We talked a lot about oppression – especially of Baby – in “The Cure” during class. However, I want to discuss the gender dynamic Kamani explores in the work. It seems pretty obvious that Baby lives in a highly patriarchal society, and that Dr. Doctor is a prime example of the power men have. First and foremost, Dr. Doctor sexually abuses Baby under the guise of medicine. Medicine gives Dr. Doctor an uninhibited authority that allows him to do such things – even  Baby’s mother, who is supposed to be her guardian, turns a blind eye to what Dr. Doctor does as he “extracts Baby’s bodily fluids” to cure her tallness. However, the gender dynamic becomes more interesting because Kamani seems to intentionally draw parallels between Dr. Doctor’s and Baby’s appearances. They are both tall and thin. However, Dr. Doctor’s tallness is an asset as it gives him authority as a doctor as he towers over all the other characters in the short story. Baby, on the other hand, is seen as “demonic” and deformed because of her tallness. Men and women in society are clearly held up to different standards and Baby’s tallness becomes the very thing that alienates her from society. There’s nothing physically unsound with Baby, but society treats her as if there is because she towers over others where she should be shorter than them. Not only are women expected to be socially inferior, but they are also expected to be physically shorter as well. I thought it was really interesting how Kamani weaved this into the story because it gives us a visualization of just how differently men and women are viewed.