Masculinity and Sense / Femininity Essay

Both types of personas have their drawbacks and benefits. However, because the former is generally associated with the female gender and the latter is traditionally attributed to males, sense is considered to be more desirable than sensibility.

Ultimately, as long as both men and women continue to perpetuate gender stereotypes, equality between the sexes will remain impossible. It is important to note that equality does not mean the eradication of differences. The goal must be not to eradicate gender differences but to desist in ranking these differences in a hierarchal order. Kimmel ultimately believes that women and men have more similarities than differences and that "gender difference - the assertion of two qualitatively different natures - is the result of gender inequality, not its cause. Gender inequality produces difference, and the differences produced are then used to justify gender inequality" (xi). As Austen's novel ultimately illustrates, gender inequality leads to assumptions of gender difference, which explains why concepts of gender have had such a tremendous influence on people's decisions and actions across time and space.Sense and Sensibility is indeed an entertaining novel, but it unfortunately serves to reinforce the idea that men are superior to women, by making the protagonist as masculine as possible without crossing the line to 'deviance.' Marianne is never made to be taken as seriously as Elinor despite her many likeable and admirable qualities. She is essentially molded as the protege to Elinor's 'model' behavior, eventually learning her lessons and doing the 'right thing' by taking on more masculine qualities. Sadly, the benefits of Marianne's more vibrant, honest and romantic personality are never truly appreciated.

Works Cited

Austen, Jane. Sense and Sensibility. Ed. Robert William. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988.

Kimmel, Michael S., the Gendered….....