Are You an Ent or an Entwife?

[Laurinquë]

Originally Posted by Lalaith

Tolkien was not as rigid in his gender stereotyping as you think - Sam and his father were prodigious gardeners.

A good point I think. Men are just as picky about gardening as women. But on the other hand; historically it has often been the woman's job to prepare meals and gather the supplies for such activities--and for this a garden was created. So it is not so much the female inclination to cultivate, it's more of a desire to be able to feed one's family. And of course this chore was reserved for women, or at least the non-meat part of it.

[Pitchwife]

Thanks for exhuming this thread, Laurinquë! Nice topic, and some interesting answers there.
For personal reasons, I was very amused when I saw the thread title. As at least the more regular WW players among you have gathered by now, I'm male despite my misleading screen name, and a typical Ent, plus married to a typical Entwife*. It's not that I can't appreciate a beautiful garden, but I'll prefer a hike in the woods to an afternoon of gardening anytime, and shopping tours in gardening centers bore me to death; quite the opposite for her. A few years ago, when we were talking about this difference in character between us, I quoted Treebeard's song to her, and 'Ent' and 'Entwife' have since become our standing metaphors for it.
But I also have to agree with Lalaith that the difference runs across genders. It was a male friend of my wife, and a passionate gardener, who coined the winged word 'Nature is hideous' (nowadays quoted whenever our dogs have done something naughty or something's gone bad in the fridge), and we also have a female friend who's at least as Entish in this respect as me.
*On second thought, maybe not quite as typical, since tgwbs brought up the point that Ents were into animals too. At the moment, the kelvar we keep in our garden (two Ouessant sheep, four runner ducks and a varying number of chicken) have reduced the olvar to a point where it doesn't really look much like a garden anymore; Mrs Pitch doesn't seem to mind that a lot, whereas I keep telling her we should reduce the animal population a bit, at least until the grass has had a chance to grow back, if it ever will...

[Ibrîniðilpathânezel]

Hoommmmmmm......

I am androgynous, I'm afraid. I'm a female who was raised like a male (my mother found it more convenient that way, because there were three kids born in just over three years, the first two were boys, and as I was last, it was easiest just to treat me like one of the boys. No wonder I'm in therapy for things my mother did...). And as I am now a grown woman who never "learned her place" properly (I shake hands like a guy, I speak my mind like a guy, I blow my top like a guy [meaning I'll go for a punch in the nose over the traditionally feminine versions of venting anger -- though I don't do that these days ]), I am both Ent and Entwife. I have always enjoyed a good hike in the woods and fields, but I also enjoy gardening. Each has its place.

[Loslote]

Heh. I'm more of an Entwife. I love hiking, but prefer paths that non-chaotic. Actually, my favorite hiking trails are over rock fields and paths that were made to be easy to walk over. Not much of an Ent.

I don't like gardening simply because I don't like getting dirty - especially when you get dirt under your nails and can't get it out. I like things to be just so, though, and if it weren't for the pesky dirt I would garden.

[Galadriel55]

Becaue that's what I think I am. I prefer hiking to gardening, but that's not the point. Sometimes I like to take things into hand, make them the way I want them to be. But sometimes I just let them go the way they are going. Some people say I'm too passive (they should say too lazy...), and others say I have to rule the world to be satisfied with how it works.

Just as a side note, they say that if you don't fit in with the world, the wise thing to do is to adapt to the world. Yet some people adapt the world to themselves, thus driving the evolution of knowledge and technology. Our world is here because stubborn, stupid people.

Now where was I going with that? Oh yeah. Entwives win!


But I still am probably more of an Ent...

[Galadriel]

Originally Posted by Laurinquë

A good point I think. Men are just as picky about gardening as women. But on the other hand; historically it has often been the woman's job to prepare meals and gather the supplies for such activities--and for this a garden was created. So it is not so much the female inclination to cultivate, it's more of a desire to be able to feed one's family. And of course this chore was reserved for women, or at least the non-meat part of it.

Never knew that! I always thought gardens were created for simple beauty! Oh well, you learn something new every day.

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by Galadriel

Never knew that! I always thought gardens were created for simple beauty! Oh well, you learn something new every day.

Well, some gardens are just for beauty's sake. Others are used for growing fruits and berries. I have seen many of those that also have a vegetable patch attached to them.


However, I always thought that the stereotype was that men were the ones that cared about providing food for the family. They went to get money, they worked on the fields... Though gardens are more "womanly/ladylike" than fields.... I don't know. Often you even have conflcting stereotypes.

[Galadriel]

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

Though gardens are more "womanly/ladylike" than fields.... I don't know. Often you even have conflcting stereotypes.

Haha, I never thought of gardens and fields as pertaining to or having a particular gender Why do you say gardens are ladylike?

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by Galadriel

Haha, I never thought of gardens and fields as pertaining to or having a particular gender Why do you say gardens are ladylike?

I don't know. It's kinda like, while men work far off in the fields women weed the vegetable patch. Men also tended gardens, sure, but usually if the man had other work the garden/patch fell on the woman's shoulders.

Or at least that's how I see it.

In different places in ME it would be different. In the Shire there's enough food so that men tend to the gardens. In Gondor - men are needed to fight, so it's the women's job. In places like Rivendell we don't even know where the food comes from.

It all depends.

I might view it a certain way because I have a very confused / mixed-cultured understanding of all this. Someone else, who read slightly different books or spoke to different people, might see it as the opposite.

[Galadriel]

[QUOTE]

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

I don't know. It's kinda like, while men work far off in the fields women weed the vegetable patch. Men also tended gardens, sure, but usually if the man had other work the garden/patch fell on the woman's shoulders.

Ahh. If I had to view a garden as ladylike, I would do so because of all the pretty flowers

In places like Rivendell we don't even know where the food comes from.

*Peers* You're right! I never thought of that before. They can't be living on fruits and cheese!

I might view it a certain way because I have a very confused / mixed-cultured understanding of all this. Someone else, who read slightly different books or spoke to different people, might see it as the opposite.

Indeed, I know quite a few places where farming is both a woman's and a man's job and where gardening is completely a man's job

[Galadriel55]

Originally Posted by Galadriel

Ahh. If I had to view a garden as ladylike, I would do so because of all the pretty flowers

I was talking more about the fruit-producing gardens, but this works too.

Originally Posted by Galadriel

Indeed, I know quite a few places where farming is both a woman's and a man's job and where gardening is completely a man's job

The difference of cultures...

Though still, it's hard for me to imagine a rural area with women ploughing the fields while the men di up turnips in the back yard.

(Of course during harsh times like war women would work in the fields - because the men were in the army. But in times of peace.........)