Gonzalez 1

Bianca Gonzalez
English 113B
Professor Ditch
23 March 2015
Taking on a New Role
The novel The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann
Shaffer and Annie Barrows, defines gender roles after the devastation of World War II. Shaffer
and Barrows informs the readers that gender roles are nontraditional, people who in general
choose to not follow the script society and our culture often dictates for mens and womens
roles, decisions, and responsibilities. Examples may be roles that sex-typed in occupation (e.g.,
male nurses, female firefighters) or care-giving positions (e.g., stay-at-home fathers) (Rochlen).
The authors support their argument by showing courageous acts women in the book club took
during this time, in order to overcome their hardships. Due to the tough circumstances in their
society Juliet and Elizabeth carry masculine traits that make them take fearless actions, as also
seen in real life situations.
Sometimes gender and sex can be miss understood, although they are two completely
different terms. Understanding the term "gender roles" requires an understanding of the term
"gender Gender" is a social term that is often confused with the term "sex:' Sex and gender are
different concepts(Blackstone 335). In order to truly understand how gender roles are used in
the novel The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society both words have to be understood
because they are completely different. Therefore sex is based on the physical things each
individual is born with. Then there is gender, as people interact with each other they take
different gender roles. The role of a women have qualities like dependent, emotional, passive,
and sensitive(Gender & Gender Identity). For men their gender qualities are seen as superior

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than women for example theyre known as independent, non-emotional, and strong(Gender &
Gender Identity). Due to these qualities stereotypes are created where women have to be the ones
to care for the baby, and then men do all the house repairs.These roles are seen as like only
women are allowed to do certain things and men as well. In the novel these gender roles are
broken by Juliet and Elizabeth, because of the circumstances after the war.
At beginning of the novel Juliet writes to Sophie. Julie starts to question her self Sophiewhat is the matter with me? Am I too particular? I dont want to be married just to be married. I
cant think of anything lonelier than spending the rest of my life with someone I cant talk to, or
worst someone I cant be silent with (Barrows, Shaffer 8). Traditionally women are expected to
find a man that they can marry, build a family with, and spend the rest of their life with. As seen
in this novel Juliet breaks this traditional norms, by not getting married. Although women are
known to be dependent in this case Juliet is an independent not having to live with someone
besides her. Through Juliets hard experiences after the war it brought her to make such actions
how they behave and communicate their identities how cultural context impact their personal
belief systems, how this affects their relationships, and various other issues that arise as they
learn who they are and how to interact in their daily lives(JacksonII, Glenn, Williams 118).
People go through situations that make them act a certain way with people around them. These
situation force them to behave a certain way and change their ways in their everyday lifestyle.
The things going on around Juliet made her come to a point where she had to become a
courageous person which is seen as a performance of a men. This happened because of the things
going on around her during this time after the war it was upon her to take action, and change her
ways and she did so by acting in a courageous way knowing that she can be an independent
happy woman.

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Another gender performance that is seen in the novel is Elizabeths. When Juliet writes to
Dawsey she starts mentioning how they were caught by the German officers and the Brave soul
to step up and talk to them to protect the book club was Elizabeth. That night when everyone in
the book club was shaking in fear Elizabeth drew in her breath and stepped forward. Elizabeth
isnt tall, so those pistols were lined up at her eyes, but she didnt blink. She acted like she didnt
see any pistol at all. She walked up to the officer in charge and started talking( Barrows and
Shaffer 29). Elizabeths actions are very much masculine, when going up the officer she took
with her very masculine traits. Shes a brave women something that is not known as a women
trait because women can usually be seen as sensitive or weak in this situation. Elizabeths
masculines traits brought her to protect her people in the book club and get them out of trouble
or death from the German officers. Overall Elizabeths actions were brave and outspoken, she
was able to be strong minded as a women. Jason Del Gandio explains that although it is
normal for women to pursue personal endeavors, its even more normal for women to be
caretakers and homemakers. In this case Elizabeth was being a caretaker but in a different way.
She was caretaker but not of a home this time it was outside a home. She had to take her role of a
protector to a new level meaning that she will take care of her family physically and not by just
having to cook, or clean for them as normally seen in society. She was protecting her family the
family she was now part of which was the book club. As regularly seen women have to be the
ones that are homemakers and that is normal, but to stand up to officer and putting their life in
danger would be a mans job but because of the circumstances at this point in her life it brought
her to take masculine actions.
Elizabeths masculine performance did not stop there. When Amelia wrote to Juliet she
described to her what happened when the officer were in her town telling her that Elizabeth was

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at my house, but we couldnt summon up the spirit to make hair tonic, even though my yarrow
was in. we just drifted wound like a couple of ghouls. Then Elizabeth gather herself up. Come
on, she says. Im going to town to seek out my enemy(Barrows, Shaffer 140). Elizabeths mind
was so confident and brave she wanted to seek out her enemy. There was no stopping her,
Elizabeth words were strong and so was she by taking action. After the war many people gave up
they did not see a point in life, they were weaker and their mind would tell them to stop trying,
but not Elizabeth. What brought Elizabeth to her strong set of mind and brave soul was her
masculine performance. As a woman she still kept trying, she was not afraid to the things that got
in her way. What this did was that it gave courage to other women like in this case Amelia.
Women were not just taking traits like this during this time but even during the war
particularly a women named Gail a fighter in World War II. After being hurt in war Gail writes a
letter to a friend saying that Soon I will be on my feet again. But if someday I had to fall in
battle, I dont fear death, because I know-in our place will come a million [fighters], who will
achieve what we did not (Eglitis ang Zelce). This is a voice of a women who was in war. This
women was hurt and her mind was still kept strong. Women were going to war at this time and
this is where gender performance is seen because the fighters were men but not anymore, women
were getting involve they were the fighter just like Elizabeth who wanted to fight her enemy.
Women during and even after the war shared many similar traits that gotten through this brutal
time in their life. This masculine traits made them bold, confident, and courageous. The novel
truly describes how women like Elizabeth are fighters. It also shows how gender norms are
forced to change because of the circumstances in a persons life.
Many might say that having masculine traits can lead to a devastating path. Like Elizabeth
having masculine traits lead to her own death. Although Elizabeth died because of her of her
gender performance she was able to protect the life of many people, the people that were very

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important to her. Having masculine traits for Elizabeth made her protect the people she loved the
most, like her daughter and the people in the book club. She was able to put everyone else first,
before thinking about her own self. Having to be brave came with consequences that took her
own life but saved an innocent person like her daughter. If it was not for Elizabeth bravery her
daughter would not have people that care for her and would not have anyone to stand up for her.
Now kit gets to live her life, although she wont have her mother she was left with people that
would treat her with the same love. When Juliet writes to Sophie the love she has for Kit was
shown finally, I mustered my courage and told Amelia that I wanted to adopt Kit. Her opinion
means a great deal to me-she loved Elizabeth so dearly; she knows kit so well( Barrows and
Shaffer 258). Kit was left in good hands that Juliet was willing to bring her into her home as her
own daughter, and this was thanks to her mother, that was able to protect her and give her life in
order for kit to enjoy hers. Masculine traits were beneficial in Elizabeths life after the war they
were able to help many people.
Over all in the novel The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society Juliet and
Elizabeth gender role were forced to change because of the circumstances after the war. Both
characters were able to have masculine traits to stand up for themselves and be the strong women
no matter what the war had left them. In the novel they showed that it was possible to break from
the traditional norms seen in society in order to be protectors, to be independent, to be fearless
and outspoken. In this book it truly shows that because of the circumstances someone goes
through an individual had to take action to really overcome the situation in this case having to
take gender performance as an advantage to break free from that it is usually seen in society. A
women instead of being at home doing what it was expected for them to do like clean and cook
they were able to still complete their role but as well go outside their role, and take on a
masculine gender.

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Works cited
Ackson, Ronald L., II, Cerise L. Glenn, and Kesha M. Williams. Self-Identity and Culture (n.d.):
117-35. Print.
Blackstone, Any M. "Gender Roles and Society." Human Ecology: An Encyclopedia of Children,
Families, Communities, and Environments (2003): 335-38. Print.
Eglitis, Daina, and Vita Zelce. "Unruly Actors: Latvian Women of the Red Army in Post-war
Historical Memory." Nationalities Papers 41 (2013): 987-1007. Gale. Web. 30 Mar.
2015.
Gandio, Jason Del. Rhetoric for Radicals: A Handbook for 21st Century Activists. Gabriola
Island, BC: New Society, 2008. Print.
"Gender Identity | Stereotypical Masculine & Feminine Traits." Gender Identity | Stereotypical
Masculine & Feminine Traits. N.p., 2014. Web. 31 Mar. 2015.
Rochlen, Aron. "Non-Traditional Gender Roles." Non-Traditional Gender Roles. Web. 1 May
2015.