Book Author: Margaret Mead
Chapter 12: Maturity and Old Age
Summary
In this chapter, Mead talks about elders in the village and married couples, and what they do. Mead starts by discussing about couples' options for living either with the husband's parents, or the wife's parents. There are usually no problems with living with in-laws as they are given their due respect due to their age and position.
In this chapter, Mead talks about elders in the village and married couples, and what they do. Mead starts by discussing about couples' options for living either with the husband's parents, or the wife's parents. There are usually no problems with living with in-laws as they are given their due respect due to their age and position.
Mead also talks about the different age categories with men and women. Married women of age twenty to thirty are described as industrious with usually no complaints. Men are described as in a competition to gain recognition and titles and establishing their reputation. This results in pressure on them. Titles obtained though will be eventually stripped away and given to someone younger when a man reaches the age of fifty-five or sixty. Women look forward to their first child, while men look forward to their first title.Finnally, Mead explains that the hardest workers in the village are usually the women between the age of forty-five and fifty-five.
Discussion
This chapter illustrates the differences between samoan and american house settings. For Samoans, it is not uncommon for a couple to go live with the husband's or the wife's parents. In the U.S. it's the exact opposite. Whenever one gets married, that usually is thought of the moment when the child would move out of the house. It is like a right of passage. The child has gained his/her independence and can demonstrate he/she can maintain their own household.
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