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Analysis Of The Short Story ' Marzipan ' By Aimee Bender

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What Does “Marzipan” Argue About Genders People deal with loss and grief differently. However, such behavioral patterns could differ between different gender groups as their collective norms and values may differ. As dealing with loss and grief is an inevitable part of our experience, we must acknowledge those differences and learn to work with our partners in life. In the short story “Marzipan” the author Aimee Bender examines the roles loss and grief played in the two genders. While loss and grief usually cause passive and incommunicable emotions among men, women opt for disguising their emotions. Those stereotypical views about gender distinction, are supported and enforced by the traditional family structure reconstructed by the …show more content…

The young sisters, who know little about their father’s suffering, make fun of the hole without knowing the consequence of their action. The father is unable to intervene on his daughters’ behalf, as he sits there “face paled.” (40), till the mother orders the children to keep quiet. Apparently, his role in the family structure prevents him from expressing his emotion directly to his children. Nevertheless, after a visit to the doctor, it turns out that the father’s internal organs are intact despite their state of severe deformation, which shows the father’s incredible determination to remain functional in his family role after his tragic loss. Ironically, the doctors “pronounced him in great health” (41), which implies that apparent defects in mental health could be suppressed by the father’s unwillingness to challenge his image as a man, thus they are not easily detectable. The father’s behavioral patterns after his father’s death are in accordance to many stereotypical views of men. However, the father does not display masculine traits at the time of the funeral, where man behaviors such as weeping become appropriate. Aimee inserts the description of this event in the middle of the story in order to contrast stereotypical views of man with real human emotions a man may have. After the funeral, when the narrator asks the father about his experience, the father says “I cried” (45) and described the event as “very sad” (46). The father

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