Christopher Lucas

10 March, 2004

Gender and Genre

            A Princess of Mars and The Sparrow server to highlight some fundamental differences between male and female writers of science fiction.  The reinforcement of established gender roles and assumptions regarding violence reflect the author’s perspectives and opinions.  As a result of these perspectives, how storylines are constructed and how characters are developed varies depending on the gender of the author.

            In A Princess of Mars, Burroughs presents a very stereotypical characterization of the roles for men and women. In this story, the roles, responsibilities, expectations and actions of each gender are never called into question.  The traditional gender roles of earth seem to have been replicated on Mars.  Following Carter’s arrival, there is no question as to who the dominate character will be. John Carter is the alpha male to Dejah Thoris’s subservient female.

In contrast to Burroughs, Russell appears to have at least modernized the roles for men and women.  In The Sparrow, the traditionally less pronounced characteristics seem to be highlighted.  Emilio is a caring, thoughtful, and nurturing man who is not prone to violence or any real urges to dominate or otherwise be a hero.  The other men of the landing party are shown to have similar qualities and all are presented as being essentially nonviolent.  These qualities are highlighted by the author in a positive light. For the men, the rough edges seem to have been worn away to reveal something more valuable below.

The female characters also exhibit many traits that do not fit in for Burroughs.  Anne and Sophia are strong, independent, and intelligent women. Neither of these women will be relegated in the same fashion as Dejah Thoris.  Dejah Thoris has been raised as a princess and a leader for her people, yet as soon a Carter arrives, she relinquished her position and takes on the role of dutiful wife. It is assumed that she needs a man in order to make her life complete, regardless of her position and social advantages. In comparison, Sophia shows individual strength and courage beyond that of most men.  Like Emilio, Sophia has been abused sexually, yet she appears to have dealt with what happened and moved on with her live.  Emilio is nearly incapacitated by his ordeal and has a difficult time coping with what has happened.  Sophia also exhibits a warrior mentality more so than any of the men in the story.  As the Jana’ata begin killing the Runa children, it is Sophia that resists and starts a revolution and ultimately gives her live in defense of others. Rather than staying to fight, the men of the landing party run and ultimately save their own lives.  

The emphasis on war and physical violence is easily equated with the male members of our species.  Generally, it is the men who fight wars and the boys who play war games.  Women are associated with nurturing, understanding, and compassion. Women are not normally connected with the violence and harness of combat. Through Carter, Burroughs essentially plays out schoolboy fantasies of adventure, war, and love.  The story could have easily taken place anywhere and at any time here on earth. The opportunities for adventure, however, multiply as the environment becomes more and more foreign. With the change in surroundings, the stereotypical roles become more evident. These roles and stock characters may be necessary to help the reader relate to and follow the story line, but on some level, the characters reflect ideas, opinions and perceptions of the writer.

For the Russell, the change in environments provides a backdrop to accentuate the less pronounced characteristics of men and women.  On Rakhat, there is no open warfare or violence.  The males of the species care for and nurture the children. The society appears to be beyond primitive warfare of any kind.  This façade quickly vanishes as the inner workings of the planet are revealed, but the ubiquitous violence seen in Mars, is not present in The Sparrow.

The lack of outright violence in The Sparrow serves to make the occasional violence more profound for the reader. In this fashion, the violence becomes a powerful tool for the author. By emphasizing the storyline and developing the characters more fully, the impact of a sudden death is more profound. For example, Anne’s unexpected death catches the reader off guard and hits home more effectively than reading through battle scene after battle scene on Mars. 

In A Princess of Mars, there is so much violence and warfare that the reader becomes immune.  Eventually, the violence becomes the story rather than a tool for the author to use in moving the story along. The amount of violence in Mars supports the notion that war is a standard and acceptable method for dealing with most any problem.  This perspective is clearly a male construct of the universe and its inner workings.

In addition to the violence, the basic assumptions of each authors is apparent in their works. For Burroughs, space is something to be conquered and dominated.  John Carter does not make any attempts to fit in and live among the Martians. Carter simply battles his way to the top and forces the Martians to bow to his will through physical force. Burroughs presents a very one sided perspective that serves only to reinforce established male dominance stereotypes.

For Russell, exploration is about learning, science, and discovery.  Russell attempts to establish and develop relationships that are much deeper and significant than the ones seen in Mars.  Russell’s characters are interested in learning, communicating and developing a rapport with the new species. There is no notion of dominating or conquering Rakhat.  Burroughs and Russell simply have different missions.

The fundamental differences between male and female writers of science fiction are imparted by their stories.  A Princess of Mars highlights the male macho approach to exploration, where everything must be conquered and dominated. The Sparrow illustrates how violence can be used as an effective tool in story telling, rather than having violence as the story itself.  Hopefully, the more humane elements seen in The Sparrow provide some indication of where mankind is headed rather than the boyhood fantasies presented in A Princess of Mars.