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.  

Mommy Dearest - Haley Aguilar

 Grendel and his mother’s relationship is clearly one of staggering co-dependence. Early in the novel, the audience is able to see Grendel’s childlike love and dependence for his mom. When he is stuck in the tree with the bull charging at him his first instinct is to call out to his mother he sobs “Mama! Waa! Waa!” (Gardner 18). His innocence is shattered when she doesn’t come immediately to his aid and his perception of his mother begins to change. Because he is telling his story from a narrator’s perspective the audience is able to see how he perceived his own actions and describes his progression from child to adolescent to young adult. Grendel is an intelligent being telling a story with hindsight which as the saying goes is 20/20. He looks back at times of vulnerability, both physical and emotional and adds a tone of insincerity to every emotion and compromising position he finds himself in. this is a way of preserving his image to the outside world because no revered monster shows a weakness of any kind.

   The way that Grendel describes his mother even when remembering a time that he loved her with his whole heart, is demeaning.  He describes her in a way that if it was applied to humans, even in a textual form would receive heavy backlash, but because she is a monster people pose no argument. Describing monsters can go multiple ways, they can be outstandingly beautiful and charming or they can be disgusting and vile and either way, it is accepted that they are a monster. Considering this, why did Grendel’s mother have to be made into a horrendous, dirty being when in the original Beowulf poem, she is not described in such awful ways? It is easier to hate a monster that is perceived to be the very definition of the word in appearance rather than just another average looking creature who falls into the category because of their actions.

  How much of this is actually Grendel compared to the influence of the author and his misogynistic views? Because of the 1970s influence, it is easy to assume that Gardner had his own set of views that influenced Grendel’s perspectives. His demeaning views of women could have been passed from himself to his monster. It is easy for influence to creep into writing, especially when the influence is so predominant in that culture.

  Grendel and his mother have a desperate connection that is facing the precipice of disaster due to his mother's lack of speech but undying want for her and Grendel to be together. It is her sense of loyalty that ensures that Grendel keeps coming back despite his growing hatred for his mother. He sees her as not a monster, rather as a disgusting being that he feels responsible for which is illuminated in the way that he describes her as a childlike creature, he sees her for all of her weaknesses. What began as idle indifference is slowly becoming silent hatred because Grendel feels like his mom is an anchor that reminds him of the worst parts of himself.

Monsters or Misogynists?

Monsters or Misogynists?  

by Syeda S. Raza 

Men in the Anglo Saxon society were misogynists thus, it won't be wrong to call them monsters. These men considered women as possessions and peace-weavers “ A queen should weave peace, not punish the innocent’ (1941).  Women without their will were married to these demonic men in an attempt to bring peace between the two kingdoms. In particular, Hrothgar’s act of marrying his daughter Freawaru to Ingeld for peace pledge was no less of a monstrous act. Women were treated by these monsters as slaves and were required to act upon their wishes “Haereth’s daughter moved about with the mead-jug in her hand, taking care of the company, filling the cups that the warriors held out” (1980), this illustrated that power remained in the hands of the men and that women were inferior in all respect. Moreover, women as peace weavers were expected to bear children to carry bloodlines forward. Where their sons would carry the legacy of their fathers by engaging in similar acts. These monsters were disgusted by women and their bodies were sexualized. In the reading Grendel by John Gardener, Wealtheow to Grendel was like the Shaper but her having human characteristics made him want to kill her. He was disgusted by Wealtheow’s body but felt superior to her. Grendel was undoubtedly a monster who was obscene to even to his own mother“ And my mother’s fat foul bulk rolling over, restless again” (9) and again “She smells of wild pig and fish” (29). This strongly suggested that no matter how old a man was, women in the Anglo Saxon society were maltreated.    

Even today human-like monsters are seen in books and movies. One example of this is seen in Khaled Hosseini's novel: A Thousand Splendid Suns. The novel explains the story of two generations of characters that are brought together by tragic sweeps of war, where their personal life was intertwined in a series of drastic events. In contrast to the idea of peace weaving marriage, in Hosseini's novel men engage in second marriage with high hopes of having a son.  The ideologies remain similar in Thousand Splendid Sons, Beowulf, and Grendel where men represent monsters that objectify women as mere slaves. These women are constantly a subject to violence by their husbands and father. In Hosseini's novel, men having the privilege to engage in a second marriage is brutal in its extremity and this portrays an act of infidelity towards the wives. Women in both societies are married to men that are quite older than their age without their will. Women thus, feel inferior to these monsters and live their lives in an abusive and oppressive relationship. This is due to their desire and attempts to maintain peace between them and the husband; analogous to what is illustrated in Beowulf and Grendel.

Therefore, monsters today and monsters in the past share homologous traits, the difference lies in their approach. Even today, women are abused and their bodies are objectified; however, the world still remains a place where monsters like such hold dominance.