How Did David Grow Up In A Strict Society In The 1950's Society
881 Words4 Pages
People who grow up in a strict society and are taught certain norms, and it is hard for one to escape them. The main character, David, was raised in a typical American society in the 1950’s. One of the things that was strictly enforced in the 1950’s was that a household should look a certain way. Each household should be made up of a man and a woman and their children. It was also stressed that men and women had certain roles to fulfill within the household arrangement. Men were to provide for the family by going out and working. They were also supposed to control the household activities. Women were essentially supposed to be maids, taking care of the children, doing the household chores, and taking care of their man. Because David had been…show more content… He believed that he would be completely happy making this life with Hella. This may have been true if it had not been for Hella’s absence when she was unsure of David’s proposal. The reason I believe that David and Hella could have succeeded in making this socially acceptable home is because David believed that it was his job to provide . This is one of the reason’s [reasons] he had so many problems with Giovanni. In an argument with Giovanni, David proves that he is unable to escape his societal views and says, “All this love you talk about – isn’t it just that you want to be made to feel strong? You want to go out and be the big laborer and bring home the money, and you want me to stay here and wash the dishes and cook the food and clean this miserable closet of a room and kiss you when you come in through that door and lie with you at night and be your little girl” (p. 142). David feels like Giovanni has taken his masculinity away from him and shows that he firmly believes that the norms he has been raised to know are true and without fault. Hella also shows her acceptance of these societal norms when she says, “It isn’t what I’ve got. It isn’t even what I want. It’s that you’ve got me. So now I can be – you [your] obedient and most loving servant”