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.
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