The Little Sexist Engine That Could
Since the boys are really in to trains, we read a lot of train books. One favorite is The Little Engine That Could. Great book. I think we all remember the story from our childhoods.
Reading the book as an adult brings forth new thoughts. I never realized that it is such a "Good Samaritan" story. Someone in need, rejected by two who have the capability to assist but will not, and finally helped by one who presumably would have an excuse not to help.
As I read the book more and more, it struck me that the two nice engines (the first one that runs in to trouble, and the final one that pulls the train over the mountain) are both portrayed as female. The text clearly states "she".
At the same time, the two unfriendly engines who will not help (the big shiny engine and the big strong engine) are both portrayed as male. Again, the text clearly states "he".
I was thinking to myself, "Why are the nice trains female, and the mean ones male?" As a parent of boys, I'm a little sensitive to how males are portrayed in books and the media. Frequently in a less than positive light.
So I did a little research online looking for some analysis of the story. It turns out that just as there are people who are concerned about the negative portrayal of males, there are people who object to their interpretation of the negative portrayal of females.
These reviewers comment that the male engines are big and strong and have "more important things to do" than to help little children. The female engines on the other hand do not have such "important things to do".
It seems that you can't please anyone these days! No matter how the book is interpreted, someone is getting upset about negative gender portrayals!
I think in the future we should just name all the trains "Pat" (for you old SNL fans). Perhaps that will make it more acceptable for everyone. But then again, the "Pat" image still just seems a little creepy to me!
Happy reading, everyone!
Reading the book as an adult brings forth new thoughts. I never realized that it is such a "Good Samaritan" story. Someone in need, rejected by two who have the capability to assist but will not, and finally helped by one who presumably would have an excuse not to help.
As I read the book more and more, it struck me that the two nice engines (the first one that runs in to trouble, and the final one that pulls the train over the mountain) are both portrayed as female. The text clearly states "she".
At the same time, the two unfriendly engines who will not help (the big shiny engine and the big strong engine) are both portrayed as male. Again, the text clearly states "he".
I was thinking to myself, "Why are the nice trains female, and the mean ones male?" As a parent of boys, I'm a little sensitive to how males are portrayed in books and the media. Frequently in a less than positive light.
So I did a little research online looking for some analysis of the story. It turns out that just as there are people who are concerned about the negative portrayal of males, there are people who object to their interpretation of the negative portrayal of females.
These reviewers comment that the male engines are big and strong and have "more important things to do" than to help little children. The female engines on the other hand do not have such "important things to do".
It seems that you can't please anyone these days! No matter how the book is interpreted, someone is getting upset about negative gender portrayals!
I think in the future we should just name all the trains "Pat" (for you old SNL fans). Perhaps that will make it more acceptable for everyone. But then again, the "Pat" image still just seems a little creepy to me!
Happy reading, everyone!
posted by Susan | 7:39 AM
1 Comments:
honey chile, you just gave me a big laugh with the Pat memory. :-) and yeah, i agree with you. why are males usually portrayed as big and insensitive and females as the opposite? i'm sure we all know lots of folks who do fit those stereotypes but i also know a whole lot who don't. we just have to point out the discrepancies to our chil'ren on a regular basis, i guess. or do what i do and use plain white labels to cut and paste over with what YOU want it to say. i used to do this with baby bliss's books when she was little (and the font size for the words were much bigger), to replace character names with the names of her friends. :-)
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