Not an Enviable Position

     I think that I have done "enough" when it comes to studying identity and gender. Currently I am finding it difficult in my own life to balance what I have learned about myself, what I have learned about gender, and the reality of the world. I often encourage young women to stand outside of what they believe to be the walls that cage them, because those walls were put there by someone that was not acting in their best intentions. My coursework in gender, sexuality, homophobia, and education have led me to believe that there are thing that we construct ourselves, and things that we follow simply out of habit or laziness. I would like to think that some readings I have recently done about women and travelling is mostly the former. The reading were written by women, for women, but they still had this twinge of male-ness about them. I couldn't help but feel that the writer had a very large man behind her. I don't think it is appropriate for me to feel sympathy, because I should look at things in a less personal way.

     Being a woman on the road is something that can be seen as a truly American form of freedom. Although I feel suspect about some of the intentions behind the writings, I do feel that America is the safest place for any woman to strike out on her own. It is that mobility has become a part of who we have become as a people. We have this vast mass of land, and perhaps some of that old-west rushing headlong into the unknown is still with us. Originally this was a male-oriented sort of thing, that a man would strike out on his own and claim land, a lady, and liberty. Women venturing out into that same unknown has different meanings. Perhaps the cautious nature behind these readings is the beginning of something that will be legitimately an American woman's trait. The Women's Association houses and having male accompaniment for much of the journey is just the first step out of the household that many hold dear, and many dearly wish to loose.