
wrought upon her. Nonetheless, from this angle, she appears as the
beacon of light guiding future generations (his son) away from backward
and limiting tribal traditions. The persona (the son) is thereby presented as
the hope of change in the status quo.
Thus, the genders are variously characterized in this excerpt. The
author does not seem to favor a specific set of characteristics for males
and females. Rather, he situates them in socio-historical concepts,
 thereby proving that gender is often a ‘social construct’ rather than an
intrinsic value, like one’s sex.
Table 4. Summary of Characterization in Selections for the Fourth Quarter
Presence of Roles/Character Traits
Story
Women Female Male
Varied, the
prince as the
puer aeterna,
Flower, cause of
The Little Prince Scarce many other who
conflict
represent
universal human
peculiarities
Benevolent
Les Miserables Yes Child, ladies
savior

1.2. Setting
For the purposes of this paper, the term “setting” may be taken and
understood as two things: (1) the time and place or the social milieu that
determines the gender relations in the text or (2) the positioning of
characters in the plot or narrative thread compared to the space enjoyed
by other characters (the position occupied by women in comparison to
those occupied by men).

1.2.1. First Quarter

Most of the stories chosen for the first grading are myths set in
mythological Greece where the banal, the divine, and everything in
between coexisted in time. Such setting may aptly be described as the
“classicistic romance” where heroes are made and gods intervene in their
exploits, like slaying monsters and escaping prophesied deaths in vain.

1.2.1.1. Daedalus and Icarus

A quick reading of the text immediately reveals that men occupy the
positions of power in the narrative. Seen from a historicist perspective, the
story reflects the “space” occupied by men and women in the (Greek)
society. There is a high correlation between the “literary space” and the
“physical social space”.
As a piece of classical literature, Daedalus and Icarus necessarily
features characters belonging to the society’s upper class—in this case,
the nobility of ancient Greece. The same may be said about the other
selections included in the first quarter as they mostly deal with mythical
figures. Thus we see kings, queens, heroes and their interaction with the
gods in these narratives. That settles the question of the “time and place”
the characters occupy in the narrative thread. This steers discussion
towards the question of “political position”.
 In Daedalus and Icarus, what may be noted is the difference in the
distance of men and women from the center of power. At first glance,
there is not much of a difference because all characters belong to the
nobility. However, a peek into the roles these characters play reveal a
difference.
In this particular story, men hold the reins of power, i.e. King Minos and
King Cocalus and the positions of intellectual power, i.e. Daedalus.
Women on the other hand do not share this rule. Rather, they are
subsumed by these rules; victimized, even, as in the case of Queen
Pasiphae who becomes the object of god’s bestial sensibilities.

1.2.1.2. The Gorgon’s Head (Anne Terry White)

The narrative thread of this particular story allows a stark contrast
between the social positions occupied by the characters in terms of
political gender relations.
First, there is the parallelism between the masculine-feminine, hero-
prize binaries. The narrative thread of Perseus’ exploits start off with a
desire to prove one’s self— “to win glory for yourself” and to earn “the
greatest fame” in the words of King Polydectes. This brand of heroism
Polydectes pushes Perseus to undertake requires the earning of a prize
which in this case is the death of a Gorgon. Basically, the Gorgons were
outcast women. They were outsiders of the civil society, feared because
they have monstrous figures and abilities. Therefore, as far as setting is
concerned, it becomes apparent that in this particular Greek universe,
men are placed in the center of power measured by heroism whereas
women are set outside of that circle, or even of the society itself, serving
only as a prize to masculine exploits.
This hero-prize binary is also reflected in the next stretch of the
narrative thread wherein Perseus saves Andromeda from the sea serpent,
thereby winning not only her heart and hand but also her father’s kingdom.
Andromeda as a prize is further intensified when Phineas, Andromeda’s
uncle, protests against her betrothal to Perseus.
It may be argued that this is also the case with the relationship
between Perseus’ mother Danae and her husband Polydectes. While a
queen, the first is kept a prize by the latter when he did not want anyone
sharing her affections.

1.2.1.3. Orpheus (Alice Low)

The most notable setting in this narrative thread is that of the
underworld. Supposedly, the underworld would have been perceived as a
realm of equal footing for both sexes. It so appears in the selection when it
mentions names of personages there. Or indeed, only men—such as
Sisypus, Tantalus, and Ixion—were mentioned. Nonetheless, the realm of
the underworld is ruled by both Hades and Persephone. Seemingly, there
is a shared rule, even if it may not really be understood that way as the
classical context is taken into account. Nonetheless, we know that the
gloomy underworld hosts everyone regardless of gender.
However, looking at the tragic thread of Orpheus and Eurydice’s love
lore, a certain fact remains in relation to gender—only the man survived
the trip to the underworld; the woman did not. A couple of reasons may be
blamed. Chance, for one, did not allow Eurydice to hear Orpheus remark.
This represents a breakdown in communication. Orpheus himself may be
blamed for forgetting Hade’s most important condition. Nonetheless,
wherever blame may be placed, the outcome remains the same.

1.2.1.4. Arachne
For Arachne, we go back to the idea of the myth being set in the
mythological ancient Greece where anything can happen—especially
when deities intervene. While so, this gives us a glimpse into the cultural
attitude of the milieu towards issues that include gender.
Compared to other selections, this myth limits the setting to the
domicile. By so doing, it allows women to be portrayed as greater than
men. This is true for Arachne who is described to have surpassed his
father’s weaving skills. The domicile is also the place where women get to
rule their own affairs and brag about it. The Gorgon Medusa should have
enjoyed the same freedom in the space she and her sister owned before
Perseus’ intrusion.
By comparison, the narratives of Arachne and Medusa share common
traits. First, both women had something extraordinary in them— Medusa
had her powers, Arachne her unsurpassed weaving skills. Both have
basically stunned everyone with their respective abilities. Second, this
greatness that they have leads to what may be considered a hubris—
Medusa turned people to stone, Arachne became boastful about her
abilities. Third, the natural consequence of this seems to be the
intervention of a hero or a god/dess and the eventual demise of the erring
women.
Thus, not even in the domicile, which is representative of the personal
space, are women safe from the vengeful wrath of gods and men.

Table 5. Summary of the Relationship Between Setting and

Gender Relations in the Selections (First Grading)
Selection Relationship Between Setting and Gender
Relations
Daedalus and Classical setting supports the dominion of men and
Icarus the consequent marginalization of women as victims
of sexual violence and political plays among men.
The Gorgon’s The society reinforces the hero-prize binary, pushing
Head men to go on exploits that eventually destroy
women.
Orpheus The land of the dead is open for all. However, only a
man can sojourn to it and return.
 Arachne The intervention of powerful men or god/desses in
the lives of women does not keep them safe even in
the confines of their domicile.

1.2.2. Second Quarter

1.2.2.1. Canto III of Virgil’s Inferno
This excerpt is set in the gates of Hell. The Divina Comedia, as a
whole, revolves around the idea of the application of Divine Justice—no
matter the sex or gender. In fact, the idea of differentiating sex from
gender might have been preposterous in Dante’s milieu which operated in
the man-woman binaries in terms of sexuality.
Nonetheless, this equality is also reflected in this particular Canto
where there is no distinction between men and women. Individuals are
simply called as “souls”.
Thus, it may be said that Hell—or Divine Justice—is a great equalizer
between the sexes.

1.2.2.2. The Song of Roland

As a classical tale, The Song of Roland focuses on characters
belonging to the ruling class. This is the milieu that shape how characters
are formed—as kings, queens, and warriors. As presented in the textbook,
the text offers a glimpse of how this social setting affects the characters as
men and women.
There are only two instances in the text where women were
mentioned.
First is when Oliver threatens Roland that should he ever sound the
horn for help (and thereby send a message of cowardice across), the first
would never marry the latter’s sister. This event reveals social roles played
by the sexes in their universe—men as warriors and women as token (to
be given away) for their valor.
Second is when Marsilion finally dies, leaving his queen to the mercy
of Charlemagne, who nonetheless treated her “with great courtesy”. This
reveals an important truth about women and war (in their times)— women
are always the collateral damage, the victims of men’s wars, left behind at
the mercy of victors.

1.2.2.3. Federigo’s Falcon (From Boccaccio’s “The Decameron”)

In “The Decameron”, the setting may probably be considered a
reflection of the socio-political context of their milieu. After all, the stories
contained therein feature characters and positions that may be verified in
medieval Italy (?). This society is characterized by a privileging of males
over females in most matters of social life, with women’s space usually
carved out only in the domicile and domestic affairs.
However, what Boccaccio reveals in the stories in “The Decameron”
constantly veer away from this conception of women as a disenfranchised
social sector.
 The selection “Federigo’s Falcon” as told by the queen puts a woman
in a position of self-determination and wisdom. To quote:
“…This (the story) I have chosen, not only to acquaint you with the
power of your beauty over men of noble spirit, but so that you may learn to
choose for yourselves, wherever necessary, the person on who to bestow
your largesse, instead of always leaving these matters to be decided for
you by Fortune…”
In this introduction alone, the queen already attributes power to
women—indeed still limited to the “power of beauty” but nonetheless
operates over the hearts of noble men. While the queen’s statement may
be taken as limiting, it moreover attributes to women the possibility of
choosing one’s husband—an unusual attribute for women of their
patriarchal society.
These concepts are concretized in the peculiar thread of events that
transpired between Mona and Federigo throughout which the first always
had the upper hand.
What thus appears in this analysis is that Boccaccio’s
characterizations veer away from the real-world setting in terms of social
gender relations.

1.2.2.4. The Hunchback of Notre Dame

The romanticized position of women in the society as wielders of their
own choices presented in “The Decameron” does not find its way to Victor
Hugo’s “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”. In this gripping naturalistic tale,
the issue of gender (as represented of course by Quasimodo and La
Esmeralda) are subsumed to what appears as a bigger social factor—
class and economic standing.
Set in Paris, France in 1482, the story centers on the cathedral of
Notre Dame de Paris which serves as a controlling factor—indeed
character in itself—in the narrative. It is only rivaled by La Esmeralda
whose beauty causes havoc in the hearts of men around him. Indeed,
they are juxtaposed against each other—the first represents the divinity of
the immaculate Virgin Mary in the eternal heavens while the second
represents the banal struggles of the earthly society. Thus, the setting is
greatly a player in the text.
This juxtaposition continues in that the cathedral itself is an unmovable
firmament while La Esmeralda is clearly a character tossed around and
about by her circumstances and the various social forces acting on her
condition, namely the machismo contest of the men around her, including
Quasimodo.
Thus, women in this narrative are directly controlled by their milieu.

1.2.2.5. The Three Musketeers

Alexander Dumas’s treatment of women in “The Three Musketeers” is
similar to that of Boccaccio in “Federigo’s Falcon”. In both narratives,
women are set shoulder to shoulder with men and actually contest with
them in wit and stature. But what is particularly striking in these narratives
is that they were set in societies that generally did not espouse gender
equality until lately.
This feminine defiance is seen in the characters of Constance, the
Queen, and of course, Milady. It may be argued that these characters
carved their respective positions of power in their milieu, however
subsumed in the affairs of men and the double standards imposed upon
them by their chivalrous society. Milady, for example, is set as the most
noticeable villainess of the story, maneuvering people to exact her
vengeance. She is blamed for the downfall of one too many characters.
However, the crimes she is accused of may also be faulted on the
protagonists should the same standards of justice be imposed on them.
Such is not the case, however. Instead, a double standard is imposed
whereby unvirtuous musketeers chase and punish an equally murderous
woman.
The extent of the double standard women are viewed with is also
reflected on how they would serve as the musketeers’ mistresses-
financiers. While this may be read as another form of having carved their
own financial space, the truth is that during that time, most women had no
other means for income other than through their husbands. That implies
that as mistresses-financiers, they draw on the coffers of their husbands
and by so-doing empty their own without any assurance for a return of
investment.
What may be said therefore about France in both “Federigo’s Falcon”
and “The Three Musketeers” as a setting that determines gender relations
is that the society—in whatever century—has always observed a certain
allowance for women to move about in the society while still being subject
to male valuations and judgment which most of the times favor
masculinity. Thus, this allowance for power and self-determination do not
really engender equality with men but an illusion of it through subjugation.

Table 5. Summary of the Relationship Between Setting and

Gender Relations in the Selections (Second Grading)
Selection Relationship Between Setting and Gender
Relations
Canto III of Divine Justice as a great equalizer between the
Inferno sexes. Sins are not judged in terms of sex or gender.
The Song of The classical context of the story focuses narrative
Roland on the exploits of noble men—knights and soldiers
and moves women out of the picture almost entirely.
They were mentioned in the text as tokens and
victims to whom benevolence must be shown.
Federigo’s Falcon The universe of the narrative places the woman in a
place of self-determination—at least in the domicile
and to a certain extent in her own life, as opposed to
the stereotype of being tokens to be given away by
 families for economic gains.
The Hunchback of The woman is placed in the center of the narrative
Notre Dame as both setting itself (Notre Dame) and as victim
(Esmeralda). Focusing on the latter, women are
pictured as controlled by their setting, tossed around
by their social circumstances and the whims of men.
The Three The social milieu supports double standards for
Musketeers women: while they are portrayed as witty, able, and
strong-willed, they are nevertheless treated as
inferior to men before laws and customs. What is
viewed as honorable for men is a disgrace for them.

1.2.3. Third Quarter

To reiterate, most of the stories contained within the third quarter are
informed by and should be read under the light of naturalism. This fact
reveals a certain relationship between the milieu and the characters
therein—that the indifference of nature or the milieu to human affairs is
actually a limiting force for the latter, no matter the gender.

1.2.3.1. The Plague (Albert Camus)

The interplay, or more properly, the struggle between humanity and the
overpowering influence of nature is best represented in this novel.
Nature, as represented by the sudden plague that swept over the city,
is such an undeniable force it may be considered another character in this
story—and a powerful one for that matter.
Indeed, nature became a force tremendously powerful and at the same
time vastly indifferent it limited and controlled all affairs in Ouran, driving
the people therein to the limits of their humanity, overturning social
systems and arresting all social affairs.
The analysis on characterization reveals that most or all of the key
players in the narrative are men, with important women assigned as
external factors that complicate the struggle of the men quarantined in the
city. Therefore, a problem on gender representation is encountered in
characterization.
This problem in characterization is complicated by the fact that women
inside the city were also largely ignored in the narration, mentioned only
several times.
Nonetheless, the above premise of nature as an indifferent determiner
somehow balances out the issue in representation as it may be argued
that both men and women were victimized by the plague. Thereby, a clear
example of how a story’s setting determines gender relations.

1.2.3.2. A Day in the Country

 Naturalism is used in this story to present the reality of the locale,
thereby painting a picture of a milieu unadulterated by the sugarcoating
of romanticism.
 The central question of discussion for this item should be: Does the
setting generate any point of contention with the gender relations of
characters therein?
 The discussion on characterization will suffice to show that there is
tension between the siblings Fyokla and Danilka in the narrative. The
author showed how a girl is (1) sent to look for a remedy to a problem
created by his brother, (2) left behind in both brainy discussion
between Danilka and the cobbler and quite literally when they were
walking home already.
 Nonetheless, both characters remain as beggars, provided for by the
benevolent cobbler.
 What the characterization gives us in terms of the relationship between
setting and gender relations is that the locale wherever it may be
indeed favors learning for males. This is tantamount to saying that
education or academic learning is not for females.
 Thus, it may be safe to say that in the said society, a disparity exists
between boys and girls in terms of education.

1.2.3.3. The Story of Keesh

This story allows for a certain theory to emerge in terms of setting and
gender roles and relationships. It is that in extreme conditions—in this
case the freezing dessert of the North Pole— males emerge as the social
leaders because of their physical strength and women are relegated to the
domicile and to social functions that do not require strenuous muscle
stretching. Thus, this is one of the stories in the textbook that hint on a
direct relationship between setting and gender roles.
This pattern may be seen throughout the story. Even before the main
narrative frame (the time of Keesh as a strong-willed thirteen year-old),
their society already had a strong hunting tradition—a survival role
traditionally held by men. Thus, the fame Keesh’s father enjoyed during
his prime. The male-centeredness of this tradition is further proven in the
eventual marginalization of Keesh and his mother after the death of his
hunter father. It becomes clear therefore that one’s importance in the
society is determined by your ability to haul in meat for the tribe—a role
denied for women.
This status quo goes on through the time frame of the narrative
wherein a certain form of corruption (in the form of unequal distribution)
has become rampant in the ranks of the male leaders. It was something
women and children—including Keesh who wasn’t a man yet—cannot do
anything about. Well, until Keesh spoke out.
Nonetheless, the “revolution” of Keesh does not truly equate to a shift
in status quo in terms of gender relations. Keesh, however young, is still a
male member of this tribal community. Keesh’s daring might have
changed the way the community would hunt but that did not change the
fact that his mother was still reliant upon him, that her eventual rise in
importance in the community was still determined by her son’s success.
 To end, what Keesh’s success may imply is that the shift in the way
they hunt—from ‘force craft’ to ‘head craft’— may eventually lead to
changes in gendered social roles as it is something that may be done by
both genders. However, that might occur only years later after Keesh—
way beyond the story line.

1.2.3.4. The Last Leaf

In this particular narrative, setting may not be construed to mean
simply as the literal time and place. Rather, it includes the spread of
pneumonia as the controlling and most prominent feature of the setting.
This opens the text up for a various readings in terms of the interplay
between the setting and gender relations. In fact, it creates a hodgepodge
of positive and negative imagery for women.
Read from the light of naturalism as the textbook suggests, men and
women can fall victim to the clutches of sickness and death. In this
narrative, the man (Mr. Berchman) dies and the woman (Johnsy) lives but
are nevertheless both victims of the dreaded disease.
Nonetheless, both (death and continuation of life) lead towards the
direction of fulfillment of one’s dreams—whether man or woman. Thus, it
may be said that the text is in fact more humanistic than naturalistic
because of this theme of survival in its literal and metaphorical meanings.
This strand of humanism is further highlighted in the fact that the text
allows women to be away from their traditional roles as housewives. Thus
we see them as set on a personal journey for the “masterpiece” in the
humanities and fine arts. Further, we see a pair of women living on their
own, away from the said stereotype for women. Queer theorists may even
read into the situation as a homoerotic affair between the two women.
Nonetheless, what all this points to is the level of liberalism allowed for
women in the text. Thus, among the selections in the textbook, this text
may be cited as a feminist, and may be erased from the list of sexist
materials.

Table 6. Summary of the Relationship Between Setting and

Gender Relations in the Selections (Third Grading)
Selection Relationship Between Setting and Gender
Relations
The Plague The setting, including the imposing presence of the
(Albert Camus) plague, balances the gender disparity first seen in
the analysis on characterization. The plagues
respects no gender, even as the text often zooms in
only on the struggles of men in a society trapped by
a medical catastrophe.
A Day in the Unlike The Plague wherein the setting is arrested by
Country an unusual occurrence, “A Day in the Country
presents the setting as it is—in terms of both
physical setting and the culture that thrives in it.
 Analysis of both characterization and setting reveals
that culture to be patronizing of males (as seen in
whatever educational aspiration and opportunity the
cobbler fostered in Danilka, opportunities which
weren’t available for Fyokla yet.
The Story of The harsh setting in “The Story of Keesh” allowed for
Keesh the leadership of the more bodily-abled men,
relegating women to other social roles which were
also dependent on the rise and fall of the first. While
Keesh revolutionary “head craft” method of hunting
might cause shifts and changes to these social roles,
the setting and time of the narrative line nevertheless
showed a polarized set of roles for the genders.
The Last Leaf Like “The Plague”, the setting in “The Last Leaf” is
also beset by a dreaded disease that threatens the
lives of the characters. A main difference is that
while Camus’ narrative focuses on the lives of men,
the Last Leaf focuses its lens first on the shattered
aspirations of a woman (Johnsy) and later on of a
man (Mr. Berchman), both artists, and the effect their
craft had on each other.
It may be argued that the text makes a humanistic
turn in the presentation of the said effect—man’s
capacity for heroism and woman’s ability to rise
again to continue her aspirations.
In short, the text allows for both genders to show
magnanimity in spite of troubled circumstances.

1.2.4. Fourth Quarter

The Little Prince (Antoine de St. Exupery), Excerpt from Les
Miserables (Victor Hugo) and, Excerpt from Kaffir Boy (Mark
Matahbane)
Module 4 revolves around the theme “Rebuilding Our Societies” and
hints on its focus on social reconstructionism as its guiding theory. In
particular, it seeks to address the issue of reconciling social diversity (and
acceptance) in its opening notes. The challenge for this particular section
then is to read the texts and relate them into social reconstruction focusing
on gender relations and their roles and their relationship with the setting.

1.2.4.1. The Little Prince

What has been noted in the analysis of characterization of this text is
the particular absence of women/feminine characters in the narrative,
save for the rose he left in his own planet and the roses he met later on in
another.
 The setting of the excerpt presented in the textbook—a desert— and of
the entire novel itself—the planets— in themselves do not speak much on
the issue of gender relations in the text. Indeed, the setting, as well as
their respective inhabitants in case of the planets, is representative of the
theme explored by the novel. Highly symbolic as it is, the King, the Vain
Man, the Drunkard, the Businessman, the Lamplighter, and the rest all
represent the self-defeating tendency of adults for selfishness, a trait
shared by the larger modern society itself and its highly individualistic
viewpoints; and which would later on result on the caving in of those
selfish tendencies on the very heads of modern man—and woman, for
that matter.

1.2.4.2. Excerpt from Les Miserables (Victor Hugo)

The earlier discussion on characterization and gender focused on the
excerpt itself. It highlighted the uplifting presence of a masculine figure in
Val Jean for the perceived fragility of women as represented by the child
Cossette.
It will be helpful to also look at the context/setting that led to the
circumstances of the characters presented in the textbook, later on
relating the social ills that led to Cossette’s misery and their relationship
with gender subjugation.
The situation of the macro-society wherein the story is set features a
milieu of poverty and blatant politico-economic stratification between the
rich and the poor, between the powerful and the marginalized. France,
having just weaned herself from the bosom of monarchy goes through a
series of civil wars that oscillated the nation between times of volatile
peace and easily-stoked social upheavals against the ruling class.
As such, it is understandable that the characters themselves be
trapped in the repercussions of these social realities. In particular, there is
the overwhelming threat of hunger and poverty hanging over the
characters’ heads, conditions that show their teeth whenever characters
gets pushed to the walls. Val Jean—a male character—steals a bread and
gets jailed for it for far too long than he deserved. Fantine—a female
character—is pushed against the walls of her limitations when she was
fired by the factory she was fighting for. Her eviction from employment
only worsened these social ills as she gets forced to leave Cossette,
engage in prostitution, and eventually dies of consumption.
This drives us to point out an important fact about social settings and
gender. It is that women—and female characters—are doubly burdened
with every twist and turn of the social order.
The experiences of Fantine and its repercussions to her daughter
Cossette are reflective of the double subjugation women suffer whenever
peace fails the society. Already subdued by men, women suffer even
more in social systems that favor and are ruled by the first.
 Thus, setting plays a crucial role in this particular narrative as the mold
upon which men and women’s role are forged and solidified, often to the
detriment of the latter.

1.2.4.3. Excerpt from Kaffir Boy (Mark Matahbane)

Unlike many of the selections in the textbook, the Excerpt from Kaffir
Boy’s setting is not explicitly described as a particular place as much as it
is described as a particular culture deducible from the discourse of the son
and the mother on education.
Moreover, this is one of the few selections in the book that engages in
a head-on discussion of the issues hounding culture and gender roles in
the face of social reconstructions levelled and facilitated by access to
education. Indeed, this is one of the few stories in the text that answers
the inquiry into gender relations and setting, in this case an undeniably
post-colonial society faced with the complexities of its own hybridity.
The clash between a struggling native culture (in this case a patriarchal
one described as tribal traditions) and the ensuing hybrid culture (in this
story manifested by a woman’s desire for education and change) is a
theme common in many parts of the postcolonial world. For instance, in
the Philippines, a seeming divide was made apparent in the last decade
between poets writing in Filipino and English. Almario, a foremost
champion of the first politicizes the linguistic arts to be in service of the
causes of a nativist brand of nationalism that tries to frame the undeniably
postcolonial situation in the Self/Other binary. Garcia, on the other hand,
vouches for the hybridity caused by the colonial experiences, critiquing
Almario’s nativist project as self-defeating, if not outright impossible.
This clash becomes an intricate and sensitive web of issues in as
much as they are always a political exercise—a negotiation of power
within the society and even outside of it. In this excerpt, the already
complex issue of gender and education is compounded by the struggle
between the latter and patriarchy’s reasons for abhorring it: eradication of
their own culture and social inequalities despite the completion of the
educational cycle. Meanwhile, supporters of education, as represented by
the mother, support it in hopes of eliminating the social evils spawned by
illiteracy and narrow-mindedness (as represented by the abusive father)
and promoting the hopes for opportunities that come with and after
education (as represented by the son).
Zooming in on gender relations, this clash between nativism and
hybridity necessarily leads to a cyclical discussion of who women are and
what they ought to be in their respective societies. This also often leads to
observations of changes modernity brings to the traditional social
constructions that men and women are. In this particular narrative, what
becomes apparent once again is the double subjugation of women in the
society—first as the subjects of their husbands and second as subjects of
the social milieu and whatever clash there may be. Perhaps, the only way
women subjugate these two is through their children who they can
influence, as in the case of the boy in the story.
To summarize, this excerpt from The Kaffir Boy presents the position
of women in a postcolonial setting—complete with the complexities of the
milieu’s political, gender, and economic turmoil. As it stood, this setting
was showing its obvious hybridity, its inhabitants being trapped between
limiting nativist (tribal) beliefs and a progressive trust on and thrust
towards the acceptance of whatever culture colonialism has caused.

Table 7. Summary of the Relationship Between Setting and

Gender Relations in the Selections (Fourth Grading)
Selection Relationship Between Setting and Gender
Relations
The Little Prince The galactic setting of “The Little Prince” is
(Excerpt) presented with the almost-absence of women. Read
as misogynistic by some, the setting is represents
themes that focus on the strange ironies that come
with adulthood. In effect, the setting urges readers
back into the simplicity of the things learned by the
Little Prince in his travels—that of learning to
discover the child within.
Les Miserables Analysis focused on the story both from the
(Excerpt) perspective of the characters in the excerpt (Val
Jean and Cossette) and of the story in general (as
represented by the case of Fantine whose story line
occurs before the excerpt given in the book. In the
excerpt, a male is shown acting as the benevolent
protector of a girl as is shown in the analysis of
characterization. In the case of Fantine, the impact
of the greater social milieu clearly showed the
double subjugation that happens to women
whenever order fails in any social system—as
subjects of men and of the oppressive social order.
The Kaffir Boy The excerpt from The Kaffir Boy presents the
(Excerpt) position of women in a postcolonial setting—
complete with the complexities of the milieu’s
political, gender, and economic turmoil. This setting
was showing its obvious hybridity, its inhabitants
being trapped between limiting nativist (tribal) beliefs
and a progressive trust on and thrust towards the
acceptance of whatever culture colonialism has
caused. Like in Les Miserables, women are
presented as being doubly subjugated by the
already-existing patriarchal social structures and the
seismic changes happening around them.
1.3. Plot
For the purposes of this paper, plot shall be taken to mean the flow of
the entire story, or of the time frame whenever an excerpt is under
analysis.

1.3.1. First Quarter

So far, analyses on both characterization and setting indicate that
selections from the First Grading period, myths are they are, reflect a clear
polarization between the images developed for men and women (heroic-
unheroic minor character divide) and in the positions they hold in the
society (powerful king-non-political queen divide. The task in this section is
therefore to show another angle—that of the opportunities given to both
genders and how they are raised or taken down in the plot.
1.3.1.1. Daedalus and Icarus
In terms of gender relations, this myth makes two groupings of
characters clear—males as protagonists and females as either minor
characters or accomplices in the exploits of men.
By and large, the male characters are represented in here by the
protagonist Daedalus. The flow of events surrounding him reveals a series
of falls and redemptions. First, he is thrown out of Athens because of
murder. Nevertheless, he is redeemed by the King of Thrace. There, he
falls from the King’s grace because of his connivance on the death of the
Minotaur. He escapes nevertheless, losing his son in the attempt to fly.
Then again, he is redeemed by another King and saved from the political
maneuvers of his former master. Daedalus thus died a great man
remembered for the greatness of is engineering ingenuity. As it stands,
therefore, his story reveals the forgiving attitude of the plot towards males.
The same may not be said of the way female characters are treated
within the narrative. The case of Queen Pasiphae of Thrace may be used
to prove this point. In the narrative, Pasiphae is doomed to lust after a bull
sent by the Poseidon. (Some say it was Poseidon, himself.) She is
therefore a victim of rape. What is more degrading is that he god deemed
Pasiphae worthy not of a human being but of a bull, degrading her into
bestiality. Thus, unlike Daedalus, there is no chance at redemption for
Pasiphae.
1.3.1.2. The Gorgon’s Head
The narrative thread of this particular story allows a stark contrast
between the social positions occupied by the characters in terms of
political gender relations.
First, there is the parallelism between the masculine-feminine,
hero-prize binaries. The narrative thread of Perseus’ exploits start off with
a desire to prove one’s self— “to win glory for yourself” and to earn “the
greatest fame” in the words of King Polydectes. This brand of heroism
Polydectes pushes Perseus to undertake requires the earning of a prize
which in this case is the death of a Gorgon. Basically, the Gorgons were
outcast women. They were outsiders of the civil society, feared because
they have monstrous figures and abilities. It becomes clear that in this
particular Greek universe, men are placed in the center of power
measured by heroism whereas women are set outside of that circle, or
even of the society itself, serving only as a prize to masculine exploits.
This hero-prize binary is also reflected in the next stretch of the
narrative thread wherein Perseus saves Andromeda from the sea serpent,
thereby winning not only her heart and hand but also her father’s kingdom.
Andromeda as a prize is further intensified when Phineas, Andromeda’s
uncle, protests against her betrothal to Perseus.
It may be argued that this is also the case with the relationship
between Perseus’ mother Danae and her husband Polydectes. While a
queen, the first is kept a prize by the latter when he did not want anyone
sharing her affections.
To reiterate, this narrative gives a particularly consistent
delimitation to the opportunities respectively enjoyed by men and women.
The first stand as heroes; the latter as prizes.
1.3.1.3. Orpheus
The narrative thread of Orpheus does not differ much from that of
Perseus’ exploits. It also reflects the hero-going-on-an-adventure-to-claim-
his-prize plot despite the differences in the characteristics of Perseus and
Orpheus; the first being the warrior while the second the poet-musician;
the first being the wide-eyed adventurer seeking fame while the second
the blind lover seeking the impossibility of bringing his wife back.
The story starts out with a sketch of Orpheus’s greatness as a poet-
musician. Born of the Muse Calliope, things living or otherwise bend to the
enticements of his harp. It moves on to his affair with Eurydice, his
beloved with whom he looked forward to many years together until tragedy
struck and she dies of snake bite.
This movement reveals the imbalance on the character
development between Orpheus and his wife—the first is clearly developed
and given flesh while the latter is only given a name, without much
descriptions, or actions. Indeed, Eurydice is simply portrayed as the focal
point of conflict, and Orpheus’ love for her as the root cause of all
problems in the text.
Thus, this story may be grouped with others that entirely develop
the male characters and leaves the female ones as auxiliaries to the
development of the plot.
1.3.1.4. Arachne
The plot of the story of Arachne is characteristic of the plots of
legends and origin myths which feature tragic characters often doomed by
the gods to assume other forms. The story of the sisters Procne and
Philomela may be cited for this purpose.
Procne and Philomela were separated because of the former’s
marriage to Tereus, the tyrant King of Thrace. Acceding to his wife’s
request of seeing Philomela, Thereus goes to Greece to fetch her. He is
gripped by lust at the sight of Philomela, raping her repeatedly and cutting
her tongue off to prohibit her from revealing the crime. However, she finds
a way to reveal her fate to Procne by weaving a tapestry detailing Tereus’
corruption of her. Procne gets enraged and murders Itys, her only son with
Tereus. More brutally, she cuts him up and serves him to his father as a
meal, revealing the gruesome deed only after Tereus has been satisfied.
This drives Tereus mad and chases the sisters who prayed to be turned
into birds. The gods pity them, turning Procne into the nightingale
perennially crying out for her son, Philomela into the voiceless swallow,
and Tereus into the hoopoe whose sound resemble “where” in Greek.
While the conflicts and circumstances surrounding the two stories
render them different, certain commonalities stand out between them.
First, there is the idea of feminine pride that borders on madness in both
tales. Arachne and Procne derived pride from different sources—Arachne
from her talents and Procne from her nobility as the princess of Athens.
Arachne’s talents drove her to the madness of challenging a goddess into
a battle she believed she could have won. Procne was driven to literal
madness by the utter ignobility of her sister’s fate in the hands of her
husband. Second, and more importantly, the plot of both stories end up
with women being transformed into lower forms of being—Arachne as an
insect and Procne and Philomela as birds.
While it is true that the deities’ motives of transforming them into
such states vary, these transformations represent two things. First, these
transformations signify the forfeiture of the intellect, the loss of sentience,
and ultimately, the degradation of human dignity. Second, they are a
reminder and a warning tale to the larger society. As such, these tales
carry within them the shameful history of the women from whom they
came from.
Thus, we see that in terms of plot and compared to a similar story,
the tale of Arachne is unforgiving towards feminine pride.
http://birdephemera.blogspot.com/2013/04/birds-in-greek-
mythology.html

Table 8. Summary of the Relationship Between Plot and Gender

Relations in the Selections (First Grading)
Selection Relationship Between Setting and Gender
Relations
Daedalus and Plot emphasizes redemption for male characters.
Icarus Female characters are mere accomplices.
The Gorgon’s There is emphasis on men as heroes (Persues) and
Head women as prizes to be won or conquered (the
Gorgons).
Orpheus The plot fully develops the male character
(Orpheus), leaving the female characters as
auxiliaries.
Arachne The plot is unforgiving towards feminine pride.
 Women do not enjoy the political and career
opportunities men have.

1.3.2. Second Quarter

1.3.2.1. Canto III of the Inferno
Throughout Dante’s epic, women have been portrayed side by side
with men. All three canticles—Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso—are
inhabited by both male and female characters. In fact, Inferno, the canticle
from which the excerpt in the textbook is culled chronicles the stories of
women thrown to the perditions of hell with men. Most of these
characters—which include powerful women like Helen and Cleopatra—
were in the fifth circle of hell reserved for the lustful.
Carey (2007) posits several points about this fact. First is the
medieval view of the women’s body as a tool for deception—a tool that
has caused men to abandon reason and in effect cause the destruction of
family, friendships, and even the society in different periods of history.
Second is the belief that women’s speech is a tool for temptation, a belief
that may be traced back to the Garden of Eden. Believing her action to be
for the good, Eve asks Adam to bite from the forbidden fruit, thereby
inviting God’s punishment upon them. This is reflected in the story of
Francesca and Paolo who were engaged in an adulterous affair, wherein
unrepentant Francesca tries to explain their fate to Dante.
While no specific persons are mentioned in Canto III used in the
textbook, the entirety of Dante’s epic reveals his understanding of the
nature of both men and women. While that understanding is informed by
medieval thought and may be seen negatively under the light of gender
theories today, Dante nevertheless kept balance of that understanding—
allowing in his plot both men and women to flourish or perish on their own
accord.
1.3.2.2. The Song of Roland
As a classical epic, the Song of Roland may be expected to
highlight the glories of masculinity more than of femininity. Analysis on
characterization and setting have so revealed so far. Indeed, the Song of
Roland focuses on the exploits of men.
However, another look at the plot—or of the gist given in the
textbook—reveals something else about the supposed glory men
achieved in the tale. Looking closer at the attitudes of the characters and
the effects those had on the plot reveal a particular triviality to the way
they handle politics, or indeed their masculinity.
This is particularly true considering the bickering between Roland
and his stepfather Ganelon at the outset of the story. This rift causes the
latter to stage treachery against the first and against the emperor himself.
Such act does not fit the honor codes of the nobility. And indeed, it is this
political treachery that initiated the chain of tragic events in the plot.
 Another reflection of the triviality of men is when Oliver tried to
define bravery as not asking for help, even in the direst of situations. We
know where that led for both Roland and Oliver.
Nevertheless, the plot still ends with the glorification of Roland who
in the end “belonged to legend and song”.
1.3.2.3. Federigo’s Falcon
The plot of “Federigo’s Falcon” stands out in the textbook in terms
of gender equality for several things.
First, as it is part of the larger “The Decameron”, it is framed within
the context of the said corpus. As a specific tale, it is told from the point of
view of a woman—the Queen herself. Needlessly, the portrayal of
characters and their gender relations will be influenced because the
persona—in this case, a woman—shapes the plot.
This leads to the second which is that the story of Mona and
Federigo itself puts the first in a more powerful position than the latter.
Monna, a woman is at the center of events, and Federigo, a man love-
struck by her is placed under her influence.
The relationship between Monna and Federigo starts out as a tale
of unrequited love. The latter is first introduced as a noble Florentine
capable of “spending money without restraint whatsoever” for the sake of
pleasing the first. Please her he did not, even when he had lost everything
because of overspending for her. Indeed, he lost her as well with her
marriage to another man (who was not discussed much in the story except
that he died early).
The next time they met, tables would have turned on their romantic
power play because Monna needed something from Federigo. However,
nothing like that happened. Instead, the instance merely showed Monna’s
resolute will not to “cast so much as a single glance in his direction”. When
she cast a glance, indeed, Federigo was his old love-struck self again,
giving away the only possession he had left—his falcon—if not in the way
Monna wanted.
Then again, this selfless act finally had him in Monna’s eyes and
eventually leads to their marriage. Excitingly, the decision and terms for
the said marriage came from Monna, not Federigo. The persona revealed
that there was resistance from the brothers of Monna but she nonetheless
went on with it, showing just how self-governed she is. That was unusual
in a patriarchal society.
Thus, a particular motif emerges in the relationship between Monna
and Federigo. It is that the first determines the parameters of the
relationship, however hard the latter tries. In a way, that balances out
social prejudices of women being subjects of men because in this
particular narrative, they clearly are not.
1.3.2.4. The Hunchback of Notre Dame
The analysis on the relationship between setting and gender
relations for this story revealed juxtaposition between La Esmeralda as the
women of and in the world and the Virgin Mary as represented by her
staunch Cathedral. This juxtaposition is also important in the discussion of
the plot. Unlike other stories, the setting—the Notre Dame Cathedral
itself—is a controlling factor in the plot.
The entire story revolves in and around the Cathedral. The main
characters’ lives revolve around it. Esmeralda for one was lost and found
by her mother there. Quasimodo was raised there and practically had
nowhere else. It is before the Cathedral that Quasimodo first fell in love
with La Esmeralda, when the latter brings him something to drink. Most
importantly, the narrative climaxes in the Cathedral where Quasimodo
tries to hide Esmeralda but loses her nevertheless and from where he
throws Frollo down to his death.
So where does gender relations stand in this complex relationship
between the characters, the setting, and the turn-out of events? Two
things may be noted from this.
First, if the stories of Quasimodo and La Esmeralda shall be taken
into account, it may said that the social milieu is inconsiderate of gender.
Both characters fall victims to their realities—Quasimodo as an outsider
on account of his physical deformities and La Esmeralda as an outcast on
account of being a gypsy dancer.
On the other hand, a more inclusive analysis reveals that the
“social milieu” is operated by males—as represented by the likes of
Gringoire, Frollo and Phoebus—who all lusted after La Esmeralda and
caused her tragedies.
What comes out then is a naturalistic portrayal of human situation,
if not nature, in 1482 France. Man and woman both do not stand a chance
for a good life in a society operating on physical and societal standards, in
a society defined a controlled by males alone. Sadly, and throughout all of
these, the Cathedral—which supposedly stands for the Divine—stand as a
mute observer, an indifferent yet powerful setting.
1.3.2.5. The Three Musketeers
The plot of the Three Musketeers revolves around the politics of
Paris, with men and women both engaged in the struggles of power.
Locked in these political struggles are D’Artagnan and his friend
musketeers, the royal family, Cardinal Richelieu, and the ladies Constance
and Milady.
As the title suggests, the plot focuses on D’Artagnan and three
other musketeers named Athos, Porthos, and Aramis. In service of the
Queen, they often clash against the designs of Cardinal Richelieu and his
chief spy, the femme fatale Milady de Winter. Or indeed, it is with the last
the conflicts of the story revolved.
Indeed, a man-destroying-woman motif arises in the story. First,
Cardinal Richelieu sought to destroy the Queen, for some reason or
another, trying to expose her affair with the Duke of Buckingham. This
goes on until the near-end of the story, with the Cardinal continuously
conniving with Milady to kill the Queen’s lover, the Duke of Buckingham. In
parallel, the musketeers are set in fatal plots and counterplots against
 Milady for most of the story, with them executing her in the end. This
complicity against women is capped by the fact that D’Artagnan and the
Cardinal actually ended up in good terms upon Milady’s death. The later in
fact writes a commission for the former to become a lieutenant in the
King’s Musketeers.
Thus, while the story allowed women in the political affairs of
France, as spies and accomplices playing the role of femme fatales, they
are nevertheless just instruments in the political affairs of men.
Table 9. Summary of the Relationship Between Plot and Gender
Relations in the Selections (Second Grading)
Selection Relationship Between Setting and Gender
Relations
Canto III of Hell, or indeed the afterlife, is a neutral ground for
Inferno the genders.
The Song of The plot presents the nature of men to lean towards
Roland trivialities but nevertheless glorifies them after their
death.
Federigo’s Falcon The motif of female superiority is presented and
(from the developed throughout the plot. The romantic (and
Decameron) political) function of a man in any relationship fails in
Federigo.
The Hunchback of The plot leaned towards naturalism and presented
Notre Dame both a man and a woman as victims of societal
prejudices and the lust and greed of men.
The Three The plot features the men-destroying-women motif in
Musketeers the persons of the cardinal and the three
musketeers.

1.3.3. Third Grading

1.3.3.1. The Plague (by Albert Camus)
While a novel, the plot of Albert Camus’ The Plague has a clear plot
mountain that kicks off with a single complication and rises to its climax
and eventual resolution. In the case of this novel, that complication is the
discovery of the plague which triggered the government to put the whole
city in quarantine. Readers are thereafter led by the omniscient narrator
into the concerns of various characters whose lives are undeniably altered
by the catastrophe.
Under the lenses of feminist critique, it may be noted that the band
of characters who deal with the disease are all men. Almost no woman
was mentioned as a member of this team. While this might have been an
innocent attempt at representing what things could have been in reality,
the absence of women still becomes suspicious under the lenses of
feminism. Is Camus’ underrepresentation of women in the novel a sign of
misogyny?
By the end of the novel, the city of Ouran is finally freed from
quarantine when the plague has finally abated. Gates were opened,
families were reunited, and men were able to get back with their lovers.
The plague had been contained and annihilated—all thanks to a band of
men led by Dr. Rieux.
1.3.3.2. A Day in the Country
As a realistic-naturalist tale softened on the edges by the kindness
of Terenty, A Day in the Country does not have a plot-driven narrative line.
Rather, its flow is controlled by an attempt at faithfully representing the
reality—in terms of both setting and character development. It follows that
the representation of males and females in the story are also faithful to the
social milieu from which they were culled. The question that emerges,
therefore, is on the differences between males and females in this faithful
representation.
As already revealed in the discussion of characterizations, males
are represented in this story by Danilka and females by Fiokla. Their
actions and the roles played out in the narrative reveal a particular
difference, variance if you will, between the roles, skills, and aspirations
between the siblings. Throughout, Danilka is the adventurous type—the
plot rolls out because he had his hand stuck in a tree while reaching for an
egg. Further, he is the vocal type—energetically exchanging discourse
about the natural sciences with Terenty. He bears his dreams, as well—
big things as they are for his young mind. Throughout all of this, Fiokla,
the little girl is the silent side kick—a perennial follower and supporter of
his brother and his dreams. In fact, she is seen—albeit symbolically—
limping after her brother and Terenty.
Thus, the male persona is represented through Danilka as the
dreamer and the thinker while females are represented by Fiokla as the
sidekicks and silent followers.
1.3.3.3. The Story of Keesh
From Keesh’s mother’s point of view, the plot of this narrative may
be stated thus: a hunter (Keesh’s father) rises to fame because of his
hunting prowess, securing him a place of importance in the community.
However, tragedy falls and he gets killed by a humungous bear. His death
causes his family’s fall from grace. Sometime later, his thirteen year old
son dares to rise against the injustices committed by then leaders in the
distribution of meat. They shame him but he is determined to prove
himself, inventing a clever way of easily hunting bears. The leaders are
taken by surprise and accuse him of witchcraft. However, he proves them
wrong, showing them his technique which turned out to be “head craft”
and not witchcraft. Keesh again raises his family’s social standing with his
mother gaining a particular importance in their society.
As already noted in previous analyses, this plot reveals a male-
female relationship wherein the rise and fall of the latter depends on the
achievements of the first. Keesh’s mother rises and falls with the
achievements of the men in her family. Most probably, this owes to the
fact that their society is that of hunters, a craft traditionally carried out by
men as their raison d’etre in the community. Women’s roles are probably
 domestic, and therefore only auxiliary to hunting as the role that sustains
the community.
Indeed, looking at the relationship between Keesh, a thirteen year-
old boy and his elders, their society is basically a world of men. In fact, it
reflects the animalistic pattern of kings (who often have a whole harem of
females for himself, as in the case of lions and baboons) being challenged
and often deposed by a younger male. In the story, Keesh challenges the
kings of their society and deposes them, albeit not formally. Power is
played in terms of that political struggle all too common in the animal
kingdom.
Throughout all these, women are seen as auxiliaries—citizens who
have many roles except the right to rule and determine fate of the whole
community.
1.3.3.4. The Last Leaf
The Last Leaf is characteristic of O’Henry’s stories that feature witty
and touching twists. It opens up to an ambience of seeming hopelessness
balanced only by a soothing, almost comforting, narration. This sense of
anxiety in the face of impending death is carried to the near end, placated
only by Johnsy’s desperate assignment of her hopes for life on an
impossible leaf—or its equally impossibly short time on the branch.
Salvation, or at least a last straw of hope, comes from a very unlikely
character—an old man whose career in the fine arts has been a massive
failure. The story closes with hope renewed as Johnsy’s condition
improves, implying a restoration to health and creativity.
So, what does this narrative flow indicate in terms of gender
relations? The answer may be gleaned from both the struggle and the
endings of the main characters Johnsy and Berchman.
The struggle of Johnsy may be taken as a representation of how
women face life’s greatest challenges— one of surrender, an admission of
defeat, and a desperate attempt at holding on to hope. Meanwhile, the sae
thing happens

Table 6. Summary of the Relationship Between Setting and Gender Relations in

the Selections (Third Grading)
Selection Relationship Between Setting and Gender
Relations
The Plague The setting, including the imposing presence of the
(Albert Camus) plague, balances the gender disparity first seen in
the analysis on characterization. The plagues
respects no gender, even as the text often zooms in
only on the struggles of men in a society trapped by
a medical catastrophe.
A Day in the Unlike The Plague wherein the setting is arrested by
Country an unusual occurrence, “A Day in the Country
presents the setting as it is—in terms of both
physical setting and the culture that thrives in it.
 Analysis of both characterization and setting reveals
that culture to be patronizing of males (as seen in
whatever educational aspiration and opportunity the
cobbler fostered in Danilka, opportunities which
weren’t available for Fyokla yet.
The Story of The harsh setting in “The Story of Keesh” allowed for
Keesh the leadership of the more bodily-abled men,
relegating women to other social roles which were
also dependent on the rise and fall of the first. While
Keesh revolutionary “head craft” method of hunting
might cause shifts and changes to these social roles,
the setting and time of the narrative line nevertheless
showed a polarized set of roles for the genders.
The Last Leaf Like “The Plague”, the setting in “The Last Leaf” is
also beset by a dreaded disease that threatens the
lives of the characters. A main difference is that
while Camus’ narrative focuses on the lives of men,
the Last Leaf focuses its lens first on the shattered
aspirations of a woman (Johnsy) and later on of a
man (Mr. Berchman), both artists, and the effect their
craft had on each other.
It may be argued that the text makes a humanistic
turn in the presentation of the said effect—man’s
capacity for heroism and woman’s ability to rise
again to continue her aspirations.
In short, the text allows for both genders to show
magnanimity in spite of troubled circumstances.