La Femme in La Pharmacienne World War I, also known as "The Great War," was fought by men in trenches on the fields

of Europe. And out of those trenches came poets and authors who would describe the horrors and hardships they faced in "The Great War." But these pieces of literature didn't only come from the trenches; there were others who wrote of the war from a different perspective. One of the perspectives comes from the American author Dorothy Canfield. In her short story "La Pharmacienne", Dorothy Canfield reveals to the reader how gender roles are insignificant during war and actually cause more problems in it. Madeleine, the protagonist of the story, must care for her two children and unborn baby during enemy occupation of her village while her husband is off to war. Instead of a soldier's tale, Canfield uses this story to discuss a different perspective when it comes to the topic of waron those who get left behind. Canfield describes Madeleine's role as a stay-at-home mother in detail to show the contrast of how much she transforms when the Germans arrive. Throughout the story, Madeleine is described as a "Modern Woman". The opening sentence itself states "When the war broke out, Madeleine Brismantler was the very type and epitome of all which up to that time had been considered 'normal' for a modern woman, a nice modern woman" (Canfield 52). But soon she "forgot most of her modern education and became a model wife" (53) and fell accustomed to the provincial housewife. All of her education and modernism is wasted since she becomes content with the housewife lifestyle. Canfield shows how even the "modern women" who are raised with a good education and brought up in a modern age, still fall back onto the old traditional lifestyle. As a housewife, Madeleine's "religion" was to have the children healthy and presentable, helping Jules in the business, keeping the house clean, all while keeping herself presentable and she "saw nothing lacking in this religion. It seemed to her all that life could demand of one woman"(53). But Madeleine had the opportunity to do more in her life, she "had done so well

with her classes that she was nineteen her family were thinking of feeding her into the hopper of the system of training for primary teachers"(52). She limited herself, establishing the belief that the housewife life was all that a woman could expect in life. But that all changed when the drums of war started and Jules was sent off to defend his country leaving Madeleine and the family alone. The negative detriments of gender roles become present when Jules leaves Madeleine. When the news of the approaching Germans hits the town of Seine-et-Marne, the town paniced, fleeing from the enemy, and Madeleine is left with a choice. Her "...neighbors, clutching their belongings into bundles, offered repeatedly to take Madeleine and the children with them. Should she go or not? There was nobody to help her decide [...] It was the first great decision she had ever been forced o make alone" (55). Canfield points out how Madeleine never had to make a big decision on her own, she would have to depend on Jules since he was the man of the house, but with Jules gone, she had to do it all on their own. If she had been more independent and intuitive, she could have taken her family and left to escape the town, but because of fear and dependency on others, she chose to stay. Her decision to stay essentially causes the family to endure the occupation. Madeleine realizes her dependency when the scouts arrived to the town, when she sees the pharmacy she thinks that it's "[...] not merely a convenient way for Jules to earn enough for her and children to live agreeably, but one of the vital necessities of the community life, a very important trust which Jules held. And now Jules was gone and could not defend it" (56) . This is the turning point in Madeleine's conformist thinking yet it also shows how she depended on Jules as her protector. When she thought of the pharmacy as "one of vital necessities of the community life" her first thought was Jules as the protector. Madeleine changes her attitude and crossed the boundary lines of her gender.

Canfield depicts Simone in her gender role to emphasize how those who stick to their gender roles in war do not fare well. Simone is the "terror-stricken little maid" who tells Madeleine the rumors and when the Germans finally knock on Madeleine's door, "Simone had run away, screaming" (74). Her actions had no use to the situation and follow the gender role as the damsel in distress. Canfield us this opportunity to show how Madeleine could have reacted like this, but she didn't. She had to open the door out of necessity since no one was there to open the door. Madeleine stepped up to the plate in this situation and took control, rising above of what is expected of her. When the Germans leave, Madeleine yell out "'Oh, les sales btes!'... 'The dirty beasts'. Her fear never left her, never to come back, swept away by a bitter contempt. She went, her lip curling, her knees quite strong under her, to reassure Simone and the children" (75). Madeleine goes beyond her gender role and takes charge of the situation, having to calm down Simone and the kids. After being stuck in the house all day, Simone finally cracked and left to get bread after Madeline had continuously told her to not leave the room (60). She didn't listen and left never to be seen again. Simone was irrational and didn't act appropriately to the situation. Madeline had to continuously push her to keep moving, but Simone didn't go beyond of what was expected of her. To elaborate the superfluous effect of gender roles, Canfield uses Simone as a foil character to Madeleine. In the scene when Madeleine gives birth to her son, Canfield reveals the difference between the two characters. Simone was "shivering and gasping in hysteria" (79) and but Madeleine, who "descended to the black deaths of her agony but dared never abandon herself even to suffer"(59). Madeleine liken herself to "the ancient Gauls" who "feared nothing, not enemies, not tempest, not death" (59). The Gauls were an ancient barbarian tribe who fought the Romans in ancient France. To compare herself to this warrior race shows how Canfield

empowers Madeleine who comes out stronger in this hopeless ordeal. Yet Simone was in panic, and at some moments, Madeleine "needed to shock Simone out of her panic" while giving birth to a child. "She [Simone] was nothing but a pair of hands and feet to be animated by Madeleine's will power and intelligence. In the morning, Madeleine is seen with "triumphant eyes" while Simone was crouched in a corner... sobbing endlessly tears of sheer nervous exhaustion"(60) The ultimate display of the insignificance of gender roles is seen in how Canfield describes the town after the Germansleave. Madeleine, Souer Ste. Lucie, the Mayor's wife, and the Farm girl are the only ones left in the town. The Mayor was killed over a misunderstanding and his wife brings back the important documents of the town (65). Madeleine works the pharmacy in place of Jules (63), and the farm girl is in charge of the livestock caring for whatever animals were left alive (65). The town emerges from the ashes with only women in the stead taking care of the injured and sick. The men had gone off to war and died, and in their stead the women were the ones left to recover. But these women are in charge of a new and devastated world. The women are portrayed as the rebuilders and survivors. Those who didn't adapt beyond what was expected in them, such as Simone, perished. The soldier in this story is Madeleine, who goes beyond her role as a helpless housewife, to survivor. She's a stronger person who didn't fight but survived. A different type of strength, Madeleine was brought to the brink of all hopelessness but emerged stronger than before. She survived the occupation, birthed a child, confined herself in her small bedroom, and took care of her children. Canfield shows that gender roles essentially mean nothing and, as seen in Simone's case, can actually be harmful. The men go out to fight, pillage, and rape but the women are left with the injured, sick, and starving. Having to recover after such devastation, Canfield shows that there is a different kind of strength that War brings outnot of courage on the battlefieldbut the

strength to endure.