Gender Themes In The Girl In Blue By Ann Rinaldi

Gender Themes In The Girl In Blue By Ann Rinaldi

There is a theme in "The Girl in Blue" by Ann Rinaldi. The theme is that gender does not affect skill level. "The Girl in Blue" is set in 1861, and is about a Michigan native by the name of Sarah Louisa. She is about to be forced to marry a man of her abusive father's choice when she decides to run away and join the army. She joins the army under the ruse that she is a boy and participates in the battle of Bull Run but her gender is eventually found out by her doctor and general. She is not punished for her actions but discharged and sent to work as a spy for the Pinkerton agency. She is sent to spy on a southern ally who is under house arrest to find out how she is sending messages to the south. She discovers how and is rewarded with a break. She travels home to find her abusive father had died and her sister is betrothed to the man she ran from. She leaves to go back to her job as a spy and that is where the story ends. Some of the reasons the theme could be gender not affecting skill level is that first of all the general does not punish her for her actions. Second, she is sent to work as a spy for a job only a woman could do. Lastly, before she even goes to war she has to do all the work for the house instead of her father.



When Sarah is discovered as a girl by her doctor and general she is not discharged. This is because she has shown prowess on the battlefield and in the hospital tent as well. On the battlefield, she had the courage to shoot a cavalry officer instead of one of the footmen, and she aimed the shot perfectly at his heart. This shows how she is able to take charge and to stay calm in a hectic situation. She had the peace of mind to get on a knee aim the gun and fire a fatal shot to the heart. furthermore, while in both places she had to hide the fact that she was a girl while surrounded by men. In the hospital she tried not to get sick by taking the bitters–which is a medicine to prevent smallpox so she wouldn't be examined by Dr.Hammond, the doctor at that hospital tent. Lastly, she volunteers to go a 5–mile trip through some rebel territory to get morphine for the injured men. This shows how she is dedicated to helping her brothers in arms who are in need of medical care. This is one

... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...