The information presented in the book Holy Feast and Holy Fast: The Religious Significance of Food to Medieval Women written by Caroline Walker Bynum contrasts sharply with many modern assumptions about religious medieval women, suggesting that rather than internalizing the misogyny perpetuated by the men of the Middle Ages, medieval women instead valued their femininity and used their status in society to get closer to God. Through the analysis of several hagiographies, among other evidence, Bynum illustrates the effect that the choice of different symbols had on the general mentality of men and women in the Middle Ages. Bynum's arguments about the cultural stereotype in the Middle Ages of men as nurses and women as nurses make a connection to the religiosity of both sexes and how women specifically used their status in society to enhance their religious experiences. Feast and Holy Fast, Bynum provides background information on the history of women in religion during the Middle Ages, highlighting the different statuses of men and women in the society of that period. It is important to understand the culture of the Middle Ages and the stereotypes surrounding men and women to appreciate Bynum's connection between status, accessibility, and piety. For example, Bynum mentions that there also appear to be fundamental differences between the lives of holy women and that of holy men, because "women had no control over their wealth and marital status" (Bynum p. 25). Here men are clearly interpreted as having more power in their daily lives than women: this is a simple, but important, distinction between the two genders that provides reasoning for their divergence in practices. Women's...... half of the article ......about the social interactions and perspectives of both sexes.Caroline Walker Bynum made several thought-provoking points in her book Holy Feast and Holy Fast, but her main argument of the mentality of medieval women regarding their status in society was the most intriguing. Rather than simply agreeing with most traditional medievalists, she analyzes the male/female difference in terms of the symbols used by each gender and how these symbols related to their distinct religious concerns. She argues that women accepted their place in society and religion and, rather than succumbing to misogyny, used their association with flesh and humanity to connect to the humanity of God. Her arguments regarding medieval women and their practices also imply that she accepts the idea of ​​gender as a valuable category of historical analysis..