The construction, deconstruction and re-establishment of the female stereotype : An analysis of The Playboy of the Western World by J.M.

Synge

The objective of this presentation is to discuss the representation of the female in the play The Playboy of the Western World by J.M. Synge. The progression of the analysis takes the path of portraying how the stereotype of the female is constructed, deconstructed and reestablished within the play through main female characters such as Pegeen and Widow Quinn as well as the girls and Widow Casey. CONSTRUCTION of the gender stereotype Construction of the feminine stereotype could be discussed through the psychology of the female characters as well as the gender specific roles performed by them. Psychology The stereotype of the female psyche is portrayed through characters as frightened, irrational, manipulated, vulnerable to romance or romantic notions. Roles Gender roles are traditionally assigned the female as the worker, the daughter, the protector and the widow in the play. DECONSTRUCTION of the stereotype Within the normative patriarchy of the play there is an emerging matriarchy. Kiberd says that there is a masculinization of women and a corresponding feminization of men (175). This establishment of the matriarchy through role reversal leads to female empowerment and authority. The females in the play manipulate the momentum or the development of the plot.

REESTABLISHMENT of the gender roles within the norm Even though the play does bend gender lines as Wilson says, the end of the play renders the normative construct of the patriarchy by empowering Christy and establishing the female within the stereotypical boundaries. CONCLUSION In conclusion, it can be stated that in the play The Playboy of the Western World Synge constructs the stereotypical female through his characters while deconstructing the same stereotypes by empowering them over the masculine in the play. However, the order is established again when the gender roles are re-posited within their conventional boundaries.

Works Cited Casey, D.J. John Millington Synge: A Life Apart. Ed. Kopper, E.A. A. J.M. Synge Literary Companion: Connecticut, 1988. Print. Kiberd, Declan. Inventing Ireland. London: Random House, 1996. Google Book Search. Web. 10 Mar. 2013 Synge, J.M. The Playboy of the Western World. Cork: Mercier Press, 1974, Print. Tenorio, E.H. The playboy of the western world: The subversion of a traditional conception of Irishness? Journal of Literary Studies. 425-455. 1999. Web. 10 Mar. 2013. Wilson, Christina, Representations of Women in the Abbey TheatreChrestomathy: Annual Review of Undergraduate Research, 5: 291-332. Charleston: College of Charleston, 2006. Web. 10 Mar. 2013.