Gender studies is the interdisciplinary study based on ideas of the masculine and the feminine. It also examines sexual differences and more fluid definitions of gender that have emerged over time. This theory can also be divided into three subcategories: women's studies, men's studies, and queer studies which can be further divided into the three categories of: gender identity, gender expression, and biological sex. These three categories help us look at the social, biological, and cultural constructions of gender and analyze the ways in which femininity and masculinity can be seen as fluid entities that change depending on the different life factors that shape them. From gender studies, feminist theorists have also identified the social system of patriarchy where males are shown to take dominant roles in various aspects of life such as the workplace, thus forcing women into the position of "other". Through my essay, I will identify the patriarchal aspects of both Chuck Palahniuk's psychological thriller "Fight Club" (1997) and Angela Carter's dystopian novel "The Passion of the New Eve" (1977) and evaluate how the characters in the novel effectively challenge this system or conform to it. Throughout this theory there are many influencers who explore different ideas and theories surrounding the field of gender. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay One of the main influences of gender theory is psychoanalytic, and some of the main theorists surrounding this area are Freud, Kristeva, and Lacan. In a Freudian system, gender is said to develop during the phallic stage through the Oedipus and Electra complex. The Oedipus complex explores the male's unconscious desire for the mother and the resolution of the complex resulting from the child's identification with the same-sex parent. Boys experience this complex in the form of castration anxiety, while girls (whose experience is called the Electra complex) explore the same ideas but experience the complex in the form of penis envy towards males. Comparable to this, there is a feminist psychoanalytic group that claims that this Freudian system is almost accurate, except that wherever Freud uses the word "penis", it should be replaced with the word "power" to address the idea that if women envy men, it is because of their social power and privileges, not their anatomy. The final influence surrounding the genre is that of the postmodernist. Postmodernism is the 20th century movement that branched out across the arts, architecture, and philosophy. This has influenced gender studies by causing a movement in theories of identity, thus forcing people away from fixed ideas of identity and opening up ideas surrounding fluid or multiple identities. This began reflections on queer theory and over time allowed the study of sexuality. In relation to the topic of patriarchy, a main concept is that of heterotopias and gender-specific places that reaffirm the inequality between men and women and the pressure to conform to society's representation of gender. A heterotopia is "a zone in which identities, maps of cultural meaning, power relations, and technical uses of the body are applied in both traditional and nontraditional ways." (Monaghan and Atkinson, 2016, p.136). For men, an example would be an area such as a changing room as they prove to be "places of doubt, existential confusion and in some cases of resistance; where the male identities ofboys are reinforced and monitored by each other in largely hidden ways that produce anxiety and ritual” (Monaghan and Atkinson, 2016, p. 136). Over time, the stereotype of males has become that they need to be strong, confident and heterosexual to represent the ideal male identity shown in the media, these stereotypes are identified with the term "toxic masculinity" as they display the established harmful traits from a patriarchal society; but they are harmful to men in general. Having a large group of males in these environments forces them to see other stereotypically masculine characters, thus putting pressure on them to conform to this identity and creating problems later in life such as repression of emotions which can lead to isolation and depression. This links to the construct of “fragile masculinity” which refers to the ways in which men forcefully assert their masculinity, in some cases through aggression, violence or sexual domination. This is commonly seen in homosexual or transgender males who feel effeminate, so to counteract these feminine qualities that a patriarchal society deems wrong, they behave in an overly masculine manner. In reference to one of my chosen texts, the construct of heterotopias is evident in Palahniuk's "Fight Club". The fight clubs themselves and the "chaos project" group can be seen as heterotopias as they show an area full of men acting in a way that confirms the stereotypical aggressive personality given to males in a patriarchal society. We also see a cancer support group called "Remaining Men Together" full of men who act in opposition to this and are portrayed as emasculated by society because of their disease. It becomes obvious that these heterotopias are depicted as a space where men can take control of their masculine identity and gain a sense of escape from a rigid, capitalist world. As a Chaos Project, they begin performing around the city to counter consumerism and "disrupt civilization so we can make something better out of the world." (Palahniuk. 1997. P208). It initially consists of smaller acts like putting funny stickers on cars and getting into fights with random strangers, but at both the beginning and end of the novel we see the project's final act of chaos which consists of destroying multiple company buildings with explosives. In gender studies it has been argued that skyscrapers are "phallic symbols, made by men to assert their supremacy over women". (Chirag Mehta, 2000). Therefore, through this group of men who choose to destroy a representation of the phallic, it shows how they are taking a stand against the patriarchal system in place by symbolically castrating those in power. Through the cancer support group, we see a group of men acting in opposition to these stereotypes as they are encouraged to cry, this is seen as emasculating due to the idea that men should not show emotion as it shows weakness. However, through the name of 'leftover men', we are encouraged to believe that although these men are different from the archetypal man; they are still struggling to maintain their male identity. In the group we are introduced to Robert Paulson also known as Bob, the narrator (Jack) states: 'Bob is crying because he had his testicles removed six months ago. Then supportive hormone therapy. Bob has boobs because his testosterone ration is too high" (Palahniuk. 1997. P17). This character is portrayed as a role model and friend to Jack since he is the one who encourages him to release his emotions through crying. This scene highlights Jack's break from the patriarchal hold on his identity andthus marks the beginning of his and Tyler's challenge against society. The quote “It is only after you have lost everything… that you are free to do anything” (Palahniuk. 1997. P70) connects strongly to Bob's character as it is only after he has lost everything (his testicles, his masculinity , his wife/house/etc) to be free from the "typical man" mold and to be able to show his emotions and be himself. The ideology of consumerism is linked throughout the novel through Jack's reference to and destruction of his "IKEA". furniture" and through the distribution of Tyler's homemade soap. It becomes evident that the theme of consumerism is used to represent the patriarchal society and show how consumer culture has caused men to feel emasculated. Jack states that "it was not the only slave to my nesting instinct." The people I know who used to sit in the bathroom with pornography, now sit in their bathroom with their IKEA furniture catalogue.' (Palahniuk. 1997. P43) This quote effectively describes how humans have become obsessed with the possessions they possess and, especially in Jacks' case, have begun to define themselves and their self-worth by material possessions because this has been ingrained in them by society. We find out later in the novel that it was actually Jack's other personality that blew up the apartment. This may represent how Jack has unconsciously distanced himself from patriarchal society and capitalist around him, removing material possessions from his life and forcing himself to start over later in the novel, Tyler introduces Jack to “Paper Street Soap Co.” rich to produce soap which he sells for profit. As he begins to create chaos in the project, he involves "space monkeys" (Palahniuk. 1997. P130) in his business, Jack talks about how 'the house is full of strangers who Tyler has accepted. …The entire first floor is transformed into a kitchen and a soap factory' (Palahniuk. 1997. P130). This creates a juxtaposition in terms of fighting consumerism as Tyler forced workers to sell his product for profit, thus positioning himself in the middle of consumer culture by becoming a producer of goods. The quote “we must show these men and women freedom by enslaving them” (Palahniuk. 1997. P149) accurately demonstrates this by referring to how Tyler enslaved the men by promising freedom from their former, rigid lives in exchange for labor. However, the use of the soap company is overall effective in challenging the source of oppression as it shows Tyler acting comparatively to the heroic outlaw Robin Hood, stealing from the "richest thighs in America" ​​(Palahniuk , 1997. P150) to give to the poor so they can profit by reselling them to the rich. Through the novel we are introduced to characters who challenge the typical standards of beauty and heteronormativity associated with a patriarchal society. Through these characters we are encouraged to see the negative impact of beauty and the ways in which being a perfect representation of a human being is unattainable and overall harmful. This includes the ideas of success, power, heterosexuality and attractiveness that the mainstream media promotes to persuade us to purchase goods that make us feel closer to this ideal. The plot of Fight Club is mainly set in and around the United States of America. ; it is underlined that there is a lot of pressure from American society to be beautiful. It seems that who we are depends on how beautiful we are. Here we are so exposed to mass media and images of other women. The image of what we consider beautiful is imposed on us by promotion andfrom advertising. (Jacobson, L.2017). One of the first non-conforming characters we are introduced to is Chloe who Jack meets at the cancer support group. She is depicted as an overly sexual woman whose only desire was to “get laid for the last time” (Palahniuk. 1997. P19). Jack also describes her as "a skeleton dipped in yellow wax with a silk scarf tied around her bald head" (Palahniuk. 1997. P106). Being unashamedly sexual and no longer attractive shows how Chloe approaches death, she is freeing herself from the patriarchal hold on her identity by allowing herself to become what society deems unfeminine. The novel's heroine, Marla Singer, also paints an image of a depressed and unsuccessful sexual woman as we discover that she steals food from delivery vans, clothes from laundromats to sell, and has an overtly sexual relationship with Tyler. .In terms of Jack and Tyler, we sense that Jack is jealous of Tyler. He states: “I love everything about Tyler Durden, his courage and his intelligence.” His courage. Tyler is funny, charming, energetic and independent…Tyler is capable and free, and I'm not. I am not Tyler Durden." (Palahniuk. 1997. P174). Through Jack's descriptions we are forced to believe that Tyler is the perfect man, however it is only at the end that we discover that Tyler was never real. This gives rise to the 'idea that Tyler represents everything Jack wants to be, but overall represents the unreal beauty standards imposed by a patriarchal society that are realistically unattainable. Additionally, there is an ambiguity surrounding Jack's sexuality as there are notes of homosexuality sprinkled throughout the novel, thus challenging typical patriarchal views of heteronormativity associated with masculinity We initially discover this through the section on the nude beach, which describes Jack watching Tyler (for an unspecified amount of time) as he builds a log sculpture. Later, it becomes obvious that Jack is jealous of Tyler and Marla's relationship as he states, "I'm Joe's heartbreak because Tyler dumped me." 1997. P134) however, it is never discovered why this jealousy arose and the novel ends with both Marla and Jack confirming their feelings for each other. Thus, forcing us to accept that Jack could be straight or bisexual. Considering the novel as a depiction of homoeroticism, it links to the previously mentioned construct of "fragile masculinity" and could therefore form the idea that the novel depicts homosexual males who overtly act in a masculine manner so as to counteract feelings that society deems shameful . Angela Carter's "The Passion Of New Eve" (1977) introduces us to a dystopian world where a divine figure called "Mother" is trying to completely eradicate the male species by forcing men to undergo gender reassignment surgery. This is described as a way to save the world by completely eliminating the dominant species that are the cause of patriarchy and female repression. Evelyn is found in the desert and taken to Beulah, where she is told that Mama will "castrate you, Evelyn, and then carve out what we call the 'fruitful female space' within you and make you a perfect specimen of femininity. . Then. .. will make you pregnant with your own sperm' (Carter. 1977. P65). This shows how it has been decided that males are not necessary as women can be self-sufficient and create their own new species act is not necessarily effective in the novel since even though Evelyn has been transformed into the biologically female Eve, she still has the mind of a male. Therefore, the act teaches males a lesson by taking away their biological identity, but in thecomplex would not solve the oppression caused by a patriarchal society since the dominant male mentality still exists. Through gender studies, theorist Judith Butler created the term “Performativity.” She defines this by stating that: “identity is performatively constituted by the very “expressions” that are said to be its results.” (Gender issues, page 25). In other words, gender is a performance; it is what you do at particular times, rather than what you are universally' (Gauntlett, D. 1998). This construct ties into Eve's character as she has now been placed in a woman's body, so she is forced to express her gender even though she knows that is not really who she is internally. The maternal figure here could be depicted as hypocritical as she is eradicating the male gender to readjust society and remove patriarchy, but by taking away the freedom of the male species and forcing them to conform to a different gender, she could be said to be duplicating the obvious negative characteristics in a patriarchal society, thus creating a matriarchy. As in Fight Club, there are characters throughout the novel who do not conform to the patriarchal characteristics associated with male and female, they associate more with the construct of fluid identities as they cannot be defined by a particular gender label. One of the key characters here is the actress Tristessa, who we eventually discover is actually a transgender woman. In the first chapter of the novel we discover Evelyn's awe of Tristessa and how "the sculptural flare of her nostrils haunted my pubescent dreams" (Carter. 1977. P2) and how she was called "the most beautiful woman in the world" (Carter 1977. P1). This creates the idea that her physical appearance is the most important thing to her, thus illustrating the way female gender is defined by appearance versus other character traits. However, after revealing Tristessa's male genitalia, the descriptions given change completely and her pronoun is changed to "he" in the novel. I would argue that doing so actually helps us look at the construct of fluid identities and helps challenge patriarchal norms surrounding masculinity and femininity as we grapple with the idea that someone can be both a "beautiful woman" but a biological male. We are also told that Tristessa's "specialty had been suffering" (Carter. 1977. P4), thus making us believe that she effectively portrays the idea of ​​female oppression in the media; however, after finding out that she was born male, this quote creates a greater impact as we realize that she will have experienced real suffering throughout her life being a symbol of shame in a patriarchal world. A character described as having a fluid identity is the cult leader; Zero. We learn this through the animalistic language used which creates the idea that Zero does not have a human identity as male or female, as he no longer defines himself as human at all. When we are first taken to "Zero's church" (Carter. 1977. P84) we learn how he has become so hateful towards humans that he now speaks only through a "bestial locution of grunts and barks" (Carter. 1977. P83 ). We also find out that he has seven wives who have "dedicated themselves, body, heart and soul, to the church of zero" (Carter. 1977. P96) as they believe it produces "sacred fluid" (Carter. 1977. P89) that will keep them alive . This creates the idea that Zero has used his authority over women to force them to believe he is no longer male; he is a deity with magical powers. Similarly, the last character who depicts the image of a deity/god is that of the Mother. We discover this through the postmodernist ideology of grotesque realism that is used to describe the changes of.