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Jose Duran

Professor Ditch

English 115

6 November 2017

Letters of Gender

For my analysis of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, I decided to

choose Juliet Ashton and Markham Reynolds as the main characters I will be analyzing. Juliet

Ashton is both radical and conforms to her prescribed gender role throughout the book. This is

recognized by the letters she sends to people and by the way people talk about her. She can be a

caring individual who nurtures those in need or she can be a bold woman who throws pots of tea

at people who make her mad. Markham Reynolds conforms to his gender by being overly

masculine and manly. Mr. Reynolds bosses people around with ease and likes to take control of

situations and people. He is viewed as the epitome of a masculine stereotype which is evidenced

by several letters about him and sent by him. Juliet Ashton both conforms and is radical to her

prescribed gender role because she performs masculine and feminine behavior throughout the

story; Markham Reynolds strictly conforms to his prescribed gender role.

Juliet Ashton is the protagonist of the literary novel and she is a writer unlike any other in

a time when women were only valued in the homes and gardens. The controversy that surrounds

her as a writer has brought her to fame as she tours across Europe while The Great War rages to

an end. Looking for inspiration for a new book, Ms. Ashton comes across a literary society that

has been under Nazi rule for years and becomes very interested in the people who were apart of

it. She gets to know these characters on a personal level and throughout the book we discover
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how they live their lives. Juliet Ashton soon develops romantic relations with a Markham

Reynolds and unknowingly starts a traditionally gendered relationship with him.

Markham Reynolds is an American Publisher looking for new British writers to swoop

on and hire to his publishing firm. He is introduced to the protagonist in a mysterious way in

order to catch the attention of Ms. Juliet Ashton. He sends her bouquet after bouquet of flowers

and she cant understand why he is doing such a thing. Once Ms. Ashton confronts one of his

delivery boys, she is finally able to contact him to find out the meaning of all this. He admits that

his intentions were pure and that he just wanted to intrigue her enough to go on a date with him.

He soon begins to sweep Juliet off her feet with his endless charm and fine dates. Mr. Reynolds

is a respectable man that everyone obeys and listens to. Most characters either find him as a

threat or as genuinely good man. In Aaron Devor Becoming Members of Society he explains

that Masculinity thus becomes innately valuable and feminine serves a contrapuntal function

to delineate and magnify the hierarchical dominance of masculinity. Devor is trying to state that

being masculine in this society is valued much higher than being feminine. Juliet Ashton

realizes that their personalities and behavior are too incompatible to continue on dating so she

cuts things off after he proposes to her.

Ms. Ashton and Mr. Reynolds can be connected to Composing Gender by the way they

behave throughout the book. Markham Reynolds is the ideal masculine stereotype for every

reason. The way he behaves, looks and speaks are all subject to how he presents his masculinity.

In Aaron Devors article, Becoming Members of Society, he states that ... such an alternative

conception of gender roles captures the hierarchical and competitive masculine thirst for power

which can, but need not, lead to aggression This quote is stating that the creation of gender

roles is to place men on top in the pyramid for power and allow masculinity to triumph over
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femininity. Juliet Ashton is ridiculed for being a woman writer but only because people see her

as a threat to society. In Ruth Hubbards, Rethinking Womens Biology, she explains that

Differences, be they biological or psychological, become scientifically interesting only when

they parallel differences in power. This means that differences between male and female only

matter when power is involved.

Furthermore, I can connect the novel to Rhetoric for Radicals because the the two

characters in my analysis either are radical or conform or both to their gender roles. Juliet Ashton

both conforms and is radical to her gender role because she performs masculine and feminine

behavior throughout the story. Markham Reynolds strictly conforms to his gender role. He is a

man's man who does everything in a masculine way. Both of these characters either defy or give

in to social norms in their own different way. In Rhetoric for Radicals by Jason Del Gandio, he

states that ... social norms often set limits for acceptable behavior, action and thought and most

people fail to realize that these norms are socially constructed rather than inherently given. This

quote is saying that these social norms that set boundaries on gender are actually socially

constructed instead of being natural law.

Juliet Ashton is radical to her gender role because she is not afraid to speak her mind to

any individual no matter who it is. Reverend Simon Simpless revealed that, If Juliet says she

will, she will. If she says she won't, she wont (47) in a letter to Amelia Maugery proving that

her word is bond. Juliet is also radical to gender because she has accomplished things that

women were not expected to do let alone triumph at. She is a successful writer, a leader and a

savior to a people who have almost lost all hope. Even those who despise her still acknowledge

that she is a straightforward woman. Bella Taunton states that, She does indeed have one fine

quality - she is honest. (44) in a letter to Ms. Maugery which signifies that even her biggest
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naysayers still know what kind of a woman she is. A woman being honest and speaking her mind

in society can be looked at as masculine. In Aaron Devors Becoming Members of Society, he

states that ...masculinity is usually characterized by dominance and aggression, and femininity

by passivity and submission. This direct quote shows how Juliet Ashton is directly being radical

to her prescribed gender role because she refuses to submit and is allowing her voice to dominate

others.

While Juliet performs radically to her gender, she also conforms to her gender in certain

situations. Throughout the story, Juliet cares and nurtures for others which this type of behavior

can be perceived as feminine. One of these accounts was recorded in a letter by Bella Taunton

stating that, I discovered she then volunteered her services to the Auxiliary Fire Services. On

the morning after a bombing raid, the AFS would be on hand to offer tea and comfort to the

rescue squads. in a letter to Amelia Maugery. This goes to show that even though Juliet can

show masculine characteristics, she still has a feminine side to her as well. In Ms. Ashtons

relationship with Markham Reynolds, she also plays a very feminine role. She is often

submitting to him and she allows him to take control of situations. She falls for his good looks,

charming smile and dashing personality. When Juliet is around Reynolds, she transforms from an

independent writer who doesnt take anything from anyone to a lovestruck girl who fantasises

about romantic ordeals. In Margaret R. Pooles, Relationship Between Gender Roles, Parental

Attachment, and Life Satisfaction in Young Adults, she states that, The traditional roles were

considered polar-opposites on a continuum with instrumentality-expressivity traits. (25) This

quote is stating gender roles are usually supposed to be opposite from each other so they are

easier to distinguish for other people. Gender roles are polar opposite in power and social
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structure. Ashtons relationship Reynolds is polar opposites at times when she is being feminine

and he is being hyper masculine.

Markham Reynolds solely conforms to his gender by behaving in ideal masculine ways.

Reynold typically commands others around him with ease and uses his power as a man in his

favor anywhere he goes. In a quote from Juliet to Sophie, she says that, ... hes used to ordering

people about- though he does it so easily, they dont even notice. This quote exposes a side of

Reynolds that isnt as charming as others would believe. He also deceives others into believing

that his answer is the right one. Juliet also says in the same letter that, Hes got that way of

believing his opinion is the truth, but hes not disagreeable about it. Hes too sure hes right to

bother being disagreeable. In one instance, he leaves the decision up to Juliet in deciding when

they should go out for a date and it appears that he is giving her the power of choice but in the

next few letters, he takes back that offer with his own answer. Juliet doesnt even realize that her

freedom of choice has been taken away. In Examining the Relationship Between Internalized

Misogyny Self Objectification and Self-Efficacy Among Cisgender and Transgender Women.

an article by Holly A. Gartler, she concedes Misogyny is perpetuated, not only by men who

desire to maintain their power, but also by women who reinforce the male-dominated culture

through acts of horizontal oppression and omission resulting from internalized misogyny.

This goes to show that men and women both play a part in society to continually oppress women

and promote men.

In The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, I analyzed the gender

performances of Juliet Ashton and Markham Reynolds. By using several articles and sources, I

was able to come to a conclusion on the characters gender performance. Juliet Ashton both

conforms and is radical to her prescribed gender role by behaving in both a masculine and
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feminine way. Markham Reynolds only conforms to his prescribed gender role because of the

repeated hyper-masculine behavior he does so often.

Works Cited Page

Gandio, Jason Del. Rhetoric for Radicals: a Handbook for 21st Century Activists. New

Society Publishers, 2008.

Gartler, H. A. (2015). Examining the relationship between internalized misogyny,


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self-objectification and self-efficacy among cisgender and transgender women

(Order No. 3704112). Available from GenderWatch. (1690276921). Retrieved from

http://libproxy.csun.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1690276921?accountid=

7285

Poole, M. R. (2015). Relationship between gender roles, parental attachment, and life

satisfaction in young adulthood (Order No. 3714230). Available from GenderWatch;

ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global: The Humanities and Social Sciences Collection.

(1708991335). Retrieved from

http://libproxy.csun.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1708991335?accountid=

7285

Devor, Aaron, and John F. O'Hara. Becoming Members of Society. Composing Gender: a

Bedford Spotlight Reader, Bedford/St. Martin's, 2014

Hubbard, Ruth. Rethinking Womens Biology. Composing Gender, John F. O'Hara, 30 Mar.

2014, joannajblog.wordpress.com/2014/03/02/rethinking-womens-biology/.

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