The lines “American literature is male. To read the canon of what is currently considered classic American literature is perforce to identify as male . . . Our literature neither leaves women alone nor allows them to participate. It insists on its universality at the same time that it defines universality in specifically male terms (xii), brought to mind Mitra’s comments about Walt Disney’s films and the book series Twilight.
As we well know, Disney portrays the female protagonist as helpless and needing to be rescued by a “prince charming” or not so charming as in “Beauty and the Beast.” In the film “Mulan” the protagonist had to disguise herself as a man in order to save the “world” then Disney has her marry the prince as if she is the prize for a well fought battle.
It is not just the canonical texts or the old fairytales and storybooks that perpetuate the dominance of the patriarchal perspective. Stephanie Meyer’s block buster books and movies has the female protagonist, Bella, in an abusive relationship thereby making stalking, vandalizing a lover’s car, isolating one from friends, and controlling what doctor one sees as protective and romantic. Not to mention making it seem okay to watch one sleep without permission or knowledge—very creepy!
I have yet to figure out why the male population is so fearful of the female population. Yes, this is a sweeping statement. And yes, there are many men who treat women with respect and equity but overall women in society are still battling for respect, which leads me back to the thought that men fear women and/or what women represent. What is really sad is woman like Stephanie Meyers who perpetuate the dominance of man over woman under the guise of romanticism in her books.
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