Critical Research Proposal ~ Adolescent literature and the struggle against gender paradigms

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Research question: How do characters in Adolescent Literature fight or undermine the gender paradigms of the society in which they live?

(Edit: Ah, I forgot to add other questions!)
2) How do gender paradigms represent oppression in Adolescent literature?
3) How does an adolescent fighting against the gender expectations of their society reveal rebellion?
4) Why is rebellion important for adolescents?
5) How do we define our individuality through rebellion? 

I'm going to be looking at how characters like Patrick in The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Marjane in Persepolis, and Arnold in the The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian fight the paradigms of gender expectations in their respective societies.

I am already aware that homosexuality has been traditionally demonized in American culture. Patrick and Arnold both deal with this. Patrick deals with this on a personal level while Arnold deals with this in more of an abstract cultural sense. Both deal with toxic masculinity on a personal level. Patrick ends up physically fighting the boy he's dating, Brad, because Brad's father is intolerant of his sexual orientation and Arnold deals with the culture on the reservation that insists that being a man means being a warrior. Arnold also deals with the white American definition of masculinity which insists that boys can't be too close. (When he offers friendship to Gordy, Gordy responds by saying he's not gay). Violence is inherent in both cultures and definitions of masculinity are tied into violence in both cases.

I'm also aware of women's struggle for gender equality which is perfectly portrayed in Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis. Rape culture is used to perpetuate the mandatory wearing of the hijab: their leader argues that for women to be 'safe' from rapists they have to wear the hijab. Violence is also used in response to protests against the mandatory wearing of the hijab. Marjane stands in opposition to both. Marjane also exhibits questioning of the religious structure in her questioning of God after her Uncle Anoosh's death by execution. She consistently fights against patriarchal standards for women. The toxic masculinity that both Arnold and Patrick face also ties into suppression of female rights.

I selected this topic because it occurred to me that most of the books we've read this semester involve a search for identity and that search is tied in with the adolescent character questioning the structure of the world they've been born into. The conflict against this structure and how the character reacts to it is often what determines their identity. Yanek in Prisoner B-3087 must fight against the hatred and violence of the Nazis and his struggle to keep part of himself in this is defines his character. Richie in Fallen Angels tries to figure out who he is in the midst of the Vietnam War; he faces racism, violence, and poverty which are all systemic. Even back in his hometown he witnessess the death of another boy at the hands of a gang. In Crank, Katrina tries to figure out if she's Kristina or Bree and her struggle with drugs mirrors that of her changes from one personality to another. Upon returning to home she struggles to assimilate into her former life with an addiction. Travis in The World Made Straight struggles with the landscape of Appalachia, particularly the culture of ignorance and indulgence that his friend Shank has already given into. Travis chooses to seek an education which puts him directly at odds with his best friend and even gains the criticism of his father. In The Hunger Games, Katniss deals with a system that is trying to kill her for entertainment. Lala in Caramelo has to find herself as a woman amid a culture that traditionally posits women as wives and mothers, or whores. The struggle for identity is one of trying to retain who you really are in the middle of a system that tries to make you into something else.

I could argue that all of these novels involve some element of toxic masculinity, particularly The World Made Straight and Fallen Angels. Both involve boys forced to act in a certain way to avoid being called homophobic slurs and how emotional repression causes isolation.

I plan to reference the three books mentioned above: Persepolis, Diary, and Perks. Marjane's struggle against gender expectations mirror's Lala's in Caramelo as well as Kristina's in Crank. Kristina deals with rape culture and a society the pressure to be a sex object. I also plan to use research articles on adolescent literature and gender as references. I'll be listing these in my bibliography once I put it together. I may also quote the authors with regard to gender issues.

I think the main challenge I see with this is getting distracted by the other paradigms the characters fight against. Arnold deals with a lot of racism in particular. Marjane's culture is homogeneous so there isn't as much racism that she has to deal with. But in Marjane's situation there is a lot of political and historical background. I do need to do more research on Iran and the Islamic Revolution. I'll try not to get caught up in that though since my main concern is how it affected the gender paradigm.

I think it could also be difficult in terms of getting the research articles together and finding ones that reflect what I'm trying to write. I'm sure I can find plenty of articles on how Patrick forks gender in Perks. I will have to reference what other people have said to a degree but I want to focus on what's in the text. 


Comments

  1. UnknownNovember 17, 2016 at 7:03 PM

    "Toxic Masculinity" This is like the best way to put it. This toxic idea of who a boy has to be and how a girl has to behave is toxic in society and in literature. I tackled this with Hunger Games and Perks but the more books we read, the more it seems to keep happening. I can't wait to see what you do with this because I totally am for people not allowing gender to define them.

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