Book Author: Margaret MeadChapter 7: Formal Sex Relations
Summary
In this chapter, Mead talks about relationship dynamics between males and females. Mead explains that there are two types of sex relations outside of marriage that can occur. The first is love affairs between unmarried people and the second is adultery. In love affairs the boy has to get help via a soa, a friend who acts as ambassador between the boy and girl. Mead discusses the difficulty the boy has in choosing a soa and how getting a woman ambassador, a soafafine, is a better choice but more difficult to have. Mead also discusses the moetotolo, the sleep crawler in which a man appropriates the favours which are meant for another. Mead explains also how virginity is thought to add to a girl’s attractiveness and compares a normal girl’s sexual relationships to a taupo’s sexual relationships. Mead concludes by discussing divorce.
In this chapter, Mead talks about relationship dynamics between males and females. Mead explains that there are two types of sex relations outside of marriage that can occur. The first is love affairs between unmarried people and the second is adultery. In love affairs the boy has to get help via a soa, a friend who acts as ambassador between the boy and girl. Mead discusses the difficulty the boy has in choosing a soa and how getting a woman ambassador, a soafafine, is a better choice but more difficult to have. Mead also discusses the moetotolo, the sleep crawler in which a man appropriates the favours which are meant for another. Mead explains also how virginity is thought to add to a girl’s attractiveness and compares a normal girl’s sexual relationships to a taupo’s sexual relationships. Mead concludes by discussing divorce.
Discussion
The Samoan culture appears to be very libertine, and it does not seem that some relationship attitudes are taboo. I honestly don't know the aim of Mead in exposing the relationship dynamics between men and women.
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