Gender Roles In Mary Shelley's Invasion Of The Body Snatchers

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Gender roles are something that society has only more recently brought to light, by the standards of basic human history. However, despite the every lasting desire for equality between men and women, the role of the man has been more dominant in a leadership or heroic role in entertainment business for as long as anyone can remember. This is clear in all forms of art and entertainment forms, from cartoons such as Superman to many historically famous books, like Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, that the reader/viewer sees a man taking on the major role as the entertainment purpose of the story. This is also evident in the 1956 science fiction thriller Invasion of the Body Snatchers, as the basic plotline follows a man out to save the world that …show more content…

However, well beneath the surface of the plotline, the viewer can also find himself or herself looking at a struggle for survival that is greatly affected by the roles of genders. Collins asks many questions regarding this; such as “If young girls do not see themselves reflected in media, will this diminish their sense of importance and self-esteem? Will boys conclude that women and girls are unimportant, as well? Will girls lack role models? Will adult women feel disenfranchised? Does the under-representation of women constrict societal perspectives and information in important ways?” (Collins). If Becky had not followed the standard gender role that the frame of time presented itself, she may have seen herself surviving the endeavor, despite almost no chance of her doing so. It is one of those things that today’s society may be glad to have moved past, because there is no reason for anyone to lose their life because they rely so heavily on the opposite

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