Gender Roles In The Naked Citadel

Gender roles have been a controversial part of our society for the past 60 years. Male or female; these two genders are what usually decide what your duty in a society should be. But, what if someone does not want to follow the expectations society places on them, what must they do to make themselves truly happy? In Susan Faludi’s “The Naked Citadel” and Leslie Bell’s “Selections from Hard to Get: Twenty-Something Women and the Paradox of Sexual Freedom,” the struggle to reach this inner happiness is shown through the lives of young women and the young cadets in the Citadel. Through these characters, it is shown that control and independence were the most sought after needs, but even after acquiring them it did not seem as though the characters …show more content…
“There is nothing of the good girl about her. Not that she is disagreeable; Shannon Faulkner just doesn’t see the point in false deference. ‘I never let anyone push me around, male or female” (Faludi 90). This and putting up with all the threats she received from cadets demonstrates that Faulkner was very sure of herself and what she wanted. She was not afraid to challenge gender roles if it benefitted her; a sign that she had the independence to pursue her needs. On the contrary, Jayanthi had to go through “good” and “bad” girl phases to achieve a sturdy and unwavering identity, and even then she still wanted more (a long lasting relationship). Although being a good girl who followed her parents and society's expectations gave Jayanthi “clarity and purpose,” it “didn’t feel like an identity of her own” (Bell 33). Referring back to Faludi’s quote, could this “good-girl” phase be similar to how there was “nothing good about” Faulkner? Since Faulkner already had control over her life, her having no “good” qualities indicates that in order to reach this independence, no “good” is needed; which explains why the “good-girl” phase did not end up working out for Jayanthi. The “bad-girl” strategy, however, had a better effect on her identity. “Being a bad girl allowed Jayanthi to control her …show more content…
In fact, after obtaining control and independence in their lives, it’s as if a new need emerges or takes priority. “As [Jayanthi] moved into her late twenties, though, she was left with a nagging desire for something more intimate and lasting than a mere sexual encounter” (Bell 30). Now that she had command over her life, Jayanthi realized a new personal need: a meaningful relationship. More control did not necessarily mean more happiness for her; rather, the more control she had, the more she understood that there was something more she needed. Similarly, Alicia also wanted a satisfying and committed relationship, but that was something she could not obtain with just control. Lastly, Faulkner did not seem to be completely satisfied with her life either in “The Naked Citadel,” and although it was not particularly said in the story, it could be implied she was still after something. Otherwise, why would she have gone through so much trouble just to join the academy? She had to have some new goal in mind when she made that decision. The stories of these three women suggest that there is always a personal need that every person aims for, and the only thing that fulfilling one need does is give light to

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Gender Roles In The Naked Citadel

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