• Login
    • Library Home
    View Item 
    •   BracU IR
    • Brac University Publications
    • Brac University Journal
    • Volume 11, Number 01, 2016
    • View Item
    •   BracU IR
    • Brac University Publications
    • Brac University Journal
    • Volume 11, Number 01, 2016
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    Mother and transgendered son: a study of gender role conflict in Sherwood Anderson’s “mother”

    Thumbnail
    View/Open
    BRAC U Journal 2016_Sanjeeda Hossain.pdf (58.61Kb)
    Date
    2016-10
    Publisher
    © 2016 Published by BRAC University
    Author
    Hossain, Sanjeeda
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/10361/6776
    Citation
    Hossain , S. (2016). Mother and transgendered son: a study of gender role conflict in Sherwood Anderson’s “mother.” BRAC University Journal, 11(01), 11–15.
    Abstract
    In a conventional society men are expected to be masculine. Unlike women, they must be resolute, authoritarian and truculent. In comparison to men, women are presumed to exhibit feminine gender traits like submissiveness, compassion and obedience. However, if a discrepancy is found between a man/woman’s gender expression and his/her biologically assigned sex, then it is called GRC or Gender Role Conflict. GRC often leads to an inability to perform according to one’s assigned gender role. In addition to that Gender Role Conflict can also create transgender identities. Transgender individuals are physically of one gender, mentally of the other. When a man starts behaving like a woman, he is called a male-to-female or MtF transgender man. Since it is considered a violation of social standards, GRC creates difficulties in his social and family life. Nevertheless, proper guidance and assistance from friends and family members can aid him adequately. This issue is poignantly dealt by American author Sherwood Anderson in his story “Mother”. Here Elizabeth Willard is a “grotesque” suffering from a life-long gender role conflict. Her son George Willard is an MtF transgender man who endures similar conflicts throughout his life. When society wants George to fulfill his masculine duties, his mother recognizes the inherent woman in him. This paper will explore Elizabeth’s motherly empathy for her transgender son as it helps him to resolve his gender role conflict and inspires him to live a normal life.
    Keywords
    Gender Role Conflict (GRC); Male-to-female transgender (MtF); Empathy; Mother; Relationship
     
    Description
    This article was published in the BRAC University Journal [© 2016 Published by BRAC University]
    Department
    English and Humanities, BRAC University
    Collections
    • Volume 11, Number 01, 2016

    Copyright © 2008-2019 Ayesha Abed Library, Brac University 
    Contact Us | Send Feedback
     

     

    Policy Guidelines

    • BracU Policy
    • Publisher Policy

    Browse

    All of BracU Institutional RepositoryCommunities & CollectionsBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsThis CollectionBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjects

    My Account

    LoginRegister

    Statistics

    View Usage Statistics

    Copyright © 2008-2019 Ayesha Abed Library, Brac University 
    Contact Us | Send Feedback