After Mattie asks her father if she can work for money to fund her education she wonders, "why had I even asked? I knew he would say no." .
Through the use of a rhetorical question, the author has emphasised the authority Mattie's father has over her and also shows us the underlying values of society at the time which forced the women in families to give up everything for their family duties. This also shows that Mattie knows her expected role to be the 'mother' at home and gives up her needs for the 'woman's work' loaded on her such as "cooking, cleaning, washing, sewing." This use of asyndeton highlights a number of chores that women were expected to perform as part of their daily routine during the early 1900s. With all the domestic work Mattie and other women in her situation had to do, there was no time for them to pursue their dreams and they were forced to be selfless. In the context of A Gathering Light women were expected to be selfless and put their husbands and children before themselves and their wants. .
In early twenty- first century New York City, Andy has many choices open to her compared to the women living in the Adirondacks in the early 1900s. However, society still holds firm expectations for women's roles in families and has the belief that women should be selfless to a certain extent. This is evident in Miranda Priestly, chief editor of Runway Magazine. "If Miranda were a man, no one would notice anything about her except how good she is at her job." This statement indicates the double standards societies have towards women and it is evident that men are admired only for their skill whereas women are still constantly pressured and judged by society regarding physical qualities and how well they balance their personal life and work. .
As Miranda laments "The Dragon Lady, career-obsessed. Snow Queen drives away another Mr.
