Revision

Little Boy develops an increased sense of manhood after witnessing the transformation of Father and Mother’s gender roles. Doctorow describes his growth in self-awareness by writing that “He discovered the mirror as a means of self-duplication. He would gaze at himself until there were two selves facing one another, neither of which could claim to be the real one. He was no longer anything exact as a person”(117). The undergoing physical and emotional transition into maturity puzzles him, and he struggles in the mist of gender identities he perceives from his parents. He realizes the dysfunctional gender role Father plays in the family after Father’s return from the Arctic. Father finds it difficult to accept that “momentous change was coming over the United States”, while Mother represents this  “momentous change” (82). For example, Mother acquires knowledge of the family business during the patriarch’s absence, which sounds astonishing to Father that a woman can take responsibility outside of her indoor chores. Moreover, Mother generates a growing consciousness of her sexually and “she was in some way not as vigorously modest as she’d been. She took his gaze”(111). The drastic change Mother obtains annoys Father and confuses Little Boy. Little Boy’s confusion lies between Father and Mother’s converging gender roles. With the progress of shifting gender roles, he matures into the beginning stage of manhood, understanding the importance of coming to terms with a continuously changing environment.