Hegemonic Masculinity and the Position of Men in Kathleen Winter’s Annabel

Abstract

Emerging from the1980s, the concept of masculinity has slowly started to make its way towards social studies. Instead of a singular fixed identity, masculinity has now been claimed to be branching into several types – hegemonic masculinity, complicit masculinity, marginalized masculinity, and subordinated masculinity. By utilizing the notion of hegemonic masculinity, this paper observes the thoughts and decisions made by men in Kathleen Winter’s Annabel. This paper explores and re-examines the position of men in their society with reference to the effect of hegemonic masculinity, as proposed by Connell. It is also within the scope of the study to trace the position of men in the novel through a series of negotiations made within themselves. This study reveals the typical behavior of an alpha male of hegemonic masculinity in Annabel. For hegemony to pan out, all members of society should have respective social duties in order for the entire mechanism to function. The paper demonstrated that male characters of the novel exude the position of men in the hegemonic masculine setting by showcasing the firmness in making decisions, having knowledge on faith, religion, and monetary issues.

Keywords: Annabel; Alpha Male, Hegemonic Masculinity, Hermaphrodite