Gender in Sea Oak

George Sunders “Sea Oak” presents this scenario and considers a struggling family, both financially and also from being haunted by a deceased aunt. The author utilizes the reversed gender roles of females and males throughout the essay. The narrator, his family and the women in the strip club reveal the stereotypes between the genders that need fulfilling for a successful family. The narrator is a male stripper and Saunders uses him to describe what happens when a male does not find a stable job to help him cater for his family. This is clearly evident in the beginning as the narrator is discussing the extra items that he is bringing home from the joysticks stating that “I have been sneaking home toilet paper in my briefcase….

This shows how far Sonny is willing to go in a bid to make more money in order to better his life. When a health inspector “writes up a shutdown” because of this stunt, it shows how desperate this act was as a bid to make money. Clearly, if Sonny had a better job that paid him a descent amount every week, he would not have to do such things. Through this, Saunders shows the common societal stereotype of a man working in a steady job as necessary in order for his family to succeed. The issue of the importance of gender roles for successful home life is also illustrated by Saunders through Min and Jade. However, Jade and Min are defiant.

Throughout the story, the family is trying to look for a better life outside of Sea Oak, but the real problem appears in the way the family operates. The family lives in a horrible condition which confirms that the stereotype of a self-sacrificial and a caring mother is important for a successful family. This maternal role necessity is further seen in when Ma suggests that one between Jade and Min should get a job while the other babysits but Min replies and is repeated by Jade, “I don’t see why I should have to work so she can stay home with her baby”. While at the first glance this may seem like Jade and Min are do not want to go to work because they need to stay home and take care of their babies, their previous actions enable the inference that they are refusing for selfish reasons.

So I feed them chicken wings from my hand” (Saunders 98-99). Over the years, the society has often referred to women as “a man’s better half” due to their way of thinking regarding to appropriate behavior and on proper behavior in order to reflect a good image regarding to their family to the outside world. However, the women here are seen doing the contrary. These students are common in raunchy American cinema and are often used by males to gain pleasure from females, which is the reason why Saunders uses it shock readers and show how these women can be viewed by the society when they act in such ways (Rando 439). Such erotic behavior by women makes them appear perverse rather than “better half” of men and responsible mothers or role models.