Mushrooms Women and Femininity Quotes

One of the first hints that the mushrooms might represent women comes with the mention of "soft fists." You know, because women are stereotypically "softer" than men. It almost seems like the poem is mocking the stereotype in a way, though. These fists might be soft, but they aren't afraid of needles.

Many have pointed out that this line might represent the stereotypically meek and submissive housewife of the '50s, because shelves and tables are common household items. They were expected to be there to support their husbands and children in the same way these household items support whatever is placed on them. (We're kind of glad that real tables and shelves are meek, though. The last thing anybody needs is a sassy shelf spitting books everywhere, or an empowered table tipping utensils on the floor.)

The speaker gets in a little dig at her own gender here by implying that some personality trait in women makes it hard for them to move forward—though they do it anyway. Do you think this is true? Are women truly less aggressive than men? Or is this just another stereotype?