Society's monsters by Haley Aguilar

    Charlene Harris’ novel Dead Until Dark features very strong misogynistic undertones alongside obvious displays of toxic masculinity. The female protagonist spends most of the novel passing judgment on other women and the antagonist of the novel kills women because he perceives them to be dirty, lowlife urchins undeserving of life. Due to Sookie’s ability to read minds, the audience is able to understand the viewpoints of multiple characters. Most of the male characters thoughts resonate in a singular idea, women are there for their own personal enjoyment until the moment that they deem the woman not good enough. Even at Merlotte's, Sookie finds herself judged for being a simple waitress. The balance of power in the novel sways obviously toward the men, with them representing nearly every authority figure in the novel. The only authoritative females in the novel are Portia Bellefleur and Kenya the policewoman; however, they are still seen as objects. Kenya is most commonly mentioned by her partner and not in a professional context, he is often thinking about what she’s doing with her free time. Portia is also belittled, but in this instance, it is by Sookie who “heard” that she was a competent lawyer.

    The misogyny in this novel is not just practiced by men, but by the women as well. Women judge other women as a result of being judged by men. The men set their standards for women and that becomes the measuring stick for women to judge each other. Sookie is very guilty of this, her perception of Arlene is tainted by the thoughts of her multiple sexual partners and escapades. Arlene is her friend but Sookie can’t help but judge her on the basis of her looks and actions while maintaining that she herself is virtuous even when she becomes sexually active with Bill, she continues to think that she is better because she has only had the one partner. Because of her mind reading capabilities, Sookie knows what’s going on in the minds of other people and with their thoughts comes her judgment. She thinks she knows people based off of a passing thought, but everyone has wayward thoughts that don’t embody their true personalities.

    Toxic masculinity is another prevalent trait displayed in the novel. The most obvious instances that I noticed in the novel were instances between Sookie and Sam. Sam is Sookie’s boss but he breaks professional boundaries on multiple occasions. Everyone knows that he likes Sookie but the way he goes about showing it is not appropriate in the workplace. One example of this is when he follows Sookie into the fridge when she is upset. With her trapped in a confined space with him, he tells her that she can read his mind anytime she likes. This is not okay because she adamantly objected to the idea but he took it upon himself to change her mind on something she was uncomfortable with. Sam makes her uncomfortable in another instance when he is on the clock. Sookie stops to pick up her check from Sam and while they’re in his office he decided to walk up behind Sookie and sniff her then blow air on her neck. This could be his subtle way of trying to stake a claim on her but again, in a professional setting, it is completely wrong. Bill also displays some toxic traits. He is quick to claim Sookie, claiming that it is for her protection but even behind closed doors, he repeats the same thing. Bill’s overprotective nature is supposed to come off as caring and loyal but I believe it illuminates a deeper issue. He truly believes that Sookie belongs to him, it is reflected in his actions when he tells her that he has no intention of stopping the ongoing sexual activity, even if she didn’t want to continue. He treats her well but with overt dominance, using her fear of him to keep her in check. Both men exhibit toxic traits, especially when it comes to Sookie because the gender script for being a man in today’s is fueled largely by lust and power. They act in the way that they believe that a man should in whatever situation they find themselves in. Their actions are a result of social training, they might be from different time periods but society has always seen men as dominant so it makes sense that they should exert dominance over women and take them for their own. It is what society has been telling them to do for centuries.