The roles of male and female individuals in a patriachal society: women oppression and male domination in “Look Back in Anger” and “A Streetcar Named desire”

The roles of male and female individuals in a patriachal society: women oppression and male domination in “Look Back in Anger” and “A Streetcar Named desire”

Patriarchy is "a system of social structures, and practices in which men dominate, oppress and exploit women" (Walby, in Wilson, A 2000). In other words, patriarchal societies are characterized by the dominance of male individuals over female ones. As Einstein, the physicist, states “patriarchy is a system of power in which the male possesses superior power and economic privilege"(1979) As regards this topic, Marilyn French (1985) makes a more elaborated definition that establishes that

“Patriarchy is the manifestation and institutionalization of male dominance over women and children in the family and the extension of male dominance over women in society in general. It implies that men hold power in all the important institutions of society and women are deprived of access to such power" (French, M., in Wilson, A 2000)

In addition, as a consequence of   power and economic superiority, this gender inequality brings about a marked difference between women and men. To give an illustration relating to this difference between male and female position, Bonnycastle, the author of In Search of Authority: an Introductory Guide to Literary Theory (1996), describes some characteristics of men and women that are seen as “masculine” and “feminine”. According to him, men are more likely to be authoritative, active, productive and aggressive, while women tend to be submissive, passive, receptive and compliant. As regards these patriarchal stereotypes, Lois Tyson added in his book Critical Theory Today A User-Friendly Guide (2006) that male individuals are supposed to be strong (physically, powerful and emotionally stoic). Because of the rude image that men have to demonstrate, showing their emotions is forbidden for them since it is a sign of weakness, or as Tyson (2006) states it is a sign that one has been overpowered by one’s emotions. Another example that Tyson gives is crying, as crying is considered a sign of weakness, men are not supposed to cry. Moreover, because of the strong stereotype that patriarchal society imposed to men, male individuals are supposed to be successful in all the aspects of their life, especially in their economical one. This argument is supported by evidence from Tyson establishes that failure to provide adequate economic support for one’s family is considered the most humiliating failure a man can experience because it means that he has failed at what is considered his biological role as provider. As regards women, they are the oppressed gender and are supposed to be what some authors called as patriarchal women. According to Tyson, women are emotional (irrational), weak, nurturing and submissive. These strong differences between genders provoke that women are treated differently and many times mistreated by the opposed sex. In other words, as Tyson asserts in his work, women suffer many inequities such as being excluding from equal access to leadership and decision-making positions, they are paying women less than men for doing the same job and men try to convince them that they are not fit for careers in such areas as mathematics and engineering. This lack of equality between genders and the power that men exert over women are significant in literary works. Barbara G. Pace (1992) states in her work The Textbook Canon: Genre, Gender, and Race in US Literature Anthologies (1992) that the male and female works of fiction that are included in literary works show female characters that “are physically weak and passive” and are “the voiceless victims of negative experiences with men” (Pace, B. 1992:35-36). This difference between women and men as regards stereotypes and power are personified in Tennessee Williams´ play A Streetcar Named Desire and in John Osborne’s play Look Back in Anger through the female and male characters. In A Streetcar Named Desire, the characters of Stanley Kowalski and Stella Du Bois represent the typical stereotypes of male and female individuals of a patriarchal society. In scene eight, Stanley says to Stella that he is the authority in the house. “Every man is a king! And I am the king around here, so don’t forget it!” (Williams, T. 1947:195) In Look Back in Anger, these typical stereotypes are symbolized in the characters of Jimmy and Alison. In this play, Jimmy is all the time remarking that he is superior to his wife Alison.

“I have been married to this woman, this monument to non-attachment, and suddenly I discover that there is actually a word that sums her up. (…) it’s her name! Pusillanimous!”(Osborne, J. 1982:21) 

The characters of Stanley and Jimmy are symbols of patriarchal men. These characters represent some characteristics that Bonnycastle presents as being masculine, such as being rude, active and closed. As regards Stanley he is aggressive and he likes to establish authority.

“Since earliest manhood the centre of his life has been pleasure with women, the giving and taking of it, not with weak indulgence, dependently, but with the power and pride of a richly feathered male bird among hens” (Williams, T. 1947:128 )

Stanley is all the time denigrating his wife, Stella, making her clear that he is the one who establishes the authority in his relationship. “Every man is a king! And I am the king around here, so don’t forget it!” (:195) As regards Jimmy, he is all the time remarking that he is the most rational and thinking person in his setting and the only one who can establish authority. Jimmy is continually remarking that he is the authority in his house and the one who knows everything about it and the objects around him.  “I’m the only one who knows how to treat a paper, or anything else, in this house.” (Osborne, J. 1982:12)  According to Bonnycastle, gender stereotypes are imposed by society. For this author, each person faces situations in which it is possible to make changes, large or small. As regards Stanley and Jimmy, both characters are discriminated by their in-laws. In the case of Stanley, his wife’s social environment discriminates him treating him as a vulgar person.  This is one of the reasons why he is so rude with his wife and Blanche, his sister-in-law. Blanche called him Polack for the simple fact that he is from a lower social class than her.  

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