Gender Roles

In Aliens, there seems to be multiple outlines found in society. One of the main ones being gender stereotype, which includes some competitiveness and motherly instincts. There also seems to be the whole “women should leave the big tasks to guys”.  I feel like the use of the military was a small-scale version of our society. Each character played a role found in our society today. We eventually witness some characters gradually fall and break into pieces, then distinguish what is truly there. The film overall illustrates to us that women do not need to be seen or made out as inferior, instead of being depicted below, we should view them as they grow in character and individuals.

Initially it is clear in the film that there is some sort of male superiority and arrogance displayed. Ripley is not taken seriously on her thoughts and opinions. Although she seems to be pretty clear-headed and unemotional. Both Ripley and Lambert go by their last name instead of first. Ripley is the more rational one, in my opinion, who follows rules and procedures. Meanwhile Lambert seems more irrational and tends to be emotional. Hudson seems to be the most egotistical person who also winds up being one of the ones that fall and break into pieces, like I had mentioned earlier.  It seems that the characters may have some sort of representation of the limitations we battle daily in our world.

Even in Dracula, set in a time period where females had small gender roles. The Victorian culture seemed to subdue women and their value. They seemed to be thought of to be “pure” and “virginal”. However, I feel like Stoker illustrated a different side of women which wasn’t the norm back then. Qualities that were more empowering and better.

I feel like there are a few main characters who are actually shown in ways where the whole gender role thing is flipped/reversed. Mina seems to be a modern woman with some traditional characteristics. I feel a good part is when, at certain times, she is considered to be like one of the regular guys in the group; helping plan out scenarios and ideas to counter the chaos. She seems to be stable and independent. Harker seems to be a target in pretty pathetic and sometimes feminine situations, including the time he is captured by Dracula’s brides, and his way of handling the situation. I feel the Count pushes the lines of sexuality with the way he carries himself especially attitude wise. One part that sticks out to me is when he serves dinner to Harker, instead of the brides. He also seems to use deception and certain techniques to seduce people. It seems back then in Victorian culture, women were the ones who would use deception/seduction and clever plans while the men would typically use their strength and knowledge to get what they want.

Beowulf and its Female Characters

Beowulf is set in a highly male-dominated world governed by wars, honor, and violence. The role of women in this world seems to follow a pattern: either used as peace weavers to avoid warring tribes or used as trophies for show. Men in Old English literature are always seen as the heroes, while women are not. Wealtheow, Hygd, Hildeburh, Modthryth and Freawaru all fall victim to their role deemed to them by male society. Wealtheow was given to Hygemod as a trophy to avoid war, Hygd avoids responsibility, Hildeburh and Freawaru failed as peace weavers, and Modthryth denied her true identity for her husband.

The only female character that declines to conform to gender expectations and embodies male-like characteristics is Grendel’s mother. Grendel’s mother does not fall victim to the patriarchal society and breaks through gender boundaries that were set by men. She challenges the way women are portrayed to be, and she decides to create her own fate. In the past, these gender boundaries were placed by men to show their “superior position” however, Grendel’s mother pushes through these boundaries thus posing a threat to male authority. This is the real reason why Grendel’s mother is portrayed as an atrocious monster. Her overstepping boundaries and not being like the other women during this time period was so unthinkable that had she had to have attributes of a monster.

 In the poem, Grendel’s mother has the role of a warrior: a position that was only seen with men. Grendel’s mother challenges the stereotype of a passive female when she barges into Heorot hall and takes on Beowulf in her home. “So she reached Herot, Where the Danes slept as though already dead; Her visit ended their good fortune, reversed The bright vane of their luck. No female, no matter How fierce, could have come with a man’s strength, Fought with the power and courage men fight with…” (Heaney 101). This quote shows that the narrator is concerned more about Grendel’s mother gender as the most horrific factor, rather than the attack itself. It also shows that Beowulf respects Grendel’s mother enough to know that she is a strong warrior and that he could maybe die by her hand. It seems as though that Grendel’s mother is alienated from the Danes because of the accepted norms of women at the time. The Danes were most frightened that Grendel’s mother had the strength equivalent to that of a man, thus it would be unspeakable to be defeated by a woman.

Another way Grendel’s mother breached the gender boundaries was her involvement of avenging her son’s death. Vengeance is typically a masculine attribute, especially in the Anglo-Saxon period where families had to get revenge (or get paid a fair price) for the deaths of their loved ones. It is surprising how Beowulf or other men never faced consequences for the murders they committed, unlike how Grendel’s mother does. There seems to be a double standard when Grendel’s mother tries to avenge Grendel’s death, which is more justifiable than Beowulf avenging Aeschere’s death (a man who he barely knew). However, Beowulf is shown to be the hero while Grendel’s mother a stone cold killer. In conclusion, the narrator in Beowulf was attempting to describe Grendel’s mother as a woman who possessed masculine qualities and was only evil due to her gender. The power that she had challenged the ideals and norms a woman was supposed to embody during that time period, and so she became something that the Danes could not relate to, a monster.