Exotic Demons: Representations of the Ethnic Woman in Jack Kerouac’s The Subterraneans
In: Illuminating the Dark Side: Evil, Women and the FeminineSearch for other papers by Eftychia Mikelli in
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Drawing upon representations of the exotic female other in Jack Kerouac’s work, my paper aims to explore constructions of femininity in his novel The Subterraneans. The paper will consider projections of archetypal maternal images in the novel and will discuss the implications arising thereof. It will question conventional perceptions of motherhood as a signifier of status, and will interrogate the association of femininity with explicit images of the womb, arguing that such approaches ultimately help perpetuate narratives of victimization. My paper will trace the main female character’s gradual transformation from angel to demon, and will address the issues of power the female protagonist’s demonisation gives rise to. Exploring the narrator’s constructions of gender within the context of Cold War America’s dominant cultural practices, I will demonstrate how Kerouac negotiates representations of the feminine evil, and I will consider the possibilities of resistance that the narrative advances.