My Antonia: Non-traditional Gender Roles "Boys will be boys" is a cliché often used when males exemplify the traits of wild, abandoned exploration, or use poor judgment in situations due to a desire to fulfill self. These traits, however, are seen as great downfalls and serious cause for concern should females display the same characteristics. Willa Cather beautifully portrays characters that defy stereotypical gender roles in her novel, My Antonia. Not only do the main …showed first 75 words of 1010 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1010 total…expectations of women. Likewise, without men such as Jim Burden, men’s roles in society might also be only work attitudes. The exchange of traditional gender roles has greatly influenced society, allowing more universal expectations in roles of people without regard to gender. This new equality is allowing mankind as a whole to progress in leaps and bounds, which shall, hopefully, one day have global support for a future free from discrimination, accusation, and shame.