Unveiling Conventional Narratives: The Subversion of

Stereotypical Gender Roles in “Rape Fantasies” (1977) by

Margaret Atwood and “The Captured Woman” (1982) by

Donald Barthelme.

Introduction

Margaret Atwood is a novelist and literary critic, with a long list of works credited under her name.

she explores a number of varied themes in her writings ranging from identity to philosophy. “Rape

Fantasies” (1977) is a short story that is part of his short story collection, “Dancing Girls and

Other Stories”. The story is narrated in the form of a dramatic monologue, revolving around

females describing the fantasies that they have regarding rape. The concept of rape is somewhat

romanticized in the story, as there is no violent behaviour present, just their hidden desires. Estelle,

the narrator, also tells her rape fantasies that have different contexts, none involving any type of

actual rape.

Donald Barthelme is a short story writer, mostly known because of the way he incorporates the

elements of postmodernism into his stories. “The Captured Woman” (1982) is a part of his short

story collection, “Sixty Stories”. The story is revolving around a woman being captured by a man

who keeps her locked in his house. There are no character names and the concept of capturing

women is talked about very casually. The woman is kept from her husband and children, tied to a

rope in the house.

The short stories, “Rape Fantasies” (1977) by Margaret Atwood and “The Captured Woman”

(1982) by Donald Barthelme, both have subversion of the stereotypical gender roles present in the

narrative. The reverse gender roles are responsible for depicting the ideas of the subjectivity of

gender and the way gender is a social construct, the ideas usually explored by postmodern

feminism. The male gender role, typically strong, dominant, and confident, becomes a weak,

submissive character in the story. The reversing of gender roles turns the female characters into

confident and strong-willed characters, having power over male characters and controlling them.

The stories aim to break the conventional gender roles that the culture and society have

constructed, making it clear that biology has nothing to do with the gender, and it is all related to

the performance and subjectivity.

The theme of subversion of gender roles is one that has been explored in many ways. Mashael and

Al-Sharqi in their article "The Subversion of Gender Stereotypes in Donald Barthelme’s Snow

White.", published in 2019, focus on the way the stereotypic gender roles have been reversed in

the short story. The male characters in the story are associated with female gender stereotypes and

female character with the male stereotypes. The conventional stereotypes are broken down and

instead new gender roles are formed. The article investigates how the gender roles, that are typical

and present in the original version of Snow White, are broken down and reversed in Barthelme’s

version of Snow White. (157-164).

In order to analyze the subversion of gender roles in the stories, Postmodern Feminist

theory is the best suited. Postmodern Feminism emerged at the end of twentieth century, deviating

from the conventional concepts of feminism and basing itself on the ideas of postmodernism.

Postmodernism is a literary movement that is characterized by its incredulity towards the Meta

narratives. Postmodernism has the characters like pastiche, irony, relativism, simulation, and
metafiction, etc. It rejects the idea of the universality and autonomy of many of the binaries and

identities. It rejects as well as accepts the ideas of modernism and realism.

Feminism is a movement which was the result of the dominance of male and the hold of

patriarchy over the society, politics, and culture. It advocates the rights of women in the male

dominated society. They fought to change the gender stereotypes, promoting the rights of females

in every field.

Postmodern Feminism breaks down the gender norms prevalent in the society that lead to

inequality between both the genders. The gender norms are destabilized by taking into account the

fact that there are differences among all women and not every woman is similar to the other,

highlighting the individualism of every woman in the society. Postmodern feminism believes these

gender norms in the society to be the extensions of the male notions of society and forming the

norms of hoe females should be depicted. It promotes the thought that gender is dependent on how

it is portrayed in the society and culture. Postmodern feminists are of the belief that the oppression

of women in the society is not related to their biology, but is there because of the way patriarchy

has marginalized women in the society. The oppression that women face in society is not the same

for every one of them, it differs on the basis of their race, sexuality, and age.

Judith Butler has influenced the field of postmodern feminism to quite a great extent,

putting forth the argument that gender is a construct of society, with the help of language. Butler

declines the idea that there is a difference that is natural between men and women in her book

“Gender Trouble” published in 1990. Butler believes that gender is not what is there at birth but

it is based on how someone behaves in society, "Rather than a stable signifier that commands the

assent of those whom it purports to describe and represent, women, even in the plural, has become

a troublesome term, a site of contest, a cause for anxiety."(Butler 4). She challenges the feminist
ideals of female gender being the same and grouping them in the same category. Butler gives the

idea of the subjectivity of gender roles, which can in turn lead to the gender roles, as constructed

by society, to be reversed into something different. This subversion of gender roles occurs when

women adopt the roles that are usually constructed for the male gender by the society, while men

adopt the opposite.

Mary Joe Frug has also been a great influence in the history of postmodern feminism. Frug

suggests that human language is where all the human experience is held. Language is powerful, as

it is responsible for changing the reality accordingly. Frug also gave the idea that sex, or gender,

is also formed because of how it is shaped by the language, instead of being natural. Frug also

believed gender and sex to be a product of culture and society, “however ‘natural’ and common

sex differences may seem, the differences between women and men are not biologically

compelled; they are, rather, ‘socially constructed.’” (Frug 1048). She explored the way stereotypic

gender roles are enforced on women, especially by the law, as the law is also under the rule of

patriarchy. Therefore, the gender roles are shaped by the higher authorities, like law and people in

society, instead of being natural.

The concepts of these two postmodernist feminist theorists will help in analyzing the

subversion of gender roles in both short stories, “Rape Fantasies” (1977) by Margaret Atwood

and “The Captured Woman” (1982) by Donald Barthelme.

Discussion

“Rape Fantasies” (1977) is a short story written by Margaret Atwood which revolves

around the fantasies that women have about rape. The characters in the novel are mainly four

women, talking about their own fantasies that they have about rape, narrated by Estelle, the narrator
of the story, in form of a dramatic monologue. She also narrates her own rape fantasies in the story.

Estelle is seen as being in the delusion that she is strong and able to stand her own against a man,

seen through the fantasies that she narrates. She feels that there should only be her own control

over her life. She is trying to delude herself into thinking that she is the dominant person and she

will be able to deflect any attempt of rape that would ever be done against her. There are many

element in the short story where the stereotypical gender roles are reversed, proving the genders

to be the product of shaping from the culture and society. Stereotypically, women are believed to

be only good wives and mothers, “they have these questionnaires like the ones they used to have

about whether you were a good enough wife” (Atwood 71). Women’s only job is to take care of

their household and be submissive. They are the ones who need to take care of the children, worry

about their husbands, and do all the household chores. They are not supposed to talk back, or be

aggressive. They are supposed to obey every command of the male in their families and society.

In the story, these typical roles are subverted; the very idea of rape and fantasizing about it is

associated with the male gender and the society believes in the stereotype. Typically, men are the

ones that are seen as having this kind of vile and disgusting thoughts, as raping someone. In the

short story, this role is reversed as the rape fantasies are associated with the female characters.

Females are the ones that are fantasizing about their own rapes, “‘Chrissy closes up the magazine

she’s been reading and says, “How about it, girls, do you have rape fantasies?’” (Atwood 72).

They are talking about rape as if it is a trivial matter, romanticizing it to fulfill the hidden wants

and desires that all the female characters have. The rape fantasies of these females is missing the

violent part that is the main feature of rape as they are only fantasizing about rape because of the

idea being appealing to them, leading to pouring out of their secret desires in form of fantasies.

Rape is not treated as part of the male role but instead something the female characters are
themselves imagining. The characters each take turn narrating their own rape fantasies, dislodging

the fact that rape is only associated with males in the society.

Estelle also narrates many of her rape fantasies, the content of which is reversing gender

roles in the story. In the first fantasy, she talks about how there would be a short, ugly man with

pimples, “For instance, I’m walking along this dark street at night and this short, ugly fellow comes

up and grabs my arm, and not only is he ugly, you know” (Atwood 75). She uses degrading

language and talks about aspects of beauty and appearance that are typically associated with the

female gender. She says the man is ugly and not some hero character from a movie who is

handsome. She talks with him as if he was nothing, the female character is portrayed as the

dominant one while he male is behaving in a submissive manner, “So I say, kind of disgusted, ‘Oh

for Chrissake,’ and he starts to cry. He tells me he’s never been able to get anything right in his

entire life, and this is the last straw, he’s going to go jump a bridge.” (Atwood75). The qualities

that are stereotypically associated with females in society, like crying, are given to the male

character in the story, successfully reversing gender roles. The female character is shown as having

dominance and strong personality, “‘Listen, I know how you feel. You really should do something

about those pimples, if you got rid of them you’d be quite good looking’” (Atwood 75). Things

like pimples are feature noticed in females, never in males. This subversion of characteristics

changes the gender roles. In another of her rape fantasies, she narrates how there is a guy with a

cold and she demeans him for coming to rape her in such a disgusting state, “I pass him the

Kleenex, god knows why he even bothered to get out of bed, you’d think if you were going to go

around climbing in windows you’d wait till you were healthier, right?” (Atwood 76). The male

gender roles are again reversed as the male character is not assertive at all, following the lead of

the female. The male has no opinion of his own, doing whatever Estelle tells him to do without
any resistance or objection. This shows the way female character has the commanding voice in the

story. The same kind of gender subversion can be seen when she narrates the story about a rapist

being in her garage. The scene is described in a very lighthearted manner, not taking the matter of

rape very seriously, trying to scare the man and confuse him by telling him false information about

the garage, “I couldn’t tell you at all what this man looks like but I know exactly what kind of

shoes he’s wearing,…they’re the old-fashioned kind that lace up the ankles, even though he’s a

young fellow. That’s strange, isn’t it?” (Atwood 76). The female is, once again, seen as taking the

lead and her role is not secondary to the man, instead she is the one who is in control of the

narrative. The male, on the other hand, is seen as being on the margins, not being able to take hold

of the situation or turn it in his favor. Females are portrayed as strong and independent while men

are the weak ones, not able to stand against the women, “I just go zap with my fingers into his eyes

and that’s it, he falls over, or I tip him against a wall or something.” (Atwood 76). Stereotypically,

men are the ones that are often times seen inflicting violence and abuse towards women, fighting

against them even though they are physically weak. In the story, the roles are subverted as the

female character, seen as the weaker gender, is the one being violent and acting out, fighting

against the male character who is supposedly strong. The story explicitly relies on the subversion

of the gender roles to convey the message of the subjectivity of gender and how gender depends

on the person and not their biology.

“The Captured Woman” (1982) is a short story written by Donald Barthelme, revolving

around the story of a man who has kidnapped some woman. The woman is being held captured by

the man in his house, tied by a rope with limited length and mobility. The idea of the kidnapping

is depicted as if it is a very casual thing in the story. Many other characters also talk about having

captured a woman of their own, or thinking about capturing one. The man listens to everything the
woman says and even lets her send a letter to her husband. In this story, again the female character

is the one who is in control of everything, ordering the male character around and telling him what

to do, “When I bring her back prints (still wet) she says they are not big enough.” (Barthelme 285).

The gender roles are reversed as the female becomes the centre and the male becomes

marginalized. It is like the female, despite being captured by the man, controls all the actions in

the house and everything the man does. The house is being operated according to the woman,

being full of her presence, “I make more prints using the smiling negatives. (I also shoot another

half dozen rolls.) Soon the house is full of her portraits, she is everywhere.” (Barthelme 286). The

traces of the woman are at every corner of the house, dominating the whole house with her mere

presence. The roles here are again subverted from the stereotypical roles assigned by the society.

The female character is not shy and submissive, she knows when and how to state her opinion and

get what she wants from the male character. The woman is strong willed and confident, “She is a

wonderful woman and knows herself to be wonderful” (Barthelme 289). The qualities generally

considered male appropriate are assigned to the female character. She is portrayed as having

confidence in her abilities and the strength of mind. The male character is portrayed as the

complete opposite of the female counterpart. The male figure behaves in a very submissive way,

taking instructions from the woman and doing what she asks without question. The roles are again

reversed when the male character is seen as the one seeking the approval of the female character,

“She tells me what and how… Once I made an X with masking tape at a place on the floor where

we'd made love. She laughed when she saw it. That is, I am sometimes able to amuse her.”

(Barthelme 289). Stereotypically, women are the ones always running behind the male figures,

trying to impress them, gain their approval, or vying for their attention, but in the story, the gender

roles are reversed. The female is the one acting indifferent and cold while the male is trying to do
everything in his power to amuse her. The female character again reverses the gender roles as she

is the one who is kidnapped, but still she acts violently towards the male character. She behaves in

a very aggressive manner towards the man, “What does she think of me? Yesterday she rushed at

me and stabbed me three times viciously in the belly with a book, the Viking Portable Milton.”

(Barthelme 289). Typically, women are supposed to be kind, gentle, and caring, while men are the

ones that are quick to anger, aggressive, and abusive. In the story, the woman is portrayed as

anything but weak. She is the one who is strong in every sense of the word, challenging the male

authority who has captured her and locked her in a room. The male, on the other hand, is the

complete opposite. His role is reversed and he is depicted as someone weak who is unable to

defend himself against a woman. The masculinity of the male character is completely diminished

and degraded to nothing by reversing the gender roles. Even after violence and humiliation, the

female is the one in control and decides what will happen or not, “I knelt by her side and touched

her lightly. She smiled and said, not now.” (Barthelme 289). The action of kneeling is never

typically associated with men, as it is seen as degrading and a sign of showing submission. By

making the man kneel by the woman’s side, the author has reversed the gender roles and given the

male a submissive role, positioning the female at a higher position and marking her dominance.

Another aspect that can be seen as reversing the gender roles is the portrayal of the male as anxious

and vulnerable. The feelings of anxiety are often associated with females but here, they are used

in the context of male character. He becomes anxious because of the inattention from the woman

that he captured and bites his thumb to the point of extracting blood. The male is also seen washing

dishes and doing housework, the jobs that women do, which reverses their gender roles, “I go into

the kitchen and begin washing the dishes-the more scutwork you do, the kindlier the light in which

you are regarded.” (Barthelme 293). The household chores are all done by him, making him the
marginalized character, female the central. The female has all the authority, she was the one who

was kidnapped but at the end, the man is the one who becomes captured by the woman, “‘I have

captured him,’ … ‘Wait a minute. That's not how it works.’ ‘I changed the rules,’ …‘I will be

happy to give you a copy of the new rules which I have written out here on this legal pad.’”

(Barthelme 293). The female character becomes the one ruling the house, creating all the rules and

making the man follow them, completely subverting the gender roles.

Conclusion

The short stories, “Rape Fantasies” (1977) by Margaret Atwood and “The Captured

Woman” (1982) by Donald Barthelme have the incorporation of the elements of subversion of

gender roles and how it changes the stereotypes that are typically created by the society and culture.

Both the stories bend the conventional gender roles associated with male and female, changing the

way the men are stereotyped as strong and dominant, and women as weak and submissive. The

stories show the other side of these gender roles, unveiling how the gender is not related to the

nature and biology of a person, instead it depends on the actions that the person performs, be it

male or female. The male characters in the stories show how the roles are reversed as they are

portrayed as submissive, with the association of qualities typical of the female gender. They are

humiliated and degraded while the female characters are depicted as strong-willed and dominating,

controlling the narrative of the story and making the male characters do what they are asked to do.

The subversion of gender roles in these stories helps in breaking the stereotypes that the society

has created and are prevalent in culture. The subversion of gender roles helps in understanding the

way that gender is constructed by the society according to the needs and wants of society, when in

reality, it is mostly dependent on the inner feelings and performativity of the person.
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