African-American politician and feminist Shirley Chisholm was once quoted: “Emotional, sexual, and psychological stereotyping of women begins when the doctor says, “It 'is a girl'” (Gallagher 400) Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe novels were written during the second wave of the feminist movement. The women in his novels generally represent female roles very typical of the time. The main characters are men and the trend continues throughout the series. The story of My Dead Body centers on two female characters who are at the center of the novel. Her writing is unique in that it re-examines the roles that women typically occupy and embody. In Over My Dead Body, Nero Wolfe is approached by two young women, one of whom. claims he is her adoptive father (Stout 484). She was accused of stealing diamonds from a fencing studio and was eventually questioned in a murder. Wolfe claims that if he really is her father, she cannot be responsible for the theft and is involved in it. the case. The novel unfolds in a very typical manner of a Rex Stout novel or any detective novel of that era. Shortly after claiming that the diamonds were no longer missing, they discovered the body of a dead man (Stout 1128). Archie discovers that one of the ladies, Mrs. Neya Tormic, had hidden a bloody fencing glove in her pocket (Stout 1318). They quickly learn that women don't quite tell the truth. He eventually discovers that one of the women Neya Tormic is not his daughter or the person she claims to be (Stout 5095). She is actually Princess Vladanka Donevich and her friend Carla Lovchen is actually Wolfe's adopted daughter. Donevich had hoped to hide some of his family affairs and committed murder to do so. Feminist theory discusses the ...... middle of paper ......re in the open-minded literature of Rex Stout and his eccentric Nero. Wolfe. Works Cited Gallagher, Julie. “FIGHTING “THE GOOD FIGHT”: THE POLITICAL CAREER OF SHIRLEY CHISHOLM, 1953-1982.” Journal of African American History 92.3 (2007): 392-416. Premier Academic Research. EBSCO. Internet. March 11, 2011. Macionis, John J. Society: The Basics. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, 2009. Print. Parry, Manon. “Betty Friedan: Feminist Icon and Founder of the National Organization for Women.” American Journal of Public Health 100.9 (2010): 1584-1585. Premier Academic Research. EBSCO. Internet. March 11, 2011. Ross, Susan A. and Mary Catherine Hilkert. “Feminist Theology: A Review of the Literature.” Theological Studies 56.2 (1995): 327. Academic Research Premier. EBSCO. Internet. March 10, 2011. Stout, Rex. On my corpse. Northville, Michigan: Wonder Group, 2010. Kindle eBook.