Women and Their Roles in Male Based Novels

Women are portrayed very differently in both Brokeback Mountain and Fight Club. Because these are mostly male based novels, the roles these women play are very different from the roles of women in previous novels we have read for this class. Especially in Fight Club, it seems that female characters were kind of thrown into the story, just to have women present.

In Brokeback Mountain, there are the roles of Alma and Lureen. These two women play typical wives…they take care of the kids, have a job and provide for the family, but they don’t ever seem to have any control over their husbands. They are portrayed almost as someone for Ennis and Jack to fall back on…their purpose is so that the men feel like they are in a traditional marriage. And even though Alma knows what it going on with Ennis and Jack, her role in society makes her keep her mouth shut, and she is powerless. By saying anything, she may have risked the lives of herself and her children, and she would never have been able to support herself without Ennis.

In Fight Club, the main female character is Marla, who is placed in the novel almost as a sex object. Her sole purpose is sleeping with Tyler. She is not told about any of the plans involving fight club, and therefore neither Tyler nor the narrator have any sense of emotional affection for her. The other woman in Fight Club is Chloe, whose one wish before she dies is to have sex a final time. Again, she is portrayed as a sexual being. And while she may not have gotten her wish, that is only because she was too hideous and sick for anyone to want or be attracted to.

Neither of these novels seem to portray women as if they are equal to men, and they are certainly not seen in a good light. But then again, what do you expect from male based stories?