Rational Femininity and Emotional Masculinity in Golding’s Lord of the Flies  

Sammanfattning: This paper argues that in Golding’s Lord of the Flies feminine thinking is rational and masculine thinking is emotional. This essay provides historical background that presents the general patriarchal view of femininity during 20th century England of being seen as the inferior-emotional gender with intellectual limitations. By examining gender roles during the era that the setting of the novel takes place, what the terms feminine and masculine thinking indicate and by applying these terms, this paper categorises Piggy’s, Ralph’s and Jack’s behaviour and way of thinking. Furthermore, this paper argues that feminine thinking and feminine group-oriented logical behaviour are more advantageous, while the masculine individualistic emotionally driven thinking and behaviour cause some key problems. This essay’s goal is not to claim the superiority of one gender over the other but to question some of the masculine actions that Ralph and Jack engage in, by comparing them to the feminine actions that Ralph and Piggy engage in.