Gender construction in Balzacs Sarrasine

Euglent Zeqaj

Who is to say that the two main characters are culturally constructed? I would like to support my
idea, by saying that everywhere can be seen a kind of power relation between things or human
beings. It is known that there are poems that give different descriptions for one thing and then
other poems that give other descriptions for that thing. It is known that there is a super that
someone has and another doesnt. That is the case of Sarrasine and not only but many others.
What is showed, up to now is that there is a male dominated society and gendered and thats how
Sarrasine may deal with. In everyday life the generalization is used as a device to break the
balance or to build it again. Every one of us might know that there are stereotypes for everyone
of us. Thus these stereotypes complete the completeness. But does there actually appear a gender
construction? To my opinion there is a certainty of gender construction spotted at Balzacs
novella.
First of all, it is seen at this novella that every character is stereotyped. It is the case of
Zambinella which is described as a beautiful, sensitive, and successful woman and actress. Then
are the adjectives that best describe the stereotypes of Sarrasine where he is showed as good-
looking, serious, and sensitive, all that feelings that a man has. Not only that good qualities
because she is also implied as an immoral artist as a dangerous one as far as provides Sarrasines
death. That is also as a woman is mainly known. There can be found the feminine and the
masculinity at the novel in the confrontation for example between Zambinella and Sarrasine. It
is the moment when he says that I love you and I will take you to Paris as a fall-in-love man.
And she as a woman is characterized as a tough, unfathomable girl who rejects his offer. This
was woman herself, with her sudden fears, her irrational whims, her instinctive worries, her
impetuous boldness, her fussings, and her delicious sensibility. She is an artist that everyone
should pay attention. Sarrasine falls in love with her and her determination as a woman seems to
be. So what is easily identified there is the description of those general figures as man and
woman as a feminine and as masculinity.
Secondly, in the novel is repeated the idea of the male dominated society effect. In the
novella the male domination can be spotted at the case of Zambinellas pardon as he uses her to
play at the theatre and to give him the money. That is seen at the relation that exists between the
male and the female for the power. And he wants the money to be as powerful at his system
and that system might be compared as his social circle. The critics say that the way the pardon
uses him to perform out of his voice is like a treat-as-a-slave phenomena that was used times ago
at the women. It is understandable that he cant believe that she is a man and tries to kill her as
he was the most powerful one. There is a limitation of freedom especially for the woman.
Since from the beginning, the girl used to perform, was only limited to her performances and not
to outside life. Then we have the Zambinella which is the most secret woman in the France and
as unknown person. That shows the transformation from private to public. The Sarrasines force
used at Zambinella is like the power that a man does actually use to show his power. It is also
seen the male dominated society at the case of the party that she took part in and there were
mainly men and a few women. So, the idea is that everything in the novella seems to come
around mans central figure.
Moreover, we can see the generalizations that Balzac uses at this kind of novel. What I want
to say its that Balzac tries to unbalance the neutral, tries to gender it. It has to do somehow with
the language used. The clear example is the case when he says I cried as vexed as an author for
whom someone has spoiled the effect of coup de theatre. Here the neutral is gendered and that
example is masculine gendering as it is a male-reference expression. Another instance is But
you are a Frenchman. That means that he deconstructs the neutral or the balance. Another
instance is when he says that Pure hearts have a fatherland in heaven. Still there is a masculine
gendering. What can be said is that in the novella is that, some aspects are originally gendered
and mainly as a masculine gendering.
To sum up, it is seen that Balzac at his novella shows a gender construction. It is known now
that the characters were stereotyped with their characteristics as far as those qualities best
described woman. It is the domination of the society by male that makes that poem looks as a
feminist approach. Then it is realized that the neutral is been gender either masculine or
feminine. Again do you now understand that there is a gender-construction role in the novella?

References
1. This was woman herself, with her sudden fears, her irrational whims, her instinctive
worries, her impetuous boldness, her fussings, and her delicious sensibility Barthes,
Roland. The death of the author. Page 1. http://www.tbook.constantvzw.org/wp-
content/death_authorbarthes.pdf.
2. There is a limitation of freedom especially for the woman Barthes, Roland. The
death of the author. http://www.tbook.constantvzw.org/wp-
content/death_authorbarthes.pdf.