Chapter 12
Summary
This chapter discusses what the older men and women do in the village. Mead discusses the married couple and how choosing whether to live in the husband’s or wife’s family’s house has more effect on the man than it does the woman. Mead also explains how there is little conflict between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law or father-in-law and son-in-law. The elders are due their respect.
Mead describes the married women of age twenty to thirty as busy and cheerful. However the men are described as striving for titles and acquiring reputations. It is a more difficult time for them. Mead also tells of how when a man reaches the age of fifty-five or sixty, his title is taken from him and given to another younger man. Women between the age of forty-five and fifty-five are described as doing the hardest work of the village.
Discussion
In every chapter we seem to see major differences between this culture and our own – as to be expected – and this chapter is no different. I found it interesting how Mead described older women as being the “mistress of housebound crafts” while the older men are described as being able to tell the lore of fishing but not the technique. I also found it interesting that there is little to no friction between in-laws. The elders simply get the respect they deserve.
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