Reading Response 2

I really enjoyed both of our readings for this week. Starting with Prince’s “Tomboy,” I found myself relating heavily to the experience of the protagonist in discovering and presenting themselves as a “tomboy.” I have very similar memories of elementary school; wanting to play with the boys instead of girls, not getting along with “girly girls,” not accepting other girls as “tomboys,” not wanting to be labelled or questioned by others, confusing the adults. There was one time I sent out invitations to a birthday party, and one friend’s mom checked with their child to make sure he knew that I was a girl before accepting the invitation (and then awkwardly, shared this story with my mother on the phone). I also threw tantrums over not wanting to wear dresses or clothes with hearts and peace signs, in preference of Tony Hawk shirts and jeans. I thought that Prince did really well to capture the perspective of people who consider themselves “tomboys” that is more universal and common than tomboys themselves like to believe. “The Hidden Hand” tells a more heartbreaking story about survival and the struggles an orphan girl faces in achieving upward mobility in a world dominated by men. More appropriate to its time, the characters are stunned by the concept of a girl dressing and acting like a boy, but are sympathetic once they hear Capitola’s reasoning. Unlike a modern story like “Tomboy” however, Capitola must navigate a life where she is diminished as a girl, and perceived as a threat when considered a boy or son. Her story reminds me of “Jane Eyre,” who is more of a proto-feminist independent woman than a tomboy, but she must bear with the challenges of being an orphan, trying to establish economic stability/independence from others, inheritance battles, unwanted proposals, etc. Capitola’s story is unique however since it takes place with her as a young girl who is impoverished, whereas Jane Eyre went to boarding school and had fragile support from her remaining family before she could live independently.