Victims Of Hegemonic Masculinity：a Study On Men’s Tragedy In Two Plays Of Tennessee Williams

Tennessee Williams (1911～1983) as the most eminent playwright after EugeneO’Neill has occupied a central place in American theatre. Since the premiere of AStreetcar Named Desire which endowed him with great reputation, TennesseeWilliams has been highly acclaimed for his portrayal of Southern belles who fallvictim to increasingly materialistic society. Therefore many critics explore the tragicfate of his female characters by employing different theories. Some point out thatfemale characters’ tragedies originate in the uneven gender relations between menand women. Yet in focusing on the tragedies of female characters in Williams’s plays,most scholars ignore that Williams expresses similar concern for the tragic fate of hisheroes who are inevitably subordinated to the wealthy and the powerful. Suchconcern figures prominently and conspicuously in two major plays of Williams’s:Orpheus Descending and Sweet Bird of Youth. The two plays, both of which deal withintense conflicts between different types of men, haven’t aroused due attention amongdomestic studies. So this thesis aims to delve into men’s tragedy in both plays andbring to light two distinct modes of masculinities and the fierce confrontationbetween them which leads to the tragedy by applying masculinity theory combinedwith a close examination of the historical context.Raewyn Connell is a famous Australian sociologist as one of the leadingscholars in the western masculinity studies. She developed the theory of masculinity.In her eyes, the definitions of masculinity are deeply enmeshed in the history ofinstitutions and of economic structures. In view of the interplay between gender, raceand class, R. W. Connell thinks there are multiple masculinities and she divides theminto four groups: hegemonic, subordinated, marginalized, and complicit masculinities.Connell insists that hegemonic masculinity ensures dominance over women and somegroups of men. It comes into existence in specific circumstances and is subject tohistorical changes. Therefore the hegemonic position is contestable. In order tomaintain its authority, the hegemonic masculinity always makes great efforts to fight against and even oppress other masculinities. In addition, another theorist Michael S.Kimmel states that there are three modes of masculinities in American historyincluding Heroic Artisan, Genteel Patriarch and Marketplace Masculinity.Two kinds of masculinities are foregrounded in the two plays: hegemonicmasculinity represented by Jabe in Orpheus Descending and Boss in Sweet Bird ofYouth and subordinated masculinity exemplified by Val and Chance. In OrpheusDescending the hero Val’s tragedy results from his challenge to hegemonicmasculinity and in Sweet Bird of Youth the hero Chance’s imitation of hegemonicmasculinity contributes to his destruction. Based on the analysis of the maleprotagonists’ tragedy in the two plays, the thesis tries to clarify Tennessee Williams’sviews on masculinities and to explore the origins of his views. Tennessee Williams’saversion to the hegemonic masculinity and his identification and sympathy with thesubordinated masculinity in marketplace system stem from his family background,romantic nature and homosexual identity. Though his plays are often accused of beingpervaded by violence and sex, Tennessee Williams is essentially a serious writerappealing unremittingly for understanding, respect and harmony not only betweenmen and women but also between men.