Blurring of Gender Boundaries inArms and the ManandSaint Joan

Abstract

Arms and the ManandSaint Joanby George Bernard Shaw are plays in which the issue of gender is conspicuous. The characters of the play show ample amount of gender dubiety by reflecting traits of nature which is contrary to their biological sex. They also show how the convention of the period influenced the individuals in their gender determination. Besides cultural influence on the characters we see how individual characters show their identity on the basis of their performance. This thesis makes an endeavor to reconcile the gender attributes of characters with what they reflect and what their biological sex is, and in turn show how an individual has inherent in itself both the gender attributes. Thus this thesis with the help of both the plays, along with critical tools, like constructivist feminism, gender studies, post- structuralist theories and interdisciplinary approaches, makes an attempt to show the issue of duality of gender attributes in human beings.