"Don't you know? You're the most valuable and wonderful thing in the world. You're a man," says April to her husband Frank.
This idea of the greatness of man is a constant theme in Revolutionary Road. Frank is the dominant white male, which, in the book is seen as the only opinion that matters and everything about him is about being a man. However, his wife, April, in comparison is meek and only used to make him look manlier. April's role of the helpless female is similar to how African Americans are portrayed in books-- mere helpless slaves. Toni Morrison declares that, "America means white, and Africanist people struggle to make the term applicable to themselves..." This is similar to how America perceives males, and Africanist people are similar to a female's role in society, especially in the 1950s which is when Revolutionary Road takes place. In the 1950s, men were given all of the opportunities, similar to how today whites are given opportunities over African Americans.
Frank also declares this dominance of manhood when describing his inner thoughts: "The way for a man to ride was erect and out in the open, out in the loud iron passageway where the wind whipped his necktie, standing with his feet set wide apart on the shuddering...." He also proved this in the way he spoke about his wife: "And it seemed to him now that no single moment of his life had ever contained a better proof of manhood than that, if any proof were needed: holding that tamed submissive girl and saying, "Oh my lovely; oh my lovely," while she promised she would bear his child. Frank's perspective toward his wife described through Yates' novel is precisely how Morrison illustrates American literature looking down on African Americans. How Yates writes Frank's actions toward his wife is also similar to how Morrison describes "the need to portray the faithful slave" in literature. Frank must be seen as above his wife-- similar to the dominance of white over black.
Morrison concludes in "Romancing the Shadow," that "If we follow through on the self-reflexive nature of these encounters with Africanism, it falls clear: images of blackness can be evil and protective, rebellious and forgiving, fearful and desirable-- all of the self-contradictory features of the self. Whiteness, alone, is mute, meaningless, unfathomable..." This nature of writers stays true in Yates' novel, Revolutionary Road. Sure, male is seen as the power, but Frank's character, in the end, is meaningless, and has little to learn from. April's character however, conveys a number of emotions that are intense and true to the common "self." While the difference between man and woman is not as dominant today, especially compared to the contrast of African versus white, it's a contrast in literature that must be brought to attention. Revolutionary Road's portrayal of man versus woman was very similar to Morrison's portrayal of black versus white in her book, "Playing in the dark."
Cool, Rachel-- nice way to structure your argument. This is a good gender reading of your text.
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