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چکیده
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Male characters and the concept of masculinity in literary texts have provoked persistent debates in contemporary literary studies. Compared to a vast body of studies using feminist theories, masculinity studies with regard to Connell’s view on masculinity have received very little attention. Through an extensive evaluation of major and minor male characters in Charles Dickens’s last completed novel, Our Mutual Friend, the present study seeked to focus on the forms of masculinity (hegemonic, subordinate, marginalized, and complicit) according to Connell’s classification. To conduct this qualitative, descriptive research, the researcher explored the selected male characters’ behaviors, decisions, and reactions in different situations. The findings of the research confirmed that, of the twenty-one male characters, fourteen, three, and three characters predominantly practice hegemonic, marginal, and subordinate masculinity respectively. It was discovered that only one character adopts all types though he primarily practices hegemonic and complicit masculinity to the same degree. In addition, male characters can potentially adopt contradictory presentation of masculinity if conditions necessitate. The results also showed that many of the minor characters often represent the opposite types of domineering masculinity mostly either marginal or subordinate kinds, though few exceptions to this pattern also exist. Generally, the study shed light on the fluidity of masculinity in the characters. That is, based on the circumstances and the contexts, multiple types of masculinity (defined by Connell) simultaneously can be observed in the male characters. The findings of this study might contribute to understanding the atmosphere of the Victorian era more and push back the frontiers of traditional knowledge about masculinity in that particular period in the novel. They also provided a new vision about the mechanisms of masculinity and its dynamic quality.
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