Sexism shows itself repeatedly in literature, from the overly masculine, emotionless male hero to the women being portrayed as either weak and pitiful–or evil and seductive–making it a topic that is impossible to overlook. But at times, it is hard to determine whether or not the author is being deliberately sexist or is subconsciously influenced by the era in which he/she is writing. In Brave New World, gender goes alongside class in creating a world full of gender-based bias and stereotypes. Since the book was published in 1932, this was a time where men in particular may have been unaware of how influenced they were by the patriarchal culture of the time. Brave New World is a textbook example of sexism in literature, but gender roles and
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It was a time of change and of new ideas, but also a time of economic depression–of the working class made up of those who had recently lived through and fought in the world war. Men were still seen as the rational sex, while women were expected to be emotional. In a conversation between Lenina and Henry on the life of an Epsilon, Lenina states, “I’m glad I’m not an Epsilon” (74). The use of the word “glad” indicates an emotional response, using pathos to convey her opinion. Henry responds by saying “And if you were an Epsilon, your condition would have made you no less thankful that you weren’t a Beta or an Alpha” (74). The keyword in his response was “condition”, a word used in science, something that bases his argument in fact, in logos. These are not major distinctions when you look at the phrase from a distance, but they are just unsubtle enough to make one think that these are the kind of subconscious stereotypes that can show up in writing even if the author did not deliberately intend for them to be interpreted that way. Additionally, Lenina is of a subclass in their culture, a Delta, and no women are created to be Alpha’s. Alphas are genetically engineered to be more logical, while Deltas have the ability to achieve deeper emotional connections. Not only is she inferior in character development and scientific prowess, but also is …show more content…
Take, for instance, the popular TV sci-fi series Star Trek, first aired in 1966. The show depicts a future with flying spaceships and universal translators, yet women were still only seen as assistants, nurses or glorified switchboard operators, donning short skirts and taking on a submissive, sexualized role to their male counterparts. In a world where sexism is so prominent, it is hard to imagine a future without it, which is seen in both the relatively modern television series and Brave New World written nearly a century ago. In Brave New World, the women do take on a submissive role in subservience to male dominance. When we first meet Lenina, she is only described as a “nurse” (16), her name not even appearing until two paragraphs later. For in a time when women were the nurses and men were the doctors, a writer cannot change his surroundings, he can simply re-imagine them with the things he already knows. This nurse can be making a baby in a test tube or growing an alien, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that she couldn’t be the doctor, because at the time, that was just unthinkable. He can imagine a future with increased scientific inventions because he is living in a time where he is watching new machines
It was a time of change and of new ideas, but also a time of economic depression–of the working class made up of those who had recently lived through and fought in the world war. Men were still seen as the rational sex, while women were expected to be emotional. In a conversation between Lenina and Henry on the life of an Epsilon, Lenina states, “I’m glad I’m not an Epsilon” (74). The use of the word “glad” indicates an emotional response, using pathos to convey her opinion. Henry responds by saying “And if you were an Epsilon, your condition would have made you no less thankful that you weren’t a Beta or an Alpha” (74). The keyword in his response was “condition”, a word used in science, something that bases his argument in fact, in logos. These are not major distinctions when you look at the phrase from a distance, but they are just unsubtle enough to make one think that these are the kind of subconscious stereotypes that can show up in writing even if the author did not deliberately intend for them to be interpreted that way. Additionally, Lenina is of a subclass in their culture, a Delta, and no women are created to be Alpha’s. Alphas are genetically engineered to be more logical, while Deltas have the ability to achieve deeper emotional connections. Not only is she inferior in character development and scientific prowess, but also is …show more content…
Take, for instance, the popular TV sci-fi series Star Trek, first aired in 1966. The show depicts a future with flying spaceships and universal translators, yet women were still only seen as assistants, nurses or glorified switchboard operators, donning short skirts and taking on a submissive, sexualized role to their male counterparts. In a world where sexism is so prominent, it is hard to imagine a future without it, which is seen in both the relatively modern television series and Brave New World written nearly a century ago. In Brave New World, the women do take on a submissive role in subservience to male dominance. When we first meet Lenina, she is only described as a “nurse” (16), her name not even appearing until two paragraphs later. For in a time when women were the nurses and men were the doctors, a writer cannot change his surroundings, he can simply re-imagine them with the things he already knows. This nurse can be making a baby in a test tube or growing an alien, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that she couldn’t be the doctor, because at the time, that was just unthinkable. He can imagine a future with increased scientific inventions because he is living in a time where he is watching new machines