Gender Roles in Margaret Atwood's Short Fiction "Stone Mattress"

Table of Contents

• INTRODUCTION.
• DEFINING TERMINOLOGY: SEX, GENDER AND GENDER ROLES
• THE WOMEN'S MOVEMENT.
• GENDER ROLES IN ATWOOD'S EARLIER SHORT FICTION.
• GENDER ROLES IN MARGARET ATWOOD'S MOST RECENT SHORT FICTION STONE MATTRESS.
• ALPHINLAND...
• REVENANT.
• DARK LADY
• THE FREEZE-DRIED GROOM..
• STONE MATTRESS
• CONCLUSION

Objectives and Key Themes

This thesis examines the development of gender roles in Margaret Atwood's short story collection *Stone Mattress*, focusing on the author's portrayal of female and male characters. The aim is to investigate whether Atwood's writing reflects the evolution of gender roles, specifically within the context of the Canadian women's movement and its changing goals. The analysis will explore the ways in which Atwood's more recent short fiction challenges or reinforces traditional gender expectations.

• The portrayal of gender roles in Margaret Atwood's short stories.
• The evolution of the women's movement in Canada and its impact on feminist themes in Atwood's work.
• The relationship between literature and societal change, particularly regarding gender equality and women's rights.
• The role of feminist perspectives in interpreting Atwood's fiction.
• The influence of Atwood's career as a writer on her exploration of gender issues within her writing.

Chapter Summaries

The thesis begins by defining key terms related to sex, gender, and gender roles, establishing a framework for analyzing the concepts within Atwood's fiction. The paper then provides a historical overview of the women's movement in Canada, highlighting the three waves of feminism and their respective aims. Chapter 4 examines Atwood's earlier short fiction, offering a brief analysis of her portrayal of gender roles in those works. Chapter 5 delves into the analysis of Atwood's short story collection *Stone Mattress*, focusing on the representation of both female and male characters and their adherence to traditional gender expectations.

Keywords

Key themes and concepts explored in the thesis include: gender roles, feminist literature, Margaret Atwood, *Stone Mattress*, women's movement, Canadian literature, gender studies, patriarchy, societal change, literary analysis, and feminist theory.