English 2150 May 14th, 2012 Femininityin men?

According to the Random House Dictionary, hysteria is defined as an uncontrollable outburst of emotion or fear. When one thinks of the word hysteria, or being hysterical, this term is often associated with the female gender and their actions. Stephen Heath once wrote, Hysteria had served in the nineteenth century as the representation of woman and of sexuality (Doane and Hodges 66), this brings us to the novel written at that time, Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, by Robert Louis Stevenson. The existence of hysteria in men emphasizes the idea of the emerging blur in the lines of gender roles though femininity in men and rejection in patriarchy. In Stevensons work, this idea is only touched upon and introduced through a subtle way, however, in the film Fight Club, not only is the idea shown, but actions were also taken to have it accepted. Stevensons Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was written in the late nineteenth century during Victorian time. During the time, society was in a sense, a patriarchal society however, the rise of New Women began to threaten the gender roles. A female is considered to be a new woman during the nineteenth century as someone who pushes and rejects the social norms that were placed on them. With this blurring of gender roles, not only were women beginning to express masculine traits, Stevensons novel also begins to introduce femininity in men. In the novel, Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, characters in the book represented the men and women of the time. The major male characters such as, Dr. Jekyll, Dr. Lanyon, Mr. Einfield, and Mr. Utterson, all represent men of upper class. Their wealth represented their class and respect from society. Also, their actions represent how men were to act and they were seen as

heroes helping the helpless. One scene that expressed that would be when Hyde trampled over the little girl and Einfield went to grab Hyde back to the scene. Also, for the rest of the book, it was men who solved cases and help the helpless. Although there were not any major female characters in the book, the minor female characters represent how females are often hysterical and portrayed as weak. The very first female character we read about is the female child that got trampled over by Hyde and started to scream on the ground. and then came the horrible part of the thing; for the man trampled calmly over the childs body and left her screaming on the groundbrought him back to where there was already quite a group about the screaming child. (Stevenson 9). This part of the passage explains how the child was being hysterical through screaming when she got trampled over and continued to scream as Einfield went to get Hyde back to the scene. After a doctor examined the girl, Einfield explained that the girl was okay and instead she was more frightened then physically harmed (Stevenson 9). This shows how the girl was helpless and expresses hysteria despite the minor harm she had. The next female character we read about is the maid living in the house not far from the murder scene of Carew. At the horror of these sights and sounds, the maid fainted. It was two oclock when she came to herself and called for the police. The murderer was gone long ago (Stevenson 22). During the crucial time as the maid witness the murder, instead of calling for help, she faints. This shows how weak she was and as she was speaking about the experience, she was saying it with streaming tears (Stevenson 21). The last female characters we read about it appears during the time when they were about to break into Jekylls room to expose Hyde. At the sight of Mr. Utterson, the housemaid broke

into hysterical whimpering and the cook crying outBlank silence followed, no one protesting; only the maid lifted up her voice and wept loudly. (Stevenson 34). It was another crucial moment when they were about to break into Jekylls room but the maid and the cooks hysterical outburst almost ruined the plan by creating commotions that might alarm Hyde. Not only was this another hysterical moment, it also shows how female were weak compared to the males during important moments. The female and male characters in Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are written and described in clarity and those who have knowledge of the Victorian time would find them to be normal. However, the main focus, the main character of the book, comes out as a strange and hard to understand person. This character is Mr. Hyde. Cohen writes, Jekyll/Hyde as a symptom of the antinomies that destabilizes male character itselfliteralizes a struggle between normative and transgressive embodiments of late nineteenth-century English masculinity (182). Mr. Hyde represents the idea of the emerging blur in the lines of gender roles and femininity in men. His appearance and actions are a combination of the traits seen in both men and women of the time. Mr. Hyde was Dr. Jekyll and so he had the wealth status of an upper status man. At the same time, his appearance may be like a man but to some extent, one can suggest that it is also like a woman. Mr. Hyde was pale and dwarfishhe had a displeasing smile, he had borne himself to the lawyer with a sort of murderous mixture of timidity and boldness (Stevenson 17). Also, Jekylls first experience as Hyde is described, There was something strange in my sensation, something indescribably new and form it novelty, incredibly sweet. I felt younger, light, happier in body (50). Doane and Hodges wrote More importantly, many descriptions of Hydes physical characteristics are congruent with cultural descriptions of femininity. (69). These ideas suggest how Hyde has a mixture of a man and a womans traits.

Hydes actions portray femininity in men through his hysterical moments. One prominent moment would be when he murdered Carew. And then all of a sudden he broke out in a great flame of anger, stamping with his foot, brandishing the canelike a madmanAnd the next moment, with ape-like fury, he was trampling his victim under foot (Stevenson 22). This scene really expresses the hysterical outburst of Hyde. Doane and Hodges also suggest an analysis that Hyde represents precisely this transformative power that is at once a brutal, violent force, yet feminine at the same time. (65). Hydes violent force of trampling his victim under foot, especially at the scene of when he trampled over the little girl, can be describe as feminine due to the fact that it is females that usually like to express their anger through stamping their feet. The most crucial scene of femininity would be when Poole heard Hyde weeping. Poole nodded. Once, he said. Once I heard it weeping! Weeping like a woman or a lost soul ( Stevenson 38). Hyde represents someone whom society cannot understand because of their lack in understanding the changes that were happening, the idea of New Women and femininity in men. Throughout the book, many characters described Hyde as someone who gave an impression of deformity without any nameable malformation (17). People saw him as deformed but yet they could not describe what was wrong and this suggest how people of that time have not understood the blur in gender roles. His appearance and actions were a combination of traits in the men and women of the time and hence, he represented the new idea of emerging blur in the lines of gender roles and femininity in men. Towards the end of the book, Jekyll writes about the resentment Hyde has in Jekyll (61). Doane and Hodge suggest that This resentment is most graphically demonstrated in his killing of a patriarch, the M.P. Sir Danvers Carew, and in his defacement of

both Jekylls pious books and the portrait of his father. (69). Through that, Hyde also show the rejection of patriarchy. The rejection of patriarchy and the idea of femininity in men through hysteria can also be seen in Fight Club. The movie starts off with a quote by the narrator, And suddenly I realize that all of this: the gun, the bombs, the revolution has got something to do with a girl named Marla Singer. (Fincher). The analysis of this quote is very well described by Michelle Ferris who wrote, When all of this is taken in the literal sense, Jack is referring to: the world (all); the phallic symbol of power (the gun); the phallic representation of satisfaction (ejaculation) through a detonation, or surge of power (the bombs); the upheaval of patriarchy (the revolution), and; the feminization of men, and the femininity of women (Marla Singer). The beginning of the film paves way to the idea of the rejection of patriarchy because of the feminization of men. The narrator was going through a tough time of his life where one can suggest that it is because of his suppression of femininity. He lost sleep and began to live a miserable life for that reason. However, he first found serenity when he wept in between Bobs breast where Bob can be represented as the feminization in men. That was also one of scenes where men, including the narrator, had a hysterical outburst. The narrator continued to go to the support groups and throughout the time he was in it, he did not once experience the flash of Tyler which suggests that he found peace at expressing his femininity through the support groups. This soon gets disrupted when Marla Singer appears. In the scene where the narrator described Marla, he says Her lie reflected my lie and suddenly I felt nothing (Fincher). This suggests how Marla shows the narrator that the support groups are just a lie in truly expressing his femininity. From there, Tyler emerges.

Tyler to the narrator represents how Hyde was to Jekyll. Tyler became who and what the narrator wanted. In the scene where the narrator finally realizes that Tyler is him, Tyler says most importantly, I am free in all the ways you are notpeople do it every day, they talk to themselves, they see themselves as who they like to be, they dont have the courage you have to just run with it. (Fincher). The birth of Tyler gave the freedom to the narrator to become who he wants to be. The lack of name for the narrator suggests how the focus is not on the narrator himself but for all men in general. Through that, Tyler not only gave the narrator freedom but also to all men. Tyler help created Fight Club which allowed men to have their hysterical outburst through fighting. Also, Tylers homework also gave men moments to express their femininity through the destruction of materials that represent capitalist patriarchy. Fight club was not the only solution for men to express their femininity, Tylers creation of Project Mayhem and the goal of the project help give freedom to men through the destruction of patriarchy. The goal of Project Mayhem was to destroy many high rise corporation skyscrapers. In the end, the goal was succeed when the narrator and Marla stand hand in hand watching the fall of the buildings. This scene portrays the fall of patriarchy where the buildings, as Michelle Ferris suggests, represent patriarchy through the symbol of phallic power. The narrator and Marla standing hand in hand watching this fall shows how men and women, as one and not separate gender roles, watches this fall. Tylers goal of the destruction of patriarchy is similar to the actions of Hydes killing of a patriarch, the M.P. Sir Danvers Carew, and in his defacement of both Jekylls pious books and the portrait of his father. (69). Throughout time, the social norms of gender roles shifted and a prominent time of that shift is during the late nineteenth century when the idea of New Women emerged. However, many focus on the masculinity expressed by women but what about the blurring of gender in men?

Robert Louis Stevensons Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde introduces the emerging blur in the lines of gender roles and femininity in men through the character of Mr. Hyde. The action of being hysterical, which is usually seen and associated with women, is expressed through Mr. Hydes actions. The rejection of patriarchy is only introduced in a subtle way in this novel but in the film Fight Club, the rejection of patriarchy and the idea of femininity in men are acted upon and fully expressed through hysterical outburst. The birth of Tyler and his goals paved way to allow men to express their femininity and end patriarchy.

Word Count: 2,218 Work Cited:

Cohen, Ed. "Hyding The Subject?: The Antinomies Of Masculinity In The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde."Novel: A Forum On Fiction 37.1/2 (2003): 181. Biography Reference Bank (H.W. Wilson). Web.

Doane, Janice, and Devon Hodges. "Demonic Disturbances Of Sexual Identify: The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr/S Hyde." Novel: A Forum On Fiction 23.1 (1989): 6374. Humanities International Complete. Web.

Ferris, Michelle. "Unmarked Men: Feminism in Fight Club."Hungry Chef. Wordpress, 26 May 2010. Web. <http://myspork.wordpress.com/essays-prose/unmarked-men-feminism-in fight-club/>.

Fincher, David, dir. Fight Club. 20th Century Fox, 1999. DVD.

Stevenson, Robert Louis. Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: A Norton Critical Edition. Ed. Katherine Linehan. New York: W.W. Norton, 2003. Print.