Coman uses these biases present in our minds to amplify her character and thereby increase the power of her story.The gender bias in Virginia Hamilton’s Cousins is very obvious and straightforward in the form of Patty Ann, who is described many times the way we would talk about a porcelain doll. Hamilton places on her character the two most common stereotypes women encounter: the image of perfection and an innate insecurity with themselves. She does this very blatantly, as is evident in her writing. This image of perfection can be seen in Cammy’s description of Patty Ann, “Patty Ann had her special expression again, the kind that made folks say she was the best. That made people not notice the rest of her was just skin and bones. Her face was just perfect…” (Hamilton 93). This image of fragile perfection is what has kept women (especially those of beauty) from being perceived as equal or intelligent. I was surprised to see this image so obviously presented until I realized it was necessary for the character to function properly within the story. However it is still obvious that one of the oldest female stereotypes exists in full force within the character on Patty Ann. In addition to this doll-like quality, Hamilton shows us the insecure underbelly of her character. Patty Ann shows throughout the book how much she fears what others think of her through her attitude. She has a tendency to be rather mean at times because of her insecurities and it serves to distance her from many people in her life. Hamilton uses Patty Ann to demonstrate the perceptions people may have of girls and then allows Cammy to digest Patty Ann’s short life in order to debunk them. The image of Patty Ann while she is alive and Cammy’s view of her after she is gone differ greatly, which serves to remove the validity from the very stereotypes Hamilton is presenting. Edward Bloor’s Tangerine presents us wi...
