Some of the gender roles that are mentioned in Mallam Sile are that rather than the women being the shopkeepers this role was mainly occupied by the men. The women would stay at home and cook, clean and do household chores. This was because the men would be out providing for their families and the women were seen as the ones to raise the children and remain inside the house.
The answer is: 3. It helps establish the idea that Didion's experiences in New York feel somewhat surreal to her now, like those of a character in a movie. <span> </span>
