The book that I chose to read was The Warrior Queen by Barbara Else. This story features Kate, a housewife in her forties with two children who later in the book discovers that her husband Richard is cheating on her. The story ensues with Kate deciding to make Richard admit to his infidelity through various actions that make it obvious she knows without ever actually outright saying it. This story is set in Auckland, the most populated and diverse city in New Zealand.
One thing I found interesting was that although Auckland is supposed to be the most diverse city in New Zealand there weren’t really any characters that weren't caucasian. Much of the language in the novel was very confusing as well. Vocabulary such as “knickers”, “till”(used as wallet), “D’I” (Do I), Chemist (pharmacist), “mufti day” (like casual friday), and “bugger that” is used throughout the novel. The use of “ bugger” seems to replace the use of much of the curse words that you would usually find in use in America. The only curse words that was used that I was familiar with was “bitch” and in all other instances some version of “bugger” was used. Although to me it sounds harmless and downright strange, I think “bugger” has the same connotation (and intent to insult) as any other curse word.
Another bit that I thought was interesting was the heavy drinking in one of the scenes of a formal business convention dinner. At this dinner for those in the medical community, Kate accompanies her doctor husband. Likewise, with the exception of one female doctor with her husband the rest are all male doctors with their housewives. Although New Zealand is supposed to be one of the leading countries in gender equality theres probably no getting around the fact that medicine has for a long time been a male dominated practice in any given country. The drinking at the dinner conference consists of a good deal of gin and tonic followed by more drinking at the bar afterwards. This instance, as well as others where alcohol is a given in both informal and formal situations, show how alcohol is an integral part of almost all events in New Zealand. On another note, at the end of the conference they all kiss each other goodbye. “They slip down from the bar-stools and say goodnight. Greta kisses Richard while Martin kisses Kate. Greta and Kate kiss Tom, and Richard and Martin kiss Viv, and Viv pats Richard again. No one kisses John, though everyone shakes his hand.” I thought this was important because it shows that the kiss goodbye is not for everyone and only reserved for those that you are fairly well acquainted with (everyone meets John for the first time in this conference).
One of the biggest observations I made was that of the family life which is depicted constantly. An aspect of the family life that caught my interest was how they had meals. There were pretty much no family meals that were had together and for the most part family members would grab some food from the refrigerator and make meals for themselves. Meals would consist of things like sandwiches, muffins, and things that didn’t require much preparation. Family members display a strong independence and generally do their own thing separate from the family. Almost all of the families depicted in “The Warrior Queen” are typical patriarchal families with the male earning the income and the female minding the home. In Kate’s case, she was training to be a nurse before she married Richard until she got pregnant. She then gives up her training to mind the house and kids. I think this reflects how although New Zealand is a progressive country in terms of gender equality there are still great expectations that the role of housework and child rearing should be put on the women. Kate’s family is middle or upper middle class and isn’t representative of all New Zealand families though, and I believe that the case for women might be very different in the lower socioeconomic classes.
One thing I found interesting was that although Auckland is supposed to be the most diverse city in New Zealand there weren’t really any characters that weren't caucasian. Much of the language in the novel was very confusing as well. Vocabulary such as “knickers”, “till”(used as wallet), “D’I” (Do I), Chemist (pharmacist), “mufti day” (like casual friday), and “bugger that” is used throughout the novel. The use of “ bugger” seems to replace the use of much of the curse words that you would usually find in use in America. The only curse words that was used that I was familiar with was “bitch” and in all other instances some version of “bugger” was used. Although to me it sounds harmless and downright strange, I think “bugger” has the same connotation (and intent to insult) as any other curse word.
Another bit that I thought was interesting was the heavy drinking in one of the scenes of a formal business convention dinner. At this dinner for those in the medical community, Kate accompanies her doctor husband. Likewise, with the exception of one female doctor with her husband the rest are all male doctors with their housewives. Although New Zealand is supposed to be one of the leading countries in gender equality theres probably no getting around the fact that medicine has for a long time been a male dominated practice in any given country. The drinking at the dinner conference consists of a good deal of gin and tonic followed by more drinking at the bar afterwards. This instance, as well as others where alcohol is a given in both informal and formal situations, show how alcohol is an integral part of almost all events in New Zealand. On another note, at the end of the conference they all kiss each other goodbye. “They slip down from the bar-stools and say goodnight. Greta kisses Richard while Martin kisses Kate. Greta and Kate kiss Tom, and Richard and Martin kiss Viv, and Viv pats Richard again. No one kisses John, though everyone shakes his hand.” I thought this was important because it shows that the kiss goodbye is not for everyone and only reserved for those that you are fairly well acquainted with (everyone meets John for the first time in this conference).
One of the biggest observations I made was that of the family life which is depicted constantly. An aspect of the family life that caught my interest was how they had meals. There were pretty much no family meals that were had together and for the most part family members would grab some food from the refrigerator and make meals for themselves. Meals would consist of things like sandwiches, muffins, and things that didn’t require much preparation. Family members display a strong independence and generally do their own thing separate from the family. Almost all of the families depicted in “The Warrior Queen” are typical patriarchal families with the male earning the income and the female minding the home. In Kate’s case, she was training to be a nurse before she married Richard until she got pregnant. She then gives up her training to mind the house and kids. I think this reflects how although New Zealand is a progressive country in terms of gender equality there are still great expectations that the role of housework and child rearing should be put on the women. Kate’s family is middle or upper middle class and isn’t representative of all New Zealand families though, and I believe that the case for women might be very different in the lower socioeconomic classes.