Sissy vs. Little Lord Fauntleroy

We have learned a few general things about good American boys from our readings. We know that they work hard, that they often get dirty, that they are smart and that they lean towards an independence in their personalities most of the time, which we do not see in their female counterparts. We also know that most of the time religious overtones are absent and that ambition is always prevalent in stories when boys are in the main character role. One of the main purposes of a boy working hard and earning money, is to one day become a man and work hard and hopefully make more money, enough for a family. I think it is also important to note that boys are allowed imperfections. We know that both Ragged Dick and Tom Sawyer get dirty and tell little lies. The most clear unifying factor of all the stories we have read though is that all the boys in these stories have ambition.

When we compare Cedric from Little Lord Fauntleroy to Sissy we see some stark differences. I feel as though Sissy, though good at girl and woman like things like sewing and picking out the perfect color ribbon to match someones eyes (p. 547 and 548) is still described as a young boy- distinctly masculine. The scene where he washes Margie shows his brute strength even for a youngster. As well as the scene when he finally finds her again and hugs her, "Stop Willie; you love me too hard." (p. 559) Another factor is his infatuation with Margie, I would interpret this as his first crush, that is first and most innocent love.

Cedric wins people over with his brilliance and charm. He is able to give people a real comfort but as far as being able to do a woman's work, or even a mans work like Ragged Dick had to do, he is not accustomed to it. Also, the beauty that we see in Cedric we typically only see in girls. We might find many a handsome boy, but it seems like the beauty as well as gentleness is easily seen with Cedric. "She was proud of his graceful, strong little body and his pretty little manners..." (p.448) I think calling a man beautiful or a boy could be a very worthy adjective, but when the word pretty starts to be used we move away from the idea that the same person can be tough in a real 19th century style. Personally if I had to hang with one of these guy's I'd choose Sissy because he seems way more down to earth.