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Aubrey Ernst, Final Fields Paper
Aubrey Ernst
The Entangling Net
5/9/07
The Entangling Net, by Leslie Leyland Fields, is about the life of women fishermen. They’re trials and tribulations and the hardships they had to go through to be accepted by this male dominated occupation. These women fought for respect and acceptance through hard work, determination, and skill.
Women have to work harder than everyone else on the water to prove themselves. The work done on the water is already hard and tiring without the added need to be better than those who don’t believe in you. “My left arm aches and my hands are burning from being constantly wet wih saltwater. The skin has peeled away to raw red underneath that sometimes bleeds. I have to wrap my fingers every morning with adhesive tape now before I go out.” (pg 28, Fields) The stereotypes are that women are weak and overemotional, but this is a perfect quote that shows that this woman could hold up and could deal with the physical torments brought along with the job. A woman has to be competitive. “So I clashed with a lot of men in that situation, and that’s when I learned that I liked that, that I like to compete with men.” (Holly Berry Pg 24, Fields) She has to show her ability, and her want to succeed.
Determination is a necessity for success. Women were harassed on regular basis by men in Alaska. The only way to survive is to fight back. “ ‘We’re here to fish, we’re fishers, and we happen to be women like your mothers are women. You respect your mothers, so please respect me, because I’m just here to work. I don’t want this kind of treatment. I’m not a sex object. I have these boots on because I’m a fisher, not because I’m a sleaze or whatever you want me to be.’… The Filipino guy apologized.”(Laurie Jolly, Pg 46, Fields) These women made a stand, and continued to fish and make a living as well as the men. They dealt with the sexism of the industry and continue to stand for they’re right to work.
Skill was a fast way for women fishermen to gain respect. When you can out work the men around you, there will be little trouble finding a job. “…she had to choose between several offers from highline skippers -the most successful fishermen -Who knew of her reputation as one of the fastest baiters in the fleet. That reputation led to jobs with work schedules that were inhuman, at best.” (Theresa Peterson, pg 30 , Fields) Theresa went to work on that ship with another woman and was offered a job for the next season as well because of her skill and her ability to work hard and fast.
In conclusion, these women in The Entangling Net, by Leslie Leyland Fields had to Prove their ability to stand for themselves, work just as hard as the men and that they could acquire the skills necessary for a fishing boat career. They continued after failure and after life threatening events because of a drive to accomplish what they set out to do
