Barometer Rising Analysis
ISU Journal #1
A prevalent theme in Barometer Rising by Hugh MacLennan is women are not seen as equals to men in this time period. This theme often expressed using the character Penelope (Penny) Wain. Penny works as a ship designer in a mainly male shipyard. There are few women in the ship designing field and some men do not approve of Penny’s position in the shipyard. Simon Perry, an employee at the shipyard, admits to Penny, “How the likes of you works in a place like this beats me . . . It ain’t natural for a woman to be smart at this sort of work.” (MacLennan, 13) Not only does Simon find it difficult to believe that Penny actually works at the shipyard, he claims women are not supposed to be good at this work anyway. Men in this book see
women as a lower class and not as capable as men. Simon says that Penny is peculiar because she is good at her job. Penny is a hard working employee, but because she is a woman many of the male characters in this story do not think she should be working in such a place.
In Barometer Rising the gender inequality is not solely displayed through men who only work with Penny. Even Angus Murray, Penny’s potential suitor, finds it difficult to believe that Penny’s ship design was selected by the Admiralty:
“You mean Whitehall’s accepted that design for a submarine chaser you were talking about? The one you finished last spring?”
“Don’t sound so upset about it Angus.” (16)
Angus Murray does ask Penny to take his hand in marriage multiple times in the book so he does have genuine feelings for her. But even these feelings for Penny do not affect his ideas on gender equality. He loves Penny but since she is a woman he is still quite surprised and upset that the Admiralty accepted a woman’s ship design to build next.
The discrimination of women is also apparent in the Wain family. At a family dinner, Jim Fraser has to defend Penny’s workmanship from the sexist ideals of Penny’s Uncle Alfred. Jim tries to talk some sense into Alfred saying, “Can’t you people get it into your heads that Penny’s not working at the Shipyards just for amusement? To hear you talk. A man would think her work was nothing better than knitting socks for the Red Cross. That craft of Penny’s is a revolutionary design.” (27) Since Penny is a woman, she is not even safe in her own house from being insulted about her line of work. Her own family does not believe that she could actually be doing real work at the shipyard. Alfred and other family members see Penny’s job as just a hobby, something to keep her busy, not a professional occupation.
Penny’s lover, Neil, does not interact with Penny until much later in the book. Once Penny realizes Neil is still alive, they meet with each other to talk about Neil’s future. Yet again, even speaking with Penny’s lover, the discrimination of women in the workplace does still come up. Neil is so surprised that Penny worked as a ship designer he could not believe it: “‘I’ll be damned! My young Penny a ship designer!’ But he was not taking it seriously” (111) Neil could not bear to see his “young Penny” working an important man’s job. Neil could not imagine Penny at an important job that, to him, would only be suited for men. Gender inequality is a serious issue and a common theme in Barometer Rising.
A prevalent theme in Barometer Rising by Hugh MacLennan is women are not seen as equals to men in this time period. This theme often expressed using the character Penelope (Penny) Wain. Penny works as a ship designer in a mainly male shipyard. There are few women in the ship designing field and some men do not approve of Penny’s position in the shipyard. Simon Perry, an employee at the shipyard, admits to Penny, “How the likes of you works in a place like this beats me . . . It ain’t natural for a woman to be smart at this sort of work.” (MacLennan, 13) Not only does Simon find it difficult to believe that Penny actually works at the shipyard, he claims women are not supposed to be good at this work anyway. Men in this book see
women as a lower class and not as capable as men. Simon says that Penny is peculiar because she is good at her job. Penny is a hard working employee, but because she is a woman many of the male characters in this story do not think she should be working in such a place.
In Barometer Rising the gender inequality is not solely displayed through men who only work with Penny. Even Angus Murray, Penny’s potential suitor, finds it difficult to believe that Penny’s ship design was selected by the Admiralty:
“You mean Whitehall’s accepted that design for a submarine chaser you were talking about? The one you finished last spring?”
“Don’t sound so upset about it Angus.” (16)
Angus Murray does ask Penny to take his hand in marriage multiple times in the book so he does have genuine feelings for her. But even these feelings for Penny do not affect his ideas on gender equality. He loves Penny but since she is a woman he is still quite surprised and upset that the Admiralty accepted a woman’s ship design to build next.
The discrimination of women is also apparent in the Wain family. At a family dinner, Jim Fraser has to defend Penny’s workmanship from the sexist ideals of Penny’s Uncle Alfred. Jim tries to talk some sense into Alfred saying, “Can’t you people get it into your heads that Penny’s not working at the Shipyards just for amusement? To hear you talk. A man would think her work was nothing better than knitting socks for the Red Cross. That craft of Penny’s is a revolutionary design.” (27) Since Penny is a woman, she is not even safe in her own house from being insulted about her line of work. Her own family does not believe that she could actually be doing real work at the shipyard. Alfred and other family members see Penny’s job as just a hobby, something to keep her busy, not a professional occupation.
Penny’s lover, Neil, does not interact with Penny until much later in the book. Once Penny realizes Neil is still alive, they meet with each other to talk about Neil’s future. Yet again, even speaking with Penny’s lover, the discrimination of women in the workplace does still come up. Neil is so surprised that Penny worked as a ship designer he could not believe it: “‘I’ll be damned! My young Penny a ship designer!’ But he was not taking it seriously” (111) Neil could not bear to see his “young Penny” working an important man’s job. Neil could not imagine Penny at an important job that, to him, would only be suited for men. Gender inequality is a serious issue and a common theme in Barometer Rising.