Through history patriarchal societies from general expectations generalize and stereotype male and female gender roles. Woman in traditional times, have been expected to be the domestic housewife who simply is valued no more than her beauty. Alternatively, males have been assigned the position of being the strong, dominant, and overpowering to the point where the woman's say is not valid. The techniques used in Berton Roueche's short story entitled "Phone Call", is cleverly constructed in allowing the reader to symbolically annotate the importance of reversal of power, which evolves between both characters and how the gender stereotypes consistently collude and critique the traditional roles and values of male and female. Roueche has portrayed the short story in such a manner that it can be depicted in a polysemic way, which then furthers in assisting the reader to critically and traditionally analyse the various readings the author...