Interpreting Gender
Within modern day society gender has an important influence on daily life. It dictates one’s wage, expectations of others and the perceived functions of what that individual is capable of. However, gender is an ideology, it only has a meaning because of what humans perceive as an influence extending from gender. In actuality gender is performative, and has no real meaning, it is an act that one puts on in an attempt to fit into society’s expectations. In the short story, Sexy, written by Jhumpa Lahiri, gender is a theme that is revisited throughout the text. Through the way Miranda presents herself, the actions of Dev, and the relationship the two share. The performance of gender within the text Sexy, is done using conventional …show more content…
Dev acts in an old fashioned and gentlemanly way, buying her flowers, paying for things, and holding doors. However, in doing so he detracts from Miranda’s independence. By participating in the patriarchal politeness he succeeds in keeping a distance between the two of them instead of creating an equal relationship. Secondly, Dev fits into the tall, dark, and mysterious convention. Appearance wise he is dark and good looking, dressing in a way that displays his class and wealth. He appears as cold and stoic, these features end up in his personality as well. The way Dev never wants to discuss anything of importance shows the toxic masculinity that men are so famous for. Furthermore, Dev would rather protect Miranda and keep her clueless about some topics than have her aware of them. This is displayed when he answers her question about the map with, “Nothing you’ll ever need to worry about.” (Jhumpa Lahiri , page. 1651) The way he acts afterwards is troublesome, he taps her playfully on the head displaying the fact that he does not see her as an equal. He treats her as a child, another convention that is dominant in its ideology within society. It displays the typical keep woman innocent and shield her from harm mentality, something that keeps woman from standing with men on the same …show more content…
Miranda is posed as a young girl, naive of the world and wanting to not be alone anymore. She assumes her typical gender ways in the way she dresses and even in some cases acts. Miranda at the end finds herself but the journey of losing herself to Dev is able to project her onto the right path. Dev acts in a manner of which participates in patriarchal ways, never treating Miranda as a strong and independent woman. Consequently, the ways in which these characters perform their gender is done in traditional ways that are expected in
Within modern day society gender has an important influence on daily life. It dictates one’s wage, expectations of others and the perceived functions of what that individual is capable of. However, gender is an ideology, it only has a meaning because of what humans perceive as an influence extending from gender. In actuality gender is performative, and has no real meaning, it is an act that one puts on in an attempt to fit into society’s expectations. In the short story, Sexy, written by Jhumpa Lahiri, gender is a theme that is revisited throughout the text. Through the way Miranda presents herself, the actions of Dev, and the relationship the two share. The performance of gender within the text Sexy, is done using conventional …show more content…
Dev acts in an old fashioned and gentlemanly way, buying her flowers, paying for things, and holding doors. However, in doing so he detracts from Miranda’s independence. By participating in the patriarchal politeness he succeeds in keeping a distance between the two of them instead of creating an equal relationship. Secondly, Dev fits into the tall, dark, and mysterious convention. Appearance wise he is dark and good looking, dressing in a way that displays his class and wealth. He appears as cold and stoic, these features end up in his personality as well. The way Dev never wants to discuss anything of importance shows the toxic masculinity that men are so famous for. Furthermore, Dev would rather protect Miranda and keep her clueless about some topics than have her aware of them. This is displayed when he answers her question about the map with, “Nothing you’ll ever need to worry about.” (Jhumpa Lahiri , page. 1651) The way he acts afterwards is troublesome, he taps her playfully on the head displaying the fact that he does not see her as an equal. He treats her as a child, another convention that is dominant in its ideology within society. It displays the typical keep woman innocent and shield her from harm mentality, something that keeps woman from standing with men on the same …show more content…
Miranda is posed as a young girl, naive of the world and wanting to not be alone anymore. She assumes her typical gender ways in the way she dresses and even in some cases acts. Miranda at the end finds herself but the journey of losing herself to Dev is able to project her onto the right path. Dev acts in a manner of which participates in patriarchal ways, never treating Miranda as a strong and independent woman. Consequently, the ways in which these characters perform their gender is done in traditional ways that are expected in