Lily Bart is a protagonist. ... Trenor, who was helping match Lily and Mr. Gryce, is furious with the way Lily ruined her chances with him. Lily accepts the rebuke and goes to pick up Mr. ... Lily's actions after being rejected from both men, Mr. ...
The role of the "passive female" is one played by Marian, from Atwood's The Edible Woman, and by Lily, from Choy's The Jade Peony. ... Marian and Lily are two characters that fulfill the stereotypical role of the passive female and in doing so, they both give something up. ... Lily is admirable because she is a strong survivor. ... Marian and Lily may have played passive, relatively non-active roles in the novels but they were also strong characters and overcame great triumphs. ... We see this through the characters of Marian, Lily, Poh-Poh, and Meiying. ...
Stereotypes have long identified what is "male" and what is "female". These stereotypes, designated by society, determine what type of role each gender fulfills in society. But male and female roles change over time, and as traditional stereotypes begin to fade, so do gender roles. Today, women experience freedom and opportunities that were thought unattainable by their female ancestors. Stereotypes and gender roles had a strong hold on society in the late 1800's, and because many women silently desired independence above all else, their wish for equality was a common theme in literature...
