Norma Jean And Leroy Summary

By focusing on the relationship involving Norma Jean and Leroy, Mason is able to expose the reader to the rise of feminism and support for women’s labor unions that defined the lives of most women in southern society during the twentieth century. Mason echoes this movement when Leroy asks “Is this one of those women’s lib things?” (714). When Leroy refers to ‘lib,’ he is referring to the freedom from limits or thoughts on behavior that served as the centerpiece for the growing political movements produced by women. Even during this time, Leroy is unsure whether Norma Jean is capable of meeting the same standards as men do, due to him questioning her abilities. Norma Jean responds in a sarcastic manner with “Don’t be funny” (Mason 714). The reader sees that although Norma Jean is being sarcastic, she does not back down from her
in Meyerowitz 59-60). The following paraphrase exemplifies the fact that after the war came to a halt, women started recognizing the contributions they had made to the southern U.S., and therefore this led them to create ‘women’ labor unions, which helped progress their dominance in the long run. With this in mind, administrations became less male-subjugated and women held the power at mostly all stages of society…organizations became more aware of women’s potential in the workforce, regardless of their gender, according to Cobble (qtd. in Meyerowitz 60). This paraphrase illustrates how women finally began to meet their goals of equality amongst men in the workplace, in most cases, and how they proved themselves to be worthy employees, despite the sexual characteristics they were born with. Mason further expresses this notion when “Norma Jean works at the Rexall drugstore”