Gender Stereotypes In Sweetheart Of The Song Tra Bong

A black swim top, a pair of culottes, and a pink sweater, just a few of the clothing items Mary Anne brought with her to Vietnam, yet these simple clothing items show us how gender stereotypes were present. In the chapter, Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong, the reader can see the gender lense throughout the chapter. In the chapter gender stereotypes can be seen, both being reinforced and being undermined.

When there is a female involved in any given case, the main thing people tend to focus on is the girls looks. One major gender stereotype is, the way a female dresses. For example, when most people think about girl clothing, they think dresses, skirts, the color pink and culottes if it was back in the day. In the beginning of the chapter, one can see how gender stereotypes are being reinforced because of the clothes Mary Anne wears and the way the guys describe Mary Anne. For example, Tim and some of the other soldiers take note of the clothing Maryan is wearing and what she looks like throughout her time there. In the beginning of the chapter, Rat kiley is telling some of the soldiers

Mary Anne is the only female character in the entire novel, and at first fits this stereotype perfectly. When Mary Anne gets into some trouble, before she starts to change, Tim says, “Seventeen years old. Just a child, blond and innocent,..”(p.100) This is another example of how Mary Anne fits into the stereotypical type of girl. (EXPAND)

Although in the beginning of the chapter Mary Anne fits perfectly in with a stereotypical girl, just like everyone else, the war changes her. By the end of the chapter Mary Anne has completely changed and actually challenges gender stereotypes. In the beginning of the chapter Mary Anne's appearance was mentioned several times. “Mary Anne’s hair was freshly shampooed, she wore a white blouse, a navy blue skirt, a pair of black flats.”(p.98) Tim described