reading Response for "BURNED" #2

     As you know, I am currently reading the book "Burned" by Ellen Hopkins. In this book, the main character Pattyn lives in a Mormon society where everyone control's her. I have already talked about the theory on parents giving kids more and more rules just puts more focus on breaking them. But now I want to focus on rules in general, and the control factor that society can put on people.
      In the Mormon society that my character lives in, the customs that have to do with religion and respect are so intense I feel it just makes the people unhappy, and less self dependent. The Mormon gender roles are extremely traditional even though its the 21st century. The men work, and the women stay at home to watch the kids. There's nothing wrong with that, but in this society it's a rule. You don't have a choice, and I've been noticing that the more society enforces these gender roles the harder it is for the individual. The women like Pattyn's mother only leave the house to go to church and their soul purpose in life is to give birth to as many baby's their body can bear. It's not these rules themselves that I see is the greatest problem, but the fact that they can't be broken. Thats dangerous. If the women like Pattyn's Mom stay inside all day and aren't educated than how will they be able to stand up for their rights?
       Rules in society our needed obviously, they're needs to be a punishment if you kill someone. And you shouldn't be aloud to steel, but society or government cannot tell you how to live your life. In my eyes we should be able to marry who we want, work if we want too, or the contrary.
        When society uses something like religion to control your everyday life and who you are as a person that's wrong. In "Burned" Pattyn would get punished for dreaming something considered "un holy." It makes people not think for themselves, and then if people realize that somethings wrong its almost impossible for them to fight back, when everyone els is doing it. Problems in society can be solved, but it's our job to make it as fair as possible in the first place and give people their space.