As I am thinking about my paper and the campus cats, I am reminded of Bertha. Many of you know her, she is the sweet, black and white momma cat with two different colored eyes. In this particular moment, I am thinking of the fact that her name is Bertha because she has given birth to several of the kittens on our campus. Many students know her by this name, but I think it is kind of sad because we are literally defining her by her mere procreative abilities, as if that is all she has to offer. In my paper, I discuss gender hierarchies as they are established in Genesis 1-3, and one thing I look at is the suppression of women because of established norms in the narrative. Specifically, women are often deemed to be men's helpers because of descriptions of Eve in the creation story. They are defined not by their own agency or experiences, but their relationship to men. Just like Bertha is defined (by name) by her pregnancy and mothering of kittens. Which, lets be honest, it is more likely than not that Bertha did not just have these kittens on her own volition, but because of the actions of some boy cat. And now she is defined in relationship to that boy cat. But she can be more than just a mother! She can be loving, spicy, independent, you name it. The other day, I saw her wandering around on the roof of Hanson. Being her own person (cat?). Now, her name as Bertha doesn't actually have that big of an impact on anybody, but we have that perception of her as a mother cat first and foremost, which in a way keeps us from appreciating all that she is or could be.
Okay this made me laugh but you did such a wonderful job of relating this!