Lord Of The Flies Gender Stereotypes

appearance, because when it comes to playing important roles in the story, they are subordinate to other races.

3.2. Stereotypes of females in The Lord of the Rings trilogy Critics argue that The Lord of the Rings trilogy is a long time object of major criticism when it comes to the representation of female gender. The biggest problem in Tolkien’s bestseller is the lack of female characters, their insignificance and their passive role in the story. What strikes every reader is the fact there are no female members of the Fellowship. Moreover, not only are they absent from the plot, but also non-existent among some races. It is very hard to spot more than one or two female genders when reading about different races and even if Tolkien mentions

For example, when he presents Arwen, the future Queen of Gondor, he states: “and on the evening of Midsummer Aragorn, Arathorn’s son, and Arwen daughter of Elrond went to the fair hill, Cerin Amroth, in the midst of the land, and they walked unshod on the undying grass with elanor and niphredil about their feet” (The Lord of the Rings 1060). At another point, he states: “and the stars flamed in the sunlight, for they were wrought of gems by Arwen daughter of Elrond” (The Lord of the Rings 847). Elrond is a “half-elven, Lord of Rivendell, one of the mighty Elf-rulers of old who lived in Middle-earth from the First Age to the beginning of the Fourth Age. He was the father of Arwen Undomiel, lover of Aragorn II Elessar” (“Elrond”). It can be concluded that the position of females in the society had to be based on the important role of their male ancestors. Such a narration only emphasizes the importance of heroic men rather than women in the

Critics argue that her role in the trilogy can be compared to the very stereotypical role of women in the Victorian and early 20th-century, which portrays a woman as simply an addition for a man. It can be assumed that they were created to provide motivation and support for members of the Fellowship, especially Aragorn, who after finishing his quest, gets rewarded by taking the throne and marrying Arwen. Her life in the whole story is very passive, as she does not participate in any of the battles, and spends most of her time at home, preparing the banner of Rivendell for Aragorn, which can be concluded from the following fragment: “she [Lady of Rivendell] wrought it in secret, and long was the making. But she also sends word to you: The days now are short. Either our hope cometh, or all hope’s end. Therefore I send thee what I have made for thee. Fare well, Elfstone!” (The Lord of the Rings 775). This, once more, shows that her main, passive, role was to motivate and inspire Aragorn as he paves his way to the throne. However, the love that Arwen bestowed on Aragorn is not happily received by her parents, because Elves had strict rules about mixing with other, inferior races. Arwen, even though she loved Aragorn, could not marry him without sacrificing her immortality, which every Elf possessed as a gift from the god. This presents the similarity between Victorian