American culture has the tendency to stereotype. One of the many labels that our society tags onto people is the generalization that most young and attractive females are generally passive, dependent, unintelligent and naïve. Postmodern fiction challenges ideas that most people have held to believe as stable and true. In the Norton Anthology, Simone de Beauvoir “challenged the ‘universality’ of the subject, observing that “woman is defined and differentiated with reference to man and not he with reference to her”…”how to undone distortions (for both women and men) of these oppositional modes of language and thought, and how to move beyond them have been issues for post modernist narratives as well as postmodern theory” (xxvi).
Postmodern American fiction author Neal Stephenson uses the themes and devices typical of postmodern writing in his book, Snow Crash. He emphasizes that, contrary to popular belief, many women can, in fact, be assertive, independent, intelligent and street smart. In defiance of society’s generalization, Neal Stephenson creates the character of Y.T. She represents a girl who, in many ways, challenges the false overview that has become, to a certain extent, a societal norm.
When the reader first meets Y.T., he or she immediately understands that the firl is extremely skilled at what she does. In addition, she enjoys her career, unlike her mother. She is a Kourier by profession, and when she realizes that she has interfered with a pizza delivery, she immediately takes matters into her own hands, and successfully completes the mission on time. The reader also sees right away that Hiro Protagonist, the “good guy,” is disgusted with himself for being interrupted specifically by a young woman. “A fucking teenaged girl” (16), he says with contempt. It is apparent that Stephenson is relating the pre-conceived notions of even Hiro Protagonjist to the stereotypes of our society in relation to young girls.
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Contrary to the suggestion that many women are naïve when it comes to handling themselves, especially out on the streets, Y.T. exemplifies that she has more street smarts than probably most of the readers themselves. When confronted with the MetaCops and thrown into the Clink, she displays that she knows how to “shiv open a pair of handcuffs” (71).
She is resourceful, having an array of equipment to help prepare her when faced with any situation. However, in this particular circumstance, she needed the help of Hiro to “bust out” completely. Nevertheless, it is obvious that she knows what she’s doing when confronted with external problems.
Throughout the book, Y.T. displays that she has more independence than the liberty bell. Contrary to the stereotype that women are by and large dependent by nature, Stephenson boldly confronts this generalization by showing that in most everything she does, she exemplifies her sole reliance upon herself. Before her run-in with Hiro, it seems that Y.T. doesn’t have many acquaintances. She has a boyfriends, but he plays it cool, and so, she is ultimately free of having to depend on anyone. She is not afraid to carry out the many missions that lay in front of her, such as delivering unknown packages to unfamiliar places, specifically the incident where she is ordered to venture into Compton for Uncle Enzo. In fact, challenges and things that are exciting and unpredictable are simply indulgences to her independent nature.
Y.T. is oddly intelligent for a woman in their society. She holds her ground with men of twice her age throughout the whole novel. An example of this can be found on page 196 where she explains to Hiro how she measured a black cube of twenty miles on a side. “I start counting local ports. I count sixteen of them. We get to Express Port 127…I count sixteen more local ports… then I take thirty-two kilometers and multiply it by point and I get twenty miles- you asshole.”
The Review on Of Mice And Men Film And Book Contrast
Of Mice and Men Film and Book Contrast In my essay I will explore similarities and differences of the novel Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck and the movie Of Mice and Men directed by Gary Sinise. In particular, I will examine the way Gary Sinise and John Steinbeck saw the tragedy and the relationships between George and Lennie, pointing out the differences of the accents set in the film ...
Y.T. is also assertive to a point of cockiness in contrast to most of the other women portrayed throughout the book. She has a way of demeaning Hiro by calling him inferior and disrespectful nicknames, such as “pod.” She is cocky because she knows she is talented, and she uses this to her advantage. She developed this aspect of her personality partly in response to the way she is often treated. She is attractive, so it is a certainty that she constantly has to put up with being degraded by men. Almost every male she encounters throughout the novel makes some type of negative connotation to her body or her age. Consequently, she has a natural way of blowing off almost all men, with the exception of Uncle Enzo, unless they can prove their worthiness to associate with her. In contrast to Y.T., her mother, who works for the Feds, has no spunk, no assertion of herself, no wit and virtually no personality. Continuing with this idea, the computer-generated avatar that exists solely in the Metaverse insinuates that Brandys are the ideal version of the typical American girl. Brandy is almost completely equivocal to Barbie: large breasts and a bimbo. It is clear that Stephenson includes these characters in the book to utterly contrast them with the character of Y.T. It is obvious that she stands out from the rest of the typified females in the book.
In conclusion, Neal Stephenson makes his statement about the stereotypes of women in society by his portrayal of the character Y.T., who ultimately, along with Hiro and Raven, saves the world from the depths of evil and destruction. As the Norton Anthology says on page xxvii of the introduction, “gender is a social construction… through gender- a particular society’s definitions of what it means to be male or female- that oppressive social relations between men and women are organized.” It seems that Stephenson hopes that in the future, women can be viewed more often as equals to men. He satirizes the generalizations that women are concerned only with looks through the avatar, Brandy. He also satirizes the lifestyle which Y.T.’s mom has been reduced to. But, through Y.T., he shows that it is a necessity for existence that man and woman work together, forgetting false pre-conceived notions and stigmas.
The Term Paper on Status Of Women Men Woman 2004
The Role of Women in Religion The role of women in religious scripture dictates an inferior position in society. Beginning with the creation of Adam and then Eve, as his helpmate. Her purpose was that Adam would not be lonely. This origin provides the ground work for inequality of genders on the basis of religious scripture. The roles prescribed determined that women should be in a subordinate ...
