The Role of Men in My AntoniaGloria Steinem once wrote that "A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle." She is clearly attempting to assert women's independence and promote the liberation movement. However, his analogy is not entirely complete. The bicycle has absolutely no place in a fish's life, but whether he needs it or not, men are very present in a woman's life. Although a woman can survive without male influence, this influence shapes much of her personality. This role of man manifests itself in the lives of Black Hawk's women, but most vividly in the form of working girls. While working in Black Hawk, the hired girls assert their independence from men in practical matters but also proclaim their dependence in defining their personalities. Tony, Tiny, Lena, and every other country girl who has ever worked in the city can clearly survive without male influence. They are, in fact, supporting the men with the funds they send home. However, because each is independent of men for survival, each is still defined by their actions and attitudes towards men. Lena Lingard is defined more outwardly by men. In the fields and cattle she exists in a masculine void where she can be as wild as the fields around her. Once exposed to city life and men, it still retains the wildness, but is now covered in a facade of new clothes instead of its old rags. “The unusual color of her eyes—a shade of deep purple—and their sweet, trusting expression” are no longer representative of her pure nature, but rather an object desirable to men (150). Lena doesn't need men to survive, but she needs men to be beautiful. Likewise, Tiny and Ant's farm physiques... center of paper... back], you are here, like my father. So I won't be alone" (256). Those memories of her father and Jim are all Antonia has from her past and are all that shapes her future. No woman truly needs a man to sustain life; but men often shape their As clearly shown in My Antonia, men often have an undeniable impact on women's personalities and life choices Mrs. Steinem's metaphor does not hold up in the world of fish, but men and women cannot be separated. Any past action inevitably shapes the future. If a man exists anywhere in a woman's world, it will affect her life both positively and negatively. More appropriate metaphor would be something like: "Women need men as a fish needs nuclear waste. " You certainly don't need it, but if it is there, it will impact your life.