-
Essay / Misogyny and Sexism in Hangover Square
Patrick Hamilton represents women in such a misogynistic manner in Hangover Square that we do not get a glimpse of a single positive representation of a woman than George, the protagonist of the novel, meeting during his travels. Instead, we only hear a vaguely positive attitude toward a woman when we hear about George's aunt at the beginning of the novel or George's sister, who has died; even then, neither woman is encountered directly by the reader. The representation of women is mainly represented through Netta. Through Hamilton's use of direct and free speech, the reader can assume that the ideas in the story are unbiased and distinct from George's thoughts because the novel is not written in the first person. We think we are outside of his consciousness; however, the narrative shows us insight into George's thoughts, which makes the reader sympathize with him and understand his opinions. Because of this design, the reader's opinions of Netta and the other women in the novel are designed to encourage negative thoughts about women. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The first woman we meet in the novel other than George's aunt is the woman on the train who joins George in his compartment. George has never even spoken to this woman before, nor has he ever seen her before, and we instantly meet a "cold woman" who "rudely and mercilessly grabbed" the doorknob. This indicates to the reader that George's attitude towards women is not positive; this woman simply opened the door of a compartment to sit down, and George finds the maneuver insulting and intrusive. This woman, "apparently of the servant class" (p. 26), is depicted as common and boisterous, in the same way that the group of Brighton girls are depicted later in the novel. We learn that another woman standing on the platform, wearing a hairnet, had “intentionally” (p. 27) tried to hurt George by making him think of Netta, as if the women were constantly trying to “torture” him. » (p. 27) and exist solely to cause him pain. Hamilton directly informs the reader of the sense of pain and torture George deeply feels at just the slight thought of Netta; it's the fault of two strangers who, in reality, did nothing wrong. When we meet Netta, as George arrives at Netta's flat at Earl's Court, we also encounter George's fear of her. Netta's "beauty" is described as a "weapon from the arsenal of her beauty." This statement shows how George views their relationship as a war or a game in which he loses because her weaknesses are part of his "weapons." His love for her makes him weak, and the fact that this is revealed to the reader shows that he is aware of her love and weakness. This depiction of something essentially positive (her "beauty") compared to a "weapon" shows how Hamilton creates a misogynistic narrative that women are destructive and pernicious. Additionally, character greeting is referred to as "a game of calling people by their last name." This description gives a sense of coldness, and the reference to their relationship being a game suggests that perhaps George is aware that he is losing this game or this war but is not taking it so seriously; he is so infatuated with Netta that he makes the negative aspects of their contact less real by referring to it as something that is "just a game." Hamilton thus shows.