Female Masculinity in Janny Scott’s A Singular Woman: The Untold Story of Barack Obama's Mother

Abstract

This thesis entitled "Female Masculinity in Scott’s A Singular Woman" unfolds the story of Stanley Ann Dunham, the central female character who challenges the established norms and values of the society where interracial marriage is against the law. This thesis revolves around the biography of Stanley Ann Dunham, who revolts against the society by showing her bravery which is the main source of her victory over patriarchal norms and values. Stanley is attributed with masculine characteristics as she feels herself as more masculine than a feminine. Janny Scott includes Stanley’s biography in her writing because Obama has written a lot about his father who left him, but has revealed less about his mother who raised him. In this thesis, the theory of "Female Masculinity" by Judith Halberstam is applied to portray the characteristic of Stanley who is known as single working mother of two bi-racial children. Scott portrays Obama’s mother as a masculine character to encourage all the women who still believe in patriarchal norms and values of the society. Stanley is not masculine by birth but in the process of dealing with patriarchal society as a single woman she faces many obstacles in her life such as problem between family, making money and work. Based on the reviews of different critics and library-based materials, this research focuses on the dominant role of Stanley who challenges the established values and revolts against racist society.