The representation of masculinity in literature is often left bland and poorly explored. The dichotomy of heteronormativity is established whereby men are seen to be “inherently” masculine while women are “naturally” un-masculine. Masculinity is thus seen as a static and inherent trait performed only by men. Nonetheless, Carson McCullers’ The Ballad of the Sad Café and James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room both critique the false idea of masculinity as a stagnant inherent male trait by presenting characters that defy these assumptions. Written in the 1950s, the two novels demonstrate the influence of the post-World War II, where the separation of men and women in the United States allowed the freedom of sexual exploration. With the absence of women,
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Miss Amelia is purposefully portrayed as a woman with masculine physical features; “she was a dark, tall woman with bones and muscles like a man” (McCullers 4). The novel continues to emphasize her masculinity by repeatedly referring to her “dark” and “queer” face, her body that is “six feet two inches tall,” her “short-cropped hair,” and her tendency to wear “overalls” (McCullers 14). But besides her physical appearance, Miss Amelia also acted according to the characteristics of masculinity. Miss Amelia was violent to her former husband Marvin Macy; hitting him “whenever he came within arm’s reach of her” (McCullers 32). She was also emotionally insensitive and completely indifferent to Marvin Macy’s feelings for her. Nonetheless, what truly depicts Miss Amelia as an actor of masculinity is her adoption of the role of the “lover.” Miss Amelia consistently craved to be with her beloved Cousin Lymon. She cultivated the growth of the café precisely because it could provide Cousin Lymon with company as she could not bear to “leave him by himself” (McCullers 25). More importantly, conforming to the masculine definitions of the selfish lover, Miss Amelia never consulted with her beloved whether this was what he desired. She acted regardless of his emotions; demonstrating yet …show more content…
Yet, rather than equating gender to the performance of either masculinity or un-masculinity, both Giovanni’s Room and The Ballad of the Sad Café critique that belief and instead endorse the notion that masculinity transcends the gender binary. It is instinctual to believe that reality conforms to the ideals of heteronormativity: men behave in a masculine manner, while women behave in a masculine manner. However, when this view of the world is adopted, we fail perceive that individuals often deviate from this assumed ideal. Giovanni’s Room and The Ballad of the Sad Café both expose the flaws of our perception of “immaculate” masculinity by demonstrating that masculinity is in fact liminal – separate from the performer’s gender – and undulant – adapting to the emotions and situations experienced by the individual. Both novels took care to not explicitly assign a gender to a particular performance: women like Miss Amelia can be violent and emotionally insensitive, whereas men like David can adopt the role of the beloved. Not only that, the two novel also depict their characters performing both masculinity and un-masculinity in different moments, strongly suggesting that the performance of masculinity is neither consistent nor predetermined. The ability to perform masculinity is shown to be within each individual but
Miss Amelia is purposefully portrayed as a woman with masculine physical features; “she was a dark, tall woman with bones and muscles like a man” (McCullers 4). The novel continues to emphasize her masculinity by repeatedly referring to her “dark” and “queer” face, her body that is “six feet two inches tall,” her “short-cropped hair,” and her tendency to wear “overalls” (McCullers 14). But besides her physical appearance, Miss Amelia also acted according to the characteristics of masculinity. Miss Amelia was violent to her former husband Marvin Macy; hitting him “whenever he came within arm’s reach of her” (McCullers 32). She was also emotionally insensitive and completely indifferent to Marvin Macy’s feelings for her. Nonetheless, what truly depicts Miss Amelia as an actor of masculinity is her adoption of the role of the “lover.” Miss Amelia consistently craved to be with her beloved Cousin Lymon. She cultivated the growth of the café precisely because it could provide Cousin Lymon with company as she could not bear to “leave him by himself” (McCullers 25). More importantly, conforming to the masculine definitions of the selfish lover, Miss Amelia never consulted with her beloved whether this was what he desired. She acted regardless of his emotions; demonstrating yet …show more content…
Yet, rather than equating gender to the performance of either masculinity or un-masculinity, both Giovanni’s Room and The Ballad of the Sad Café critique that belief and instead endorse the notion that masculinity transcends the gender binary. It is instinctual to believe that reality conforms to the ideals of heteronormativity: men behave in a masculine manner, while women behave in a masculine manner. However, when this view of the world is adopted, we fail perceive that individuals often deviate from this assumed ideal. Giovanni’s Room and The Ballad of the Sad Café both expose the flaws of our perception of “immaculate” masculinity by demonstrating that masculinity is in fact liminal – separate from the performer’s gender – and undulant – adapting to the emotions and situations experienced by the individual. Both novels took care to not explicitly assign a gender to a particular performance: women like Miss Amelia can be violent and emotionally insensitive, whereas men like David can adopt the role of the beloved. Not only that, the two novel also depict their characters performing both masculinity and un-masculinity in different moments, strongly suggesting that the performance of masculinity is neither consistent nor predetermined. The ability to perform masculinity is shown to be within each individual but