Evaluating Gender Equality

There is another way to evaluate gender equality in literature. There are several questions can be offered:

First, do societal gender expectations and stereotypes cause conflict or limit the character’s range of option? Second, does the character think critically to reconcile real experiences with gender expectations? Third, does the character demonstrate independence (from gender expectations) in making decisions? If so, does the character pay the social price? Fourth, does the character achieve acceptance from other characters and self? (Latrobe 2009: 192)

I think Sivina and Sugar Shirley can represent the characters that critically resolve real experiences with gender expectations. They are independent people, even being different from common characters. However, in the end, they are dead, and to me, it implies the expensive price that they should pay for their decision.


Source:
Latrobe, Kathy Howard, and Judy Drury. Critical Approaches to Young Adult Literature. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, 2009.
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