The role of men in my AntoniaGloria Steinem once wrote: “A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle. » Obviously, she is trying to assert the independence of women and advance the liberation movement. However, his analogy is not entirely complete. A bicycle has absolutely no place in a Pisces' life, but whether she needs it or not, men are very present in a woman's life. Even though a woman can survive without male influence, his influence shapes much of her personality. This male role manifests itself in the lives of Black Hawk's women, but most strikingly in the form of the working girls. While working at Black Hawk, the hired girls assert their independence from men in practical matters, but also proclaim their dependence in definition. their personality. Tony, Tiny, Lena, and any other country girl who has ever worked in the city can clearly survive without male influence. In fact, they support men with the funds they send home. However, as everyone is independent of men in order to survive, everyone is still defined by their actions and attitudes towards men. Lena Lingard is defined more outwardly by men. In fields and livestock, she exists in a masculine void where she can be wild like the fields around her. Once exposed to city life and men, she still retains her wild nature, but is now covered with a facade of new dresses instead of her old rags. “The unusual color of her eyes – a deep shade of purple – and their gentle, trusting expression” are no longer representative of her pure nature, but rather an object coveted by men (150). Lena doesn't need men to survive, but she needs men to be beautiful. In the same way, Tiny and Ant's farm physiques...... middle of paper ......back], you are there, like my father. So I won’t be alone” (256). These memories of her father and Jim are all Antonia has of her past, and they are all that shapes her future. No woman really needs a man to live; but men often shape their lives. As My Antonia makes clear, men often have an undeniable impact on women's personalities and life choices. Ms. Steinem's metaphor has no place in a world of fish, but men and women cannot be separated. Any past action inevitably shapes a person's future. If a man exists anywhere in a woman's world, he will affect her life, whether in a positive or negative way. The most appropriate metaphor would be something like "Women need men like a fish needs nuclear waste." ". You definitely don't need it, but if it's there, it's going to impact your life.