Manga and the Intended Audience: An Analysis of the Gender Diversity in Boy Princess and Wandering Son
This literary analysis will analyze the theme of gender diversity in the characterization of individuals that have to adapt to stereotypical heterosexual orientations in Boy Princess by Seyoung Kim and Wandering Son by Shimura Takako. In Boy Princess, a young prince must pretend to be a princess (after the real princes has eloped) in order to fulfill a marriage commitment by his father, the king. Kim’s (2006) text defines the intension of influencing the audience into accepting gender diversity in the various roles that the prince plays when he pretends to be a girl. This is also true of Shimura’s (2002) manga story in Wandering Son, which
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In this story, a young prince has been forced to dress up like a princess to fulfill a martial promise that broken by his sister, the princess. In this embarrassing situation, the prince must learn to accept his duty and follow his father’s commands. The plot describes the initial struggle of the prince to behave like a girl, which is confusing for him. However, Kim (2006) chooses to present an important scene in which a bully threatens him (thinking he is a girl) with a sword, yet he effectively thwarts the individual with a large stick: “Shut up—make a sound and you all get slain.” After this threat, the boy princess gets up and grabs a large branch and smacks that bully across the face with it. After the boy princes has humbled the bully, he expresses the idea of gender diversity in this masculine act: “I’ve had training in sword fighting, too” (Kim 9). In this scene, Kim (2006) is presenting the physical presentation of a “girl”, yet the act of sword fighting also emasculates the boy princess at the same time. In this manner, the intended audience has been informed that boys and girls can switch their identities without losing their …show more content…
In Boy princess, the young prince must learn to adapt to appearing as a girl, yet he expresses gender diversity by accomplishing feats, such as sword fighting, that defy the stereotypical limitations that are imposed on girls in terms of masculine behavior. More so, the boy princess is able to accept and endure his role as a “princess”, which shows Kim’s (2006) intention of informing the audience of the validity of gender diversity. In Wandering Son, Shuichi’s desire to become a girl is counted by Yoshiko’s desire to be a boy, which allows them to nurture and support each other’s gender choices. Shimura (2002) informs the reader that Shuichi and Yoshiko are examples of gender diversity, which should be tolerated in opposition to teenage heterosexual stereotypes of male and female behaviors. These manga stories define the underlying theme of gender diversity as a way to inform the reader of the different gender roles that male and female boys can enact in a predominantly heterosexual culture. Kim and Shumira presents important scenes that show the interaction of gender diversity as defined in the characterization of individuals that choose to oppose heterosexual gender norms through the medium of
Women pageant queens think they are supposed to represent the ideal of female beauty. The tomboy is especially associated with childhood and is defined by the girlhood performance of masculinity. As Michele Abate noted, “The traits most Americans are likely to name as constitutive of this code of tomboy conduct include proclivity for outdoor play (especially athletics), a feisty independent spirit, and a tendency to don masculine clothing and adopt a boyish nickname” (Abate). What does it mean to be a boy in children’s literature and the kind of varieties of boys that are represented? J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series typically features a social, educational, and physical dangers of school life that provide opportunities for adventure, mischief, and exploration. This collection of experiences allows boys to enact traditional forms of boyhood while practicing many of adult men’s culture and the ability to plan out schemes. Not all boys in children’s literature fit these conventional models of the physically robust athlete, hearty survivalist, or mischievous bad boy. Children’s literature also includes boys such as Laure in Little Women, who are described as sensitive, saintly, sickly, or effeminate. The literary and popular texts help understand expectations of boyhood and the insight into contemporary constructions of
This paper will look at the different conceptions highlighted by Bulman in his article through the use of different methods used by the actors in the play. Twelfth Night, by William Shakespeare captures the different conceptions of gender identity and different sexualities within the Elizabethan period.
Genres are one of the first things readers look at to help determine whether or not a book should be read. Although there are many similarities between the genres shounen (manga intended for males) and shoujo (manga intended for females) that make a manga seem like it could be either genre, there are differences that are meant to distinguish between their respective audiences. As a more specific example, the shared themes of fighting, love, and superhuman powers as well as the character in Black Cat and Sailor Moon suggest a similar genre and audience; however, upon closer inspection, subtle differences between the use of these themes and characters in each manga reveal that the intended audiences are the opposite.
For this engagement essay the article Mean Ladies: Transgenders Villains in Disney Films by Amanda Putnam and the chapter “Someday My Prince Will Come”: Disney, the Heterosexual Imaginary and Animated Films by Carrie L. Cokely will summarized, analyzed, and engaged with using the Queer analytical framework.
In James Poniewozik's "The Princess Paradox" (323-325) the author explains how the idea of a feminist, independent woman becoming a fairy tale princess is a paradox and that society is engaging in a paradox through the belief of it. He utilizes the recent bout of Cinderella retellings to show the paradox of how girls cannot be both completely independent and a fairytale princess, and yet society perpetuates the paradox through believing that this is not only possible, but realistically attainable as well. Poniewozik exposes the contradictions that surround these new Cinderellas to defy these "realistic" stories that society has come to embrace. By showing how truly constrictive and illogical these fantasies are, Poniewozik also shows how hypocritical society has become for idolizing them and why this new princess is a true paradox.
In multiple instances throughout the film, female characters violate gender norms by acting as both warriors and leaders because they are adapting typically masculine traits. In the film, women are the majority of the labor force at iron town. The men are merely there to do the labor that needs the most physical power. “Americans oversimplify Japanese women as demure, submissive, and oppressed” (Kyu Hyun, 2002, 38). This quote shows that the stereotype of women in Japanese culture had been just like the western perspective where they were below men. This quote also shows that Princess Mononoke reverses the gender role from being submissive to being above men. Another quote that supports that women were not submissive says that “the young unmarried women in Japan have become a powerful group, demographically and economically” (Kyu Hyun, 2002, 39). The women who were in the upper class society of Japan had time on their hands and we know this because they had time to write literature. “Most of the canonical work from this period was produced by women of the upper social class” (Varner, 2005,
“Boys will be boys, and girls will be girls”: few of our cultural mythologies seem as natural as this one. But in this exploration of the gender signals that traditionally tell what a “boy” or “girl” is supposed to look and act like, Aaron Devor shows how these signals are not “natural” at all but instead are cultural constructs. While the classic cues of masculinity—aggressive posture, self-confidence, a tough appearance—and the traditional signs of femininity—gentleness, passivity, strong nurturing instincts—are often considered “normal,” Devor explains that they are by no means biological or psychological necessities. Indeed, he suggests, they can be richly mixed and varied, or to paraphrase the old Kinks song “Lola,” “Boys can be girls and girls can be boys.” Devor is dean of social sciences at the University of Victoria and author of Gender Blending: Confronting the Limits of Duality (1989), from which this selection is excerpted, and FTM: Female-to-Male Transsexuals in Society (1997).
Even in today’s society, sexism is still prevalent and inhibits the people who are affected by it. For the purpose of this essay, sexism will be defined as any action that consciously contributes to a gender stereotyping society. In her essay, Marilyn Frye notes this definition of sexism stating that “making decisions on the basis of sex reinforces the patterns that make it relevant” (846). Therefore, any decision that contributes to the gender binary and its framework is considered sexist. The musical Gypsy has instances in which the main character, Rose, can be considered both going against and contributing to the “patterns that make sex relevant.” In one scene, Rose can be seen subjecting her children to gender roles which feeds in to sexism,
Despite countless forms of media productions many characters fall into predictable and often unnecessary binary tropes. Gender and social norms have been constructed through media and as such are maintained by the media. Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun, the anime based off of Izumi Tsubaki’s original manga, dismantles gender norms by going against social construction of a binary system. The series goes against such norms and provides ample alternatives by looking at the characters of Kashima Yuu and Momotaru Mikoshiba, as well as the relationship between Yuzuki Seo and Hirotaka Wakamatsu. Each of these characters addresses the humanist theory of feminine theory.
In Alice Munro’s “Boys and Girls,” there is a time line in a young girl’s life when she leaves childhood and its freedoms behind to become a woman. The story depicts hardships in which the protagonist and her younger brother, Laird, experience in order to find their own rite of passage. The main character, who is nameless, faces difficulties and implications on her way to womanhood because of gender stereotyping. Initially, she tries to prevent her initiation into womanhood by resisting her parent’s efforts to make her more “lady-like”. The story ends with the girl socially positioned and accepted as a girl, which she accepts with some unease.
The biological differences that set apart the male and female gender throughout any culture remain eminent. Men are perceived as the stronger and dominant gender; women play the role of the weaker. In each culture the expectation of the manner in which men and women behave are influenced by the ideals and customs of that culture. In most predominant cultures, the man undertakes the role as a leader, and the woman devotes her life to the husband. Throughout history, traditions and literature provide a template to the identities of various cultures. Sleeping Beauty’s classic tale of a beautiful princess takes a central precept that previous patriarchal archetypes dominated during the 17th Century. The archetypal perceptions of women resulted from conscious and unconscious literature influenced by male-dominated perspectives and social standards.
Norms in society do not just come about randomly in one’s life, they start once a child is born. To emphasize, directly from infancy, children are being guided to norms due to their parents’ preferences and choices they create for them, whether it is playing with legos, or a doll house; gender classification begins in the womb. A prime example comes from a female author, Ev’Yan, of the book “Sex, love,Liberation,” who strongly expresses her feelings for feminism and the constant pressure to conform to gender. She stated that “From a very young age, I was taught consistently & subliminally about what it means to be a girl, to the point where it became second nature. The Disney films, fairy tales, & depictions of women in the media gave me a good definition of what femininity was. It also showed me what femininity wasn’t (Ev’Yan).She felt that society puts so much pressure on ourselves to be as close to our gender identities as possible, with no confusion; to prevent confusion, her mother always forced her to wear dresses. In her book, she expressed her opinion that her parents already knew her gender before she was born, allowing them t...
As a newborn a gender is assigned, this gender being what you will be brought up as until you decide you want to bend the rules and change the roles, once more children realize they do not need to conform to the roles they develop a sense of love, confidence, and understanding for themselves and others. In Alice Munro’s “Boys and Girls” the theme of gender is an anchor that gives the story a deeper meaning and gives the reader insight on stereotyping and gender assignment among children. The genders are what develop the main character, her assumed gender or lack of show how she grows and acts throughout the story. Moreover, gender roles are very prominent and these stereotypes show the setting where the family lives. Lastly, the roles reveal
Throughout literature, authors employ a variety of strategies to highlight the central message being conveyed to the audience. Analyzing pieces of literature through the gender critics lens accentuates what the author believes to be masculine or feminine and that society and culture determines the gender responsibility of an individual. In the classic fairytale Little Red Riding Hood, the gender strategies appear through the typical fragile women of the mother and the grandmother, the heartless and clever male wolf, and the naïve and vulnerable girl as little red riding hood.
Many people think that boys in our culture today are brought up to define their identities through heroic individualism and competition, particularly through separation from home, friends, and family in an outdoors world of work and doing. Girls, on the other hand, are brought up to define their identities through connection, cooperation, self-sacrifice, domesticity, and community in an indoor world of love and caring. This view of different male and female roles can be seen throughout children’s literature. Treasure Island and The Secret Garden are two novels that are an excellent portrayal of the narrative pattern of “boy and girl” books.