The Monster Is The Harbinger Of Category Crisis

Monster Culture (Seven Theses) by Jeffrey Jerome Cohen discusses the evolution of monsters and the place they hold within culture and society. Each of Cohen’s seven theses holds an important role with the connection into literature. Cohen’s third thesis, “The Monster Is the Harbinger of Category Crisis”, connects to Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. “The Monster is the Harbinger of Category Crisis” discusses how monsters fit into numerous categories and not one simple one. Cohen states, “This refusal to participate in the classificatory “order of things” is true of monsters generally: they are disturbing hybrids whose externally incoherent bodies resist attempts to include them in any systematic structuration.” The category crisis influences

the culture and society in which the monstrous ideas form. As seen in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the Green Knight fits into the category crisis due to appearing as both human and monstrous.
The Green Knight poses the question of what monstrosity truly is. The Green Knight has a duel personality, which is Sir Bertilak de Hautdesert. However, the Green Knight and Sir Bertilak both had a large build and scruffy bread. Sir Bertilak de Hautdesert can be seen as a man that has the capability of magic. The Green Knight has a pure green tone and radiant, where as Sir Bertilak de Hautdesert has a large build just as those of a human man. The green in the Green Knight is the connection to the natural world, which would be Sir Bertilak de Hautdesert. Not only does the Green Knight’s green tone connect to the natural world but the nature found in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, as well. Aside from the green tone of the Green Knight, it is evident that nature is an aspect that makes the Green Knight who he is not only by his physical characteristics but also by his action of carrying an axe. Although nature plays a big role in which form the characteristics of the Green Knight, so does his majestic power. As seen in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, “Yet nevertheless neither falters nor falls the fellow but stoutly he started forth on strong shanks, and roughly he reached out, where the ranks stood, latched onto his lovely head, and lifted it so; and then strode to his steed, the bridle he catches, steps into stirrup and strides him aloft, and his head by the hair in his hand holds.” Sir Gawain beheaded the Green Knight but his magical powers spared his life.
Sir Bertilak de Hautdesert is what connects the Green Knight to the natural man, as this is his dual personality as a human man. Sir Bertilak has a long beard that can be associated with the stereotypical man, the wilderness and nature. Sir Bertilak’s beard is not the only thing that connects him with nature, where as his hunting shows an overarching theme of his attempt to rule over the wilderness by hunting. By Sir Bertilak hunting, shows the stereotypical man’s activity by showing strength in order to uphold gender roles in the natural world. As seen in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, “What screaming and bleeding, by banks they lay dying, and ever the hounds in a rush hard on them followed, hunters with high horn-calls hastened them after, with such a crack and cry as cliffs were bursting.” The description of Sir Bertilak’s hunting trips showed vulgarity in order to prove how manly of a man he was to keep the connection and status in the natural world in such a way for the gender norms to be kept in place.
Although the Green Knight is a supernatural being and Sir Bertilak has human, characteristic they both have similar personalities.

The Green Knight is a mysterious being where his actions are often left up for interpretation. The Green Knight is a supporter of the law and its justice system. The Knight who is viewed as monstrous does not have the typical monstrous personality however it is supernatural. As stated in the poem, “He met with the lord in the midst of the floor, and all with joy did him greet, and gladly he said:‘I shall fulfill the first our contract now, that we settled so speedily sparing no drink.’Then he clasped the lord and kissed him thrice, as strongly and steadily as he well could.‘By Christ,’ quoth the other, ‘you’ve found much luck in transacting this trade, if your profit was good.’” By creating a verbal contract with Sir Gawain, it shows the Green Knight has a binding trust with the law and justice system of his society. The Knight who is in respect with the law and justice system of the society forms a connection between the wilderness and natural

civilization.
Despite Sir Bertilak’s aggressive actions and struggle for order of power in the wilderness, he has a respectful personality in the natural world. Sir Bertilak is seen as a well-mannered and joyful man. Sir Bertilak lives a lavish lifestyle and enjoys the elegance of the natural world’s civilization. Regardless of the conflict between the Green Knight and Sir Gawain, Sir Bertilak is chivalrous to Sir Gawain. Sir Bertilak is also known as the host, which is fitting do to his chivalrous actions and welcoming personality. Sir Bertilak grants Sir Gawain a place to stay when he waits the time to face the Green Knight. Just like the Green Knight, Sir Bertilak has a trust within the law and justice system that shows through their recognition in the value of verbal contracts. Both the Green Knight and Sir Bertilak’s personality are similar in the sense that they both are chivalrous but the differences show between the supernatural and natural worlds.
The Green Knight in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight supports Cohen’s thesis “The Monster Is the Harbinger of Category Crisis.” The Green Knight does not fit into one single category. The Green Knight does not follow the stereotypical monstrous role in the fact that he instills trust in the law and justice system of his society, which is viewed as a humane characteristic. The Green Knight’s dual personality, Sir Bertilak affects the monstrous aspect of the Green Knight not being able to fit into one category in Cohen’s thesis. Although, Sir Bertilak wants to sustain order within the wilderness through his hunting escapades in the sense of Cohen’s thesis his personality and dual personality can not simply fit into one category because they do not follow classification or social order. The Green Knight and Sir Bertilak strongly connect monstrous ideas and human ideals and conform them into one body, which is how the Green Knight supports Cohen’s thesis of the category crisis. The Green Knight and the relationship with Sir Bertilak show a new form of the category crisis because of the evolution of the parting of the one personality into two at the end of the poem. The dual personality is a more complex formation of the category crisis rather then stereotypical gender roles and cultural norms. In fact, the Green Knight and Sir Bertilak goes agents the cultural norms and keeps their faith in chivalry which benefits them at the end of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
The category crisis affects the culture and society in which monstrous ideas begin to structure.

The culture of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight forms the foundation of the Cohen’s category crisis thesis. Due to the fact that Sir Gawain and the Green Knight can not solely fit into one category within culture and society, it is evident that “The Monster Is the Harbinger of Category Crisis” is not the only one of Cohen’s seven these the poem could have related to. The stereotypical ideas of monstrous actions has evolved into new understanding by connecting the poem to Cohen’s thesis, comparing and contrasting the Green Knight and Sir Bertilak while relating aspects of old ideas to help dissect and form this poem into a new light. As states in Monster Theory by Jeffery Jerome Cohen, “We live in an age that has rightly given up on Unified Theory, an age when we realize that history (like “individuality, “subjectivity”, “gender,” and “culture) is composed of a multitude of fragments, rather than of smooth epistemological wholes. “ In order to create and form a new idea from the poem in connection to Cohen’s thesis the past, current cultural, society roles, and environment must be included. Cohen stated, “Some fragments will be collected here and bound temporarily together to form a loosely integrated net—or, better, an unassimilated hybrid, a monstrous body.” Fragments of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight were taken and connected to numerous factors of the evolution of history,

society and culture both past and present in relation to Cohen’s thesis of “The Monster Is the Harbinger of Category Crisis”, which is fitting because there are numerous categories that come together to create the basis of monstrous theories.