Article http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/jhass.2024.08.012
Oppression of Masculinity on Men Under Patriarchy in Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway
Liuniu Guo
Xi'an Eurasia University, Xi'an 710065, Shaanxi, China.
*Corresponding author: Liuniu Guo
Published: September 3,2024
Abstract
Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway, is one of her well-structured modernist novels, in which the stream-of-consciousness technique and free indirect discourse are extensively employed to portray the inner thoughts of the characters. One of the prominent themes in the novel is patriarchy, which pervades all social strata and exerts a profound influence on the characters' lives. This paper aims to explore the oppression of masculinity on men within a patriarchal framework through the lens of gender theory. As the executors of patriarchy, men are supposed to conform to masculinity defined by patriarchy and social convention. In the novel, masculinity is manifested in the form of proportion. Men, truly masculine ones, are expected to have a sense of proportion, based on which women make their judgments of them. Through the analysis of the theme of “oppression”, the conclusion is that patriarchal power is the source of the male characters’ sufferings. As long as patriarchy exists and rules, oppression will continue to exist.
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How to cite this paper
Oppression of Masculinity on Men Under Patriarchy in Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway
How to cite this paper: Liuniu Guo. (2024) Oppression of Masculinity on Men Under Patriarchy in Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway. Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Science, 8(8), 1874-1878.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/jhass.2024.08.012