St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves - Essay Example

Russell uses vivid description to develop the different aspects of her story. A close analysis of the story reveals that she explores multiple gender issues. In a bid to analyze this gender issue, this paper will offer a gender perspective analysis of her work. In addition, it will also consider the historical and the cultural perspective portrayed by the author as she developed her story. In her story, Russell tackles certain critical gender issues that are of interest to many literary analysts.

One of them named Natalyalc commenting of Russell’s book online said, “The story also seems to have gender roles as the main theme…” She continues to say, “Because they have separate homes for male and female wolves and furthermore taught differently.” The fact that the story is centered on 15 wolf girls struggling to acculturate and assimilate into the human society introduces a gender based perspective. She mentions that, brothers of the girls were in a separate home. The fact that girls and boys did not learn the new culture in an integrated system is an emphasis on the existing gender differences, and the conservative nature of the society concerning the gender roles.

The 15 girls undergo a rigorous transformational process as the nuns struggle to shape civilized women out of them. Most of the activities they indulge in are defined by the gender roles evident in the society. One nun tried to help Mirabella conform to feminine behavior as Russell describes when she says, “Shed sit down with Mirabella and pry her fingers apart. “You see?" shed say softly, again and again. "What are you holding on to? Nothing, little one. Nothing” (Russell 241). For example, they were expected to learn how to walk with composure as ladies.

Moreover, the nuns make efforts of combing the hair in order to give them a feminine look evident when the narrator says, “The sisters swept out hair back into high, bouffant