The central battle of the modern feminist movement has been the battle against established gender roles. Women no longer feel that it is obligatory for them to be mothers and housewives just because they were born female, or that it is the role of men to be hard workers and breadwinners. family simply because he was born a man. Thus, it is common in feminist articles and literature to discuss the idea of ​​"blending" gender roles. Through the character of Seymour Glass in "Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters", JD Salinger succeeds in blurring conventional male and female roles, creating a character who, in any other situation, would be an asset to feminist philosophy. However, by portraying Seymour as crazy and suicidal, Salinger creates a tragically anti-feminist character who essentially reestablishes outdated gender stereotypes. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayBuddy Glass, the narrator of “Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters” and “Seymour, an Introduction,” describes his brother as a boy. Seymour gets his hair cut at the barbershop, is the best marble player on the playground, and is "the fastest boy in the world" ("Seymour" 162-211). Seymour is clearly expected to adhere to appropriate male roles. However, Buddy's depictions of Seymour in his older years largely disregard the boundaries between gender roles. According to openly anti-feminist academic Stephen B. Clark, “men bear primary responsibility for the community as a whole. Women assume primary responsibility for household management and the education of young children” (Clark 36). However, Buddy consistently portrays Seymour as a motherly figure in "Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters". Taking on traditionally feminine responsibilities, Seymour not only cares for her younger siblings, but also expresses a deep, almost maternal nature. In his diary, Seymour describes several distinct "mothering" moments, such as when he took his younger brother Zooey to the movies: "He was about six or seven, and he hid under the seat to avoid watching a scene scary. my hand on his head" ("Raise" 75). This tender action is rarely demonstrated in male characters and must therefore be classified as a "feminine" trait. Seymour goes even further than comforting his siblings during the films. horror; Buddy describes him getting up in the middle of the night with a crying Franny and feeding her with a bottle (3) This is an undeniably maternal image, very unusual in a male character. this is exactly the type of character feminist theorists are looking for: someone who breaks away from clearly defined gender roles and can successfully displace their usual responsibilities However, although Seymour is in and of herself an ideal feminist character, Salinger creates. a number of issues that fundamentally contradict this development For example, the maid of honor constantly makes remarks that emasculate Seymour She not only comments that Seymour is most likely "a latent homosexual" (36), but also complains that. 'he doesn't "just tell [his fiancé?], like a man" (24). Even though the reader is not meant to view the Maid of Honor as a reliable character, this is the only opinion Salinger gives in association with Seymour's masculinity and gender position. So, whether it is entirely trustworthy or not, the judgment is clear: it is not. 1991.