When I began reading Queenpin, I thought to myself, "the author is going to beat the hell out of the idea that a woman will do this." Therefore, I assumed I was going to read a book where a woman struggles to do things because she is a woman. However, I was pleasantly surprised. This novel didn't really focus on the fact that the protagonist was a woman. Yes, it was obviously made it known and few comments were made on it, but I honestly believe this novel would be almost the same if the protagonist was a man.
The only real focus I can think of that stressed the fact our narrator was a woman, was the focus on her looks. In order to be in the business, she had to look the part, dressing sexy and sophisticated all the time. I could be wrong, but I don't exactly remember another instance in the works we studied where our male protagonist needed to dress a specific way (except for perhaps Tom Ripley). Other than that, the male and female protagonists we studied in class really aren't that different. They all struggle in their ways and have their pressures. Hell, the narrator in Queenpin even had her own "femme fatale" in Vic. The narrator could have been a male and Vic could have been Victoria and I really don't see anything happening differently. This is an interesting choice for the author to make, but It made me enjoy the novel more.
I to an extent agree. I obviously, as in my other post thought that the females had to work harder but we saw how that went over ;)
ReplyDeleteI like your point that the protagonists are similar especially with the fact that the narrator had her own femme fatale. Also I like that you point out that all of our characters have pressures and struggles, whether they are female or male. It doesn't necessarily matter what it is but that it exists.
The only other difference I think there is besides the focus on appearance is I don't think any of the other protagonists had to be careful with their sexuality. Gloria clearly thinks that sex is a weakness because she is a woman, which I agree with in the situation they are in.(Besides maybe Tom...)
I feel like this comment may have been rambly (not a word) but it's late and I'm studying for the final.
This may be stretching my theory a bit, but I think there might be more gender differences in Queenpin than we realize. My point being it's not just the way the protagonist looks, it's also the way she acts. When I think of the protagonist's role in Gloria's world, I think of two things: her ability to manipulate, and her ability to go unseen. She undoubtedly uses her sex (and yes, her looks) to manipulate the men she deals with, if for no other reason than to tease them. She uses a woman's charm to get what she wants. Regarding her ability to go unseen, the first scene at the racetrack springs to mind; had it not been for Gloria's plant, she would have stayed invisible the entire race and not spoken a word to anyone. Again, this seems to come from her status as a woman, simply because society tends to think of women as the quieter, less obnoxious gender.
ReplyDeleteI'm not denying that men can't act the way I just described; I'm just suggesting these are generally more womanly qualities. And based on that, I don't know that I can imagine Queenpin with a lead male.
I completely agree with Nicholette. The gender difference within Queenpin definitely exists. Gloria and the narrator use their feminine wiles in the way that only females can and, hey, more power to them. In the hard-boiled rough and tumble world of noir, anything to grasp at power goes. Kudos ladies.
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