Spoon River Does Not Follow Gender Stereotypes Spoon River Anthology follows the gender stereotypes in today's society. He affirms in his writing that women are dominant, men are inebriate, and women are teachers. The poem Benjamin Painter says “Then she, who survives me, snared my soul With a snare which bled me to death, Till I, once strong of will, lay broken, indifferent…” (River 25). River proving the stereotype that women are controlling and driving men to the ground. Saying that he was once strong until her, says how much a women can change a man, hypothetically. Next Mrs. Benjamin Painter says “A loathe the smell of whiskey and onions...permit that you have the marital relation, is the very man that fills you with disgust..” (River
