Readers of Tales from Silver Lands will find a stereotypical view of women. According to these stories, females are to be protected and cannot be expected to become rulers even if they are intelligent and wise. Their job is to sew, cook, and make a home for their families. The ideal woman is pictured as beautiful and kind; this is expressed by the hummingbird, who says: "No one wants a flower to be wise. To be beautiful is enough."

Such attitudes are authentic to the native South American cultures of the time and express an attitude towards women that was prevalent in much of the world in the early 1900s. Stereotyped standards for the ideal male are also a part of almost every story—to be a "man" is to be handsome, strong, skillful, brave, and hard-working.

Readers may find several of the tales to...