Tom Corey Gender Roles

Gabby Budenski
Professor Imbarrato
English 200
22 October 2014
The Fall of Gender Roles
19th century literature offers a very important insight into how life and customs are constantly evolving. William Dean Howell
’
s,
The Rise of Silas Lapham
, provides a clearer depiction of how societies view of men and women change with the times as well. Gender roles play a huge role in
The Rise of Silas Lapham in the regard that men and women in the 19th century had very direct roles. Howell portrays this brilliantly within his work and how at the the turn of the century, gender roles are an important facet in everyday activities.
Howell
’ s characters in his novel,
The Rise of Silas Lapham
, shed light on gender roles in such a way
that highlights the importance of having strong male and female roles within literary works.
One such character that bends societal norms of what it means to be a man is
Tom Corey. Tom
’
s character is presented in such a fashion that differs than those older than him, like his father, in the novel. Tom
’
s independent and head strong personality allows him to break away from what is wanted from his father. Tom Corey breaks away from the patriarchy by falling for a woman who doesn
’
t fit the societal norms of what it means to be a women. Thus, strengthening a new definition of what it means to be a strong male lead in a
19th century novel.
19th century gender customs extend to more than one character in the novel. Penelope
Lapham, daughter of Silas Lapham, shares many characteristics with Tom Corey. Penelope, being independent and outspoken isn
’
t the typical woman of said century. Her roles outside of the home and opinions on matters that shouldn
’
t concern her offer insight to the ever

changing role of the woman. Penelope
’
s plainness and lack of
“
beauty
”
also confirm that women are not meant to be to looked at and appreciated but rather able to go after what they desire and be who they want to be. In the novel, this is idea of supposed beauty is conveyed
in a conversation between Tom Corey and his father,
“
Not pretty, but rather interesting. She is like her mother
”
(67). Tom recognizes that Penelope
’
s intelligence is more beautiful than her appearance. This idea is important because it delves deeper into the idea that there is more to a woman than just her looks.
Penelope encompasses more than just intelligence, her strong opinionated voice is enthralling in a world of mostly silent reserved women. Her ability to enter a conversation and to entangle her opinions is fascinating not only to the reader but also her father,
“
That girl can talk for twenty, right straight along. She
’
s better than a circus an day
”
(135). Although her father, seemingly indifferent towards Penelope
’
s straightforwardness, is mighty proud of her and her aptness to project her voice in a world dominated by the patriarchy. Penelope voices her opinion on matters throughout the novel; many of which are recognized and appreciated by Silas. Money, being a huge player throughout the novel gives Penelope the opportunity to express her feelings on how her families wealth should be distributed,
“
I go in for it. I don
’
t see any use in not enjoying money, if you got it to enjoy. That
’
s what it
’
s for
”
(37). Penelope
’
s openness with her father is welcomed and furthers along the movement for equality for women. Although both Tom and Penelope are thought to be the strongest characters to break away from gender roles, it is Irene Lapham in the end who adds the final blow to gender expectations. In the beginning of the novel, Irene is portrayed as being uneducated, beautiful, and only cares about falling in love with Tom. As the novel progresses and Irene finds where
Tom
’ s affections truly lie, she becomes a strong independent women. Irene
’
s final blow to the

patriarch and societal norms that say a woman must be with a man is shattered when she confronts Penelope,
“
She had a pine-shaving, fantastically tied up in a knot of ribbon, in her hand. She held it at a moment; then, looking deliberately at Penelope, she went up to her, and dropped it in her lap
”
(244). Irene discarding the only token of affection given to her by Tom, shows her readiness to move on. Irene
’
s transition from the 19th century woman to a powerful free woman is crucial in destroying gender roles in
The Rise of Silas Lapham.
Characters are not the only facet that play a part in the expansion of gender roles. Key scenes in the novel depict gender dynamics and how they are ever-changing throughout the novel. In the beginning of
The Rise of Silas Lapham,
Tom Corey is conversing with his father about what he wants to do in life. Naturally, Tom
’
s father expects him to join the family business like the many generations before Tom has done, but Tom has other thoughts on how he wants to achieve greatness. While conversing with his father, Tom admits his admiration for Silas Lapham and hints that he would like to join the paint business,
“
It has crossed my mind …
I must do something
…
But I confess that I
‘
took to
’
Colonel Lapham
…
he
‘
meant business ’ and I mean business too
”
(67-68). Tom
’
s father offers no encouraging words,
“
That sounds tremendously practical to me, Tom, though it just may be the wrong way to go
”
(68).
His father still adamant about Tom joining the Corey family business provides the reader with a further understanding of what is expected of a young man in the 19th century. Tom, slowly breaking free from the clutches of gender roles and the patriarchy follows his plan of taking up the paint business.
Breaking free from the societal norms that were thrust upon Tom, Penelope also finds herself in a situation where she destroys the gender roles that once defined what it meant to be a woman of the 19th century. In the midst of conversation with Tom Corey, the Lapham sisters find themselves talking about literature. Penelope asserts herself into the conversation,

“
I
’ ve just got it out of the library; I heard so much talk about it,
”
(88). Penelope, admitting her love for literature inadvertently also allows her vast knowledge and eduction come through.
Silas Lapham further assures Tom of Penelope
’
s literary knowledge,
“
I guess Penelope does most of our reading,
”
(88). This scene is important to the overall idea of the gender role that defines Penelope because it explores her in depth knowledge and opinions on the subject of literature. William Dean Howell
’
s
The Rise of Silas Lapham gender roles are constantly being bent and transformed to fit the needs of the characters. Powerfully constructed characters and well-rounded scenes offers a clear depiction of what it meant to be a man or a woman in
the
19th century. Howell
’
s ability to do so brilliantly depicts the changes that were occurring at the change of the century of how equality of both men and women effect everyday happenings.
Tom, Penelope, and Irene don
’
t just represent gender and the roles they must fulfill, but rather they depict how a strong voice and personality is all it takes to overcome societal norms and expectations. These strong characters represent more than just people in a novel, they represent free thinking and a break through in gender representation in the years to come.

Work Cited
Howells, William Dean.
The Rise of Silas Lapham.
1885. New York: Penguin, 1998.