The Role of Women in Science Fiction - Essay Example

 The Role of Women in Science Fiction Introduction The notion of science fiction and the genre itself is connected deeply with things which have to be seen as rational and based on complete logic even though they may appear to be fantastical. The founding stones of the modern science fiction story come from H.G. Wells and his writings such as The War of the Worlds, The Invisible Man and The First Men on the Moon. Even the titles of these stories show that the masculine is the dominant element. Recently however, the genre has certainly developed to a point where female everyday heroines as well femme fatales can stand side by side in a story and be appreciated for what they are. Even in television, science fiction programs such as Star Trek Voyager have been shown with a female captain of the ship and strong female characters such as Seven of Nine and Lieutenant Torres. In fact, the show itself can be seen as a feminist interpretation of the Star Trek universe which was dominated in the 60s by swaggering captains such as James T. Kirk who thought it was their duty to kiss every alien female they could find. Undoubtedly, the times have changed and with them, the notion of science fiction has also developed. In this regard, two novels stand out in terms of how they treat femininity, masculinity and the relationship between the male and the female. These are The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursulak Le Guin and He, She and It by Marge Piercy. A deeper examination of these novels and their treatment of gender is necessary to gain a better understanding of gender and the role of women in modern science fiction. He, She and It The first novel which raises some interesting questions about gender and the idea of masculinity is also the novel which deals directly with the idea of androgyny. While we know that stories about titans, giants and dragons can easily be considered as fiction, we also know that legends are often based on facts. The legend of King Arthur and his knights of the round table is one such instance where historical fact was distorted to an extent that the fiction became more popular than the facts of history. Nevertheless, the basis of the story was a historical character. In a similar manner, the stories about the future may also be based on developments that are taking place here and now. One such development is the presence of robots amongst our midst and while they certainly do not have the range of abilities as described of Yod, it has been claimed that within this century robots will develop to an extent that human beings will be able to have meaningful relationships with them . The robots of the future would develop the ability to have sex and there may be demands for allowing robots to get married to humans (Choi, 2007). This is certainly true in the world described by Piercy as the romantic arc in the novel is between Shira (a human) and Yod (a cyborg). The connection between the two may make some individuals uncomfortable but placing it in a science fiction setting makes it believable. As a cyborg, Yod is neither a complete machine nor is Yod a complete human and his existence as a mixture of machine and man is a reflection of the relationship between Yod and Shira as the relationship is between a human being and a machine. Gender Relationships This relationship and the manner in which Yod exists go beyond the laws for robots that had been outlined by Asimov. Instead of preset measures of what a robot can and cannot do, Yod exists with objectives and guidelines that give him a lot of independence in terms of what can be seen by him as a viable course of action. In this manner, Piercy presents a more modern version of a robot which is very much in line with the expectations of the readers today. However, the expectations of the readers may also take a different route when we realize that the real hero of the story is Shira since she is the active partner in the relationship and does a lot more than defend a city. More than Yod, she explores her feelings as a mother, a child, a daughter, a warrior and as a member of the human race. The city, evil multinational corporations and the globe itself falls into disarray and it is she who has to deal with it and search out a better tomorrow for herself and her people. Thus her existence in the novel gives it a psychological viewpoint on what it means to be a woman and what it means to have positive connections with those who are around her. On the other hand, the masculine player in the shape of Yod gives the novel a philosophical edge and raises some very interesting questions about existence, life itself and how the objectives given to a person may not be the most important ones for them at all. Most importantly, Yod is a created being and even though he is a man, his ideals and his thoughts have been modified by both Shira and her grandmother in an effort to ensure a balance between the masculine and the feminine. This is perhaps the most significant difference between Yod and other examples of creatures that have been artificially created such as the monster in Frankenstein. Yod goes far beyond the abilities of the monster in Frankenstein since he is able to have a meaningful sexual relationship with both Shira and her grandmother while creating an emotional bond with Ari. As a masculine character he defends the city, he fights when he has to and even protects the feminine characters from coming to harm. However, he blurs the boundary between male and female since his thoughts are certainly connected with feminist ideals that are not always present in the male form. While Frankenstein’s monster is hideous in form and becomes quite villainous by the end of the novel, Yod remains heroic and even sacrifices himself to save those who he loves. In fact, the novel can also be considered an examination of what it means to be human since Yod also has to deal with the idea of his own humanity as well as his state of being male and female. This brings several interesting elements into his personality as he is not a human and not a complete robot while he is not a purely male or a female character. However, he does appear to be more human than many of the other characters in the novel. The treatment of masculinity and femininity in the novel is essentially based on the idea of creating a balance which is evident in the manner in which the city itself seems to function. Both men and women are involved in the management as well as the defense of the city and the same sides are reflected in the perfect creation built by Avram. Yod is fundamentally a creation driven by conflict which makes him quite masculine, yet his social interactions and the manner in which he develops feelings of love make him quite feminine. The Left Hand of Darkness Love is also a part of the story when it comes to The Left Hand of Darkness. The love in the story is between two equals rather than a human and a cyborg and this makes the treatment of the gender roles more balanced and in line with the expectations of a casual reader. However, the idea of androgyny remains quite strong and as a depiction of an androgynous society, the novel presents some interesting ideas regarding gender roles. In essence, the novel can also be read as a part of feminist science fiction since it presents a more human image of a woman in a sci-fi setting rather than an image of a femme fatale or a sidekick to a male hero. Undoubtedly, as an exploration of differences, there can be significant links which can be made with the characters of The Left Hand of Darkness and the monster in Frankenstein. The characters certainly explore gender differences and the barriers which separate men from women but the presence of an androgynous society also gives us the writers ideas about being a part of a system where gender and the state of being male or female is not as important as the things done by a person or the words said by an individual. Thus, in a manner of speaking, gender itself is rendered to be unimportant in a world which does not care if a person is male or female and is certainly an ideal which could be applied to the real world. The Treatment of Gender The novel is also made more important for the academic study of science fiction since it does not focus on the ghost in the machine or the usual male dominated elements of science fiction such as doomsday weapons, killer viruses or alien warfare. Instead, it focuses on relationships, social structures and society itself as it takes shape in the future with the imagination of the writer. Not only has society changed in terms of location, ecological systems and culture, it has also changed in terms of how gender is defined and how differences in gender are treated by individuals. In fact, the novel can be seen as an exploration of how the future state of the world and civilization itself could be through feminist eyes. The relationship between our present and future reality and the fictional images given to us about those realities is often quite complex one and it becomes difficult to draw a line to separate the two. The point is clarified quite remarkably by Triggle (2004) who discusses apocalyptic films and science fiction based ideas to show that what is presently thought of being totally impossible might be a perfect reality for us in the future. For example, a long time ago, the ability to fly was thought of being impossible for humans and suitable only for the realm of science fiction or mythological accounts until a hundred years ago when two American entrepreneurs showed us that it man could fly. Today, millions of individuals have experienced the flight and many more are expected to take in the wonder of travelling through space in the coming years as space tourism develops into a reality for humans as much as flight has become. Science fiction may be acting as a guide for future scientists but the feminist element of science fiction could be presented as a guide for the future sociological systems that are present and used by the human civilisation. Conclusion In a similar manner, the ideas of androgyny, relationships with cyborg and marriage with a robot are little more than fiction today. However, as the scientists of the present age have already discussed, these ideas may not remain science fiction for long. Fiction, and fictional novels such as The Left Hand of Darkness and He, She and It allow us to imagine about the future and to dream about situations which are not present but could be the norm in a few decades. The changes in society, gender roles and even the ideas concerning masculinity and femininity may not be here today but the ideas do exist and the reality may not be that far off. Science fiction is important as a genre of literature and the two works discussed are important parts of this genre because they present wonderful visions of the future. Any judgment on the vision being good or bad is immaterial since the vision itself is presented beautifully. In fact, many of the ideas given by the writers might even lead to sociological benefits for our present society and such a vision of the future gives us hope and something to look forward to. Word Count: 2,068 Works Cited Triggle, N. 2004, ‘Real life art imitating science’, [Online] Available at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3745591.stm Choi, C. 2007, ‘Forecast: Sex and Marriage with Robots by 2050’, [Online] Available at: http://www.livescience.com/technology/071012-robot-marriage.html Piercy, M. 1993, He, She and It, Fawcett. LeGuin, U. 1987, The Left Hand of Darkness, Ace. Read More