In Andrew Marvell’s poem “Damon the Mower,” the protagonist describes his heartbreak after Juliana rejects him. Though readers never hear Juliana’s voice in the poem, Damon freely speaks of her thoughts and actions. His monopoly of narration allows him to exploit gender roles and tell his biased side of their story. He portrays Juliana as a masculine, superhuman creature by aligning her with the typically male Sun and describing her through the use of three symbolic gifts he gives to her. Ultimately, Damon reverts the gender roles of society to characterize Juliana as masculine and powerful, thereby validating his position as a powerless victim, emasculated by an unstoppable force and deserving of pity.
The setting, constant from beginning …show more content…
According to the OED, the figurative use of chameleons signifies an “inconstant or variable person” (2). This definition acknowledges some previous relationship between the two characters, which Juliana presumably ended after changing her mind. Furthermore, people once believed chameleons lived on air as their sustenance. One OED excerpt from 1600 asks, “Can men feede like Camelions, on the ayer?” (1). Much like the chameleons who need no sustenance, Damon portrays Juliana as a powerful, completely independent creature. She does not fit the gender role of earthly women who are passive and submissive to men. Instead, she resembles a creature or superhuman force, rather than an actual human being. Ultimately, Juliana’s portrayal as an otherworldly creature urges the reader to sympathize with the weak and human Damon, rather than Juliana the …show more content…
Though the poem is a story of two people, only Damon narrates the account. With his monopoly of narration, he uses gender roles to negatively portray Juliana. He relates her to the masculine sun and describes her with the use of animals, utilizing these descriptions to represent her as an unnatural, masculine force which he could not escape. Ultimately, his characterization of Juliana as masculine and powerful serves to legitimize his own emasculation and self-victimization, attempting to inspire pity, rather than scorn, from the
The setting, constant from beginning …show more content…
According to the OED, the figurative use of chameleons signifies an “inconstant or variable person” (2). This definition acknowledges some previous relationship between the two characters, which Juliana presumably ended after changing her mind. Furthermore, people once believed chameleons lived on air as their sustenance. One OED excerpt from 1600 asks, “Can men feede like Camelions, on the ayer?” (1). Much like the chameleons who need no sustenance, Damon portrays Juliana as a powerful, completely independent creature. She does not fit the gender role of earthly women who are passive and submissive to men. Instead, she resembles a creature or superhuman force, rather than an actual human being. Ultimately, Juliana’s portrayal as an otherworldly creature urges the reader to sympathize with the weak and human Damon, rather than Juliana the …show more content…
Though the poem is a story of two people, only Damon narrates the account. With his monopoly of narration, he uses gender roles to negatively portray Juliana. He relates her to the masculine sun and describes her with the use of animals, utilizing these descriptions to represent her as an unnatural, masculine force which he could not escape. Ultimately, his characterization of Juliana as masculine and powerful serves to legitimize his own emasculation and self-victimization, attempting to inspire pity, rather than scorn, from the