The Representation of Gender Roles in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men

Abstract

This dissertation attempts to study the issue of the gender roles in John Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men (1937). It first defines some concepts in gender studies as an interdisciplinary study basing in on its Judith Butler's Gender Performativity. Throughout this dissertation Steinbeck refers to some issues like the representation of men and women during the Great Depression. The aftermath of the First World War, this has changed the gendered life of the American society. The selection of this novella of Of Mice and Men (1937) was very significant and crucial for the analysis. The work demonstrates the construction of masculinity and femininity, how men face struggle, fear and anxieties during the Great Depression. The work focuses on the marginalization of women and how they suffered from the oppression of patriarchal society. Steinbeck's novella illustrates how male power and privilege over women operated historically. The representation of manhood trouble, and how male characters face their fear and homophobia in terms of traditional masculinity that can be attributed to their internal battles in American society.