Women's Role in "The Walking Woman" and "The Gift of Cochise"

Through characters, “The Walking Woman” and “The Gift of Cochise” critique the traditional role of women in western society by having two independent women play the protagonist in each story, a role that is usually played by white men. In “The Gift of Cochise”, Angie is left alone with the responsibility of taking care of her two children and her house after the passing of her husband. Despite Angie now being a single mother, she still manages to fight off Apache soldiers who pose a threat to her home and her children. As the author notes, “Yet a lone woman with two small children had fought…