English Language and Literature Commons^™

Tomboys Are Girls, Too!: A Study Of Sibling Relationships In Caddie Woodlawn, Julia G. Kicinski

English Seminar Capstone Research Papers

Readers can understand the sibling relationships present in Carol Ryrie Brink’s novel, Caddie Woodlawn, by studying the main character’s tomboy personality. Many scholars read this character through a feminist lens, treating her solely as a fictional character. However, this paper approaches the character from a nonfictional perspective to study how Caddie as a tomboy relates to her strong relationship with her brothers. This paper takes the definition of “tomboy” into account, as well as the psychology behind the development of both strong and weak sibling relationships, to determine whether Caddie’s tomboyism developed because of her strong relationship with her …