The significance of female characters in influencing narrative outcomes

Women in Novellas

Gender, as opposed to the physical classification of sex, has always been based upon societal construct. The current psychology of the masses dictates what proper or improper behavior for the given genders is. Things have progressed, but there is still a vast difference between the roles and responsibilities of males and their female counterparts. The conflict of the modern age often stems from an intersection of gender and ethical dilemmas, both based upon societal rules. Fictional characters are written by flesh and blood human beings. Thus, the norms of the social order will bleed into their fictional creations. Female characters in a fictional work will have the same gendered notes as a human being. If they do not prescribe to the norms of their given gender, it is always for an artistic purpose which functions as the purpose of the piece. Gabriel Garcia Marquez's Chronicle of a Death Foretold, Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye, and Franz Kafka's "The Metamorphosis" use the gender of their fictional protagonists to further the story and to make a comment on how society views and fuels stereotypical depictions of gender both in the real world and in works of fiction.

In Gabriel Garcia Marquez's Chronicle of a Death Foretold, an entire village is aware that some brothers are going to murder a member of their community, but no one does anything to stop the murder. The brothers are going to murder Santiago Nasar for having sex with their sister. She was to be married and because she was no longer a virgin, her husband returned her to the family, thus causing her and her family great shame (Marquez 21). The only value that the woman has in this community is as a wife. She is only worthy to fulfill this singular role if she was steadfast enough to keep her virginity until marriage. The sister did not do this. Because she became sexually active before her marriage, she no longer has value in the community. The rest of the story is about the vengeance that the brothers seek for her deflowering. In a larger sense, this a comment about the anger of the family against the entire community. Their loved one has no value and rather than blame her for her choices, they blame the community who would put her into this position.

In Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye, a young girl is also victimized by the way society dictates her behavior. This child is doubly victimized because not only is she female, but she is black in a particularly racist community. Although she is made subordinate because of her race, she is doubly marginalized because of her gender. She notes of her community that "the woman whose reputation was spotless, and who tended to her family, who didn't drink or smoke or run around" are the only ones who are valued (Morrison 56). Women not only have to adhere to the best behaviors, they cannot have even the smallest of vices if they hope to be accepted.

This theme is also present, though more subtly in Franz Kafka's "The Metamorphosis." This story is about Gregor Samsa, a young man who mysteriously turns into an insect one night while he sleeps. For a long time Gregor was the only source of income for the family and now that he is a giant but, his mother, father, and sister Grete, all have to adapt as best they can. Without Gregor's income, the financial future of the family then falls to Grete. As a woman, the only potential economic value she has is as a wife to a wealthy man. At the end of the story, after Gregor has died, the mother and father actually look at Grete and appraise her physical features to determine what kind of man they think she can acquire.