Gender Roles In Dorothy Allison's Bastard Out Of Carolina

Gender Roles in Bastard Out of Carolina
In Dorothy Allison’s novel Bastard Out of Carolina, the main character Bone suffers intense traumas that force her to mature far too quickly. The other women of the Boatwright family, have experiences similar traumas throughout their lives and have also suffered the consequences. The events that the Boatwright women have dealt with have led them to take on the roles of both caregiver and breadwinner for their families. These challenges also forced them to subvert the traditional gender roles of the mid-20th century American South by becoming rough and tough in opposition to the soft femininity that was expected from ladies. The women of the Boatwright family use subversion of gender roles to seize power
Bone was never particularly girly to begin with, even her nickname is not feminine. Vincent King states that “Bone, while not a particularly masculine name, is gender neutral, further separating “Ruth Anne” from her identity as a woman” (127). Bone is already rowdy and boyish by the time the first instance of sexual abuse takes place, but she adopts increasingly boyish behavior to cope with the increasing frequency and intensity of Glen’s abuse. Ideally for Glen, Bone would be quiet, powerless, and easy to control; just like it is expected a of a woman. In reality, Bone is none of those things. In her essay on southern life, Jocelyn Hazelwood Donlon states that “In order to survive, Bone must violate middle-class and heterosexual traditions that our culture authorizes but have failed her so miserably” (150). She violates these traditions by: wearing short hair and boyish clothing, displaying anger and aggressive behavior, and develops a masturbation habit and violent sexual fantasies at an early age. Bone has a vivid fantasy life to help her escape from her own cruel reality. This fantasy life presents her as violent, a traditionally masculine trait, where she is brutalized in front of an audience while she remains defiant against letting Glen know how much he’s hurting her. “In my imagination I was proud and defiant. I'd stare back at him with my teeth set, making no sound at all, no shameful scream, no begging. Those who watched admired me and hated him” (84). As the story progresses, the fantasies get more violent to the point where she imagine s murdering Glen. By presenting her physical appearance as traditionally masculine, and engaging in a rich fantasy life where she can get revenge on Glen, Bone is subverting traditional femininity and allowing herself a respite and a small amount of power over her