Subversion of Traditional Gender Role in Erica Jong‟s The Fear of Flying

Abstract

In Erica Jong‟s The Fear of Flying, the main character Isadora resists traditional gender role. She is tempted towards extramarital affair by her nymphomaniac impulse and the compulsion to remain loyal to her husband. Due to her failure to identify the ground reality about the affectionate cooperation of her relatives, she happens to marry a psychotic man. His psychotic temperament and sexual retardation shock her beyond recovery. She discontinues her relation with him and marries Bennett. Despite Bennett‟s loyalty to her, she is tempted to sleep with other man. However perfect her marital life might be, she is nymphomaniacally urged to sleep with strange man. Her marriage collapses. To her, marriage seems to be a bondage from which extramarital affair can free her. Such rebellious choices and outlook of Isadora makes her socially outlawed and ostracized. She begins to suffer from the fear of being chased by a man who pretends to understand her but finally betrays her. The sinister premonition of being troubled by the so-called honest man dogs her life. She faces alienation and ostracism to secure freedom and to live a life of uncompromising ideal.