ENG 328: The Novel to Jane Austen
Masculinity is presented on a range of levels throughout the texts of Oroonoko, Moll Flanders, and Pamela through the female perspective. Traditionally, masculinity is the display of attributes and behaviors that are common across men. Independence, leadership, courage, strength, and assertiveness are common traits associated with masculinity. Across the text, there is a pattern that masculinity was perceived as a noble resource and deemed valuable across the country. This is presented through the contrasting treatment of those of the female characters. Men who exhibited masculine traits of holding high status, bravery in war, and wealth were regarded as superior to femininity. As all three novels are narrated by women, two of which were primarily in subservient roles, the definitions of masculinity are deconstructed from our original notions of the term. The narrators manage to reverse the gender stereotypes of the main character as each perseveres through the societal molds to rewrite the definition of masculinity.
Pamela’s views on masculinity elicit a metamorphosis throughout the novel as she learns to take control of her own power. In the novel by Sam Richardson, Pamela recounts the tale of a young girl being sold to a subservient marriage to the older Mr. B. With the narrative being told through Pamela’s perception from her letters, we see her young mind attempting to make sense of the drastic changes placed upon her. One central theme throughout the novel is her willingness to maintain her virtue, at the expense of Mr. B’s requests. Pamela’s strong-willed nature shows when dismissing Mr. B as, “I will bear anything you can inflict upon me with Patience, even to the laying down of my Life, to shew my Obedience to you in other Cases; but I cannot be patient, I cannot be passive when my Virtue is at Stake!” (Richardson 138), upholding her resilience on the matter. This is the stepping stone to the gender stereotypes swapped between Mr. B and Pamela as Pamela resumes the dominant male in the relationship, leaving Mr. B as the submissive female.
From the unorthodox arrangement of their marriage, one would assume it is reversed as he is the older male and she is significantly younger. However, it is through their actions that the traditional gender tropes are rearranged. Pamela remains strong and virtuous against Mr. B’s persistent advances, as Mr. B is being presided over by Pamela. Mr. B shows traditional feminine traits of being overly emotional while throwing logic aside to win over Pamela. He constantly berates her with insults, ranting about her stubbornness, only for her to remain stern in her position. Contrasting the masculine traits of remaining level-headed and adamant about her stance, Pamela exhumed the male role in the relationship. As the novel contains themes of religion and morality, the two characters allude to Adam and Eve, maintaining the gender-swapped theme. With Mr. B, Eve, gives into temptation through curiosity, while corrupting Adam. Pamela mirrors Adam as their morality and virtuous nature were at the fault of Mr. B’s influence. Pamela once viewed masculinity as moral and just in comparison to her father. Once envisioned masculinity to maintain and uphold her virtuous nature, as society deemed it to be so, only to be met by Mr. B’s rebellious nature. It was through her relationship with Mr. B that she discovered a new form of masculinity, one which she feared. This toxic musicality Mr. B represented misrepresented her virtue, abused his authority, and disregarded any remaining idea of masculinity Pamela still held. It was up to her to create her own form of masculinity, rewrite it to suit herself, and take back her power.
Alpha Behn’s narrative, although the only novel with the most traditional sense of masculinity, presented a character with a balance of feminine and masculine traits. Behn described him with, a “spirit all rough and fierce, and that could not be tamed to lazy rest; … running, wrestling, pitching the bar, hunting, and fishing, chasing and killing tigers of monstrous size” (Behn 42). Prince Oroonoko was a warrior of his tribe, holding a high-ranking status, and was strong-willed in his morals. He was righteous and heroic in his fight against the King’s arrogant behavior. Oroonoko ideally exhibits all traditional masculine traits, yet breaks traditional gender stereotypes by Behn describing his feminine side. With the basis of the novel being a romance tale of Oroonoko and Imoinda, we see a softer side to the brave warrior we were originally introduced to. Behn used her female pen to write the side of Oroonoko, not seen by many, as the sentimental warrior with immense heartache over his love. “I have often heard him say that he admired by what strange inspirations he came to talk things so soft, and so passionate,…, until then unknown power instructed his heart and tongue in the language of love and at the same time in favor of him inspired Imoinda with a sense of his passion” (Behn 15). Behn manages to illustrate an overtly masculine character without concealing their immense passion and sentimental nature, contradicting traditional masculine traits.
Similar to the duality between Pamela and Mr. B, Oroonoko’s masculine-feminine traits outright contrast that of The King. The King, the grandfather to Oroonoko, kidnapped Imonedia and forced her into an arranged marriage. He abused her, raped her, and held her captive against Oroonoko’s demands. The King rules a highly patriarchal society where his word is the law. This power also evokes a toxic masculinity, similar to Mr. B, where they abuse their position of power going to great lengths to show their reach in status. The King lacks Oroonoko’s sense of honor and justice, which is why Behn contrasts the two characters. The two characters come from the same village, and both exhibit masculine traits, yet the two could not be more different. It is through Oroonoko’s masculine and feminine traits that we see the honorable leader he is to the tyrannical ruler of the King. Mascisulty, through Behn’s female pen, is defined by the actions of character rather than the gender.
In Moll Flanders, we are introduced to a capable young woman who is determined to find a wealthy husband. Flanders has been described as beautiful, resourceful, and confident in her sexuality. Similar to Pamela, Flanders is resilient to their unfortunate circumstances and manages to make due. Flanders’s origins begin with her mother giving birth to her while in prison, then sending her off to the colonies in hopes of a better life. It was this event that from then on in the narrative, she seeks a higher position for herself. At this time, women were only able to rise in society, economically or socially, either by marrying rich or being born into a wealthy family. She viewed potential masculine suitors as an addition, or an accessory, to boost her status. Mascunilinty was viewed as a reward, a prize to be earned. As men were deemed higher, she would try and marry higher. Unfortunately, this placed her in a submissive position to men.
Flanders was able to balance both feminine and masculine traits combatting gender stereotypes. The life of crime that Flanders led was primarily masculine, at that time, yet used her feminine traits to benefit her. Managing to excel in the criminal underbelly of London, “I told him I fared the worse for being taken in the prison for one Moll Flanders, who was a famous successful thief, that all of them has heard of, but none of them had ever seen”(DeFoe 234). Defoe alludes that women are seen as dependent and vulnerable, while men are self-sufficient and independent. As much as Flanders was dependent on finding an eligible suitor and making money, she was able to take care of herself. She was resourceful and was able to get by at times. The duality between Flanders’s masculine traits and feminine ideals creates a well-rounded character who maintains her own agency by rejecting gender stereotypes.
Masculinity was presented on a multitude of levels throughout the narratives. Behn captures masculinity at a noble and high standard, contrasting Pamela’s original views. Pamela had once feared masculinity as her perception of it was tarnished by her experience with Mr. B abusing her virtuous nature. By the end of the novel transforms into a strong-willed woman who is resilient. Moll Flanders viewed masculinity as a prize or a medal to raise her own status, only to gain those masculine qualities for herself. Leadership, independence, courage, and assertiveness were once known as masculine qualities are now used to describe the characters of our three novels. Masculinity is predominantly a gender-associated term aligning itself with males, but it was through these novels we can see that masculinity is universally shared. While the narrative used masculinity in different ways, they managed to rewrite the traditional definition creating well-rounded characters.
Works Cited
Behn, Aphra. Oroonoko: An Authoritative Text, Historical Backgrounds, Criticism. Edited by Joanna Lipking, W. W. Norton, 1997.
Foe, Daniel De. Moll Flanders: An Authoritative Text, Contexts, Criticism. Edited by Albert J. Rivero, W. W. Norton, 2003.
Richardson, Samuel. Pamela or Virtue Rewarded. Edited by William Merritt Sale, W.W. Norton, 1993.
Maya Young 