The Theme of Femininity in Graceling
"She wasn't normal. A girl Graced with killing, a royal thug? A girl who didn't want the husbands Randa pushed on her, perfectly handsome and thoughtful men, a girl who panicked at the thought of a baby at her breast, or clinging to her ankles. She wasn't natural" (pg. 32).
Throughout Graceling, Cashore emphasizes how Katsa is different from most of society both because of her Grace and because she does not desire what is "normal" for a woman in her society. Katsa denying the traditional feminine roles accompanied with her Grace of being able to kill really separate her from the rest of the women around her. While Katsa is aware of her differences, she does not try to change herself or conform, and instead sticks to her convictions throughout the novel. This passage highlights the central theme of femininity because it shows exactly what qualifies as "feminine" in Katsa's world and the way that Katsa feels unnatural because she has different interests and abilities. Throughout the novel, Katsa rejects not only having a husband or children but other traditionally feminine practices such as wearing dresses and having long hair. It seems that she believes because she is strong and powerful and does not want these things that she cannot be a "normal" woman. Cashore emphasizes these customary parts of femininity to show that they may not be for every woman, yet this does not take away any of their womanliness or mean they cannot be feminine. As the novel progresses, we see that Katsa has her own reasons for not wanting some of these "feminine" things, and that although she is unconventional to others, she has feelings and other interests that make her who she is. Through Katsa, Cashore illustrates the multiple degrees of femininity and shows that women can be both feminine and powerful, whether they chose to coincide with what is seen as "normal" or not. At times it did seem like Cashore was rejecting any aspect of traditional femininity, however I believe she was simply trying to highlight that strong, smart female characters can be feminine and that "feminine" does not have one definition, but many.
Hi Kylie,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that at times Katsa's rejection of all things feminine seems a bit too dogmatic and could send the problematic message that strong women cannot welcome anything traditionally feminine (similarly to Katniss). The refrain that Katsa repeats about her not being natural concerns me for similar reasons. I'd like young female readers to recognize Katsa's femininity as just as natural as Bitterblue's or Po's mother's, etc. However, I think we can accept it as an adolescent rejection of all the things Katsa sees as holding her back. It's not that she rejects her beauty or sexuality. We see her growing warm when she realizes that Po finds her attractive. She finds joy in that and that is perfectly fine. We also witness her maternal instincts with Bitterblue even though she rejects having children of her own. So, I do think that by the end of the novel Katsa has realized that she doesn't have to fear all things feminine in order to be strong; it only felt that way because she was raised in a patriarchal system that devalues the feminine.