According to the American Heritage Dictionary, the term masculine is defined as “characterized by or possessing qualities traditionally attributed to men, such as aggressiveness”. In Thomas Foster’s, Meat Puppets or Robopaths? Cyberpunk and The Question of Embodiment, he proclaims that “Neuromancer defines the opportunities that postmodern culture provides for those of us who are interested in redefining the construction of masculinity,…” (Foster 225). I completely agree with Foster’s statement that the term ‘masculine’ is redefined in the novel. After reading Neuromancer, I concluded that Case was nothing of a masculine man, but was rather a man in the shadows of a strong , determined and powerful female, Molly. <\/p>\n
Throughout Neuromancer, Molly often appears as the ‘masculine’ character both on a physical and mental level. On a physical level, Molly’s retractable, double-edged, four centimeter scalpel blades implants in her hands and optical implants that appear as mirrors (Gibson 24) resembles an image of weapons, an object that we often associate with men. For example, hunting is often portrayed as a man’s hobby because men are more attracted to the use of guns or bow-and-arrows. Being in possession of these types of weapons allow men to not only feel more dominant, but also to feel power. However, in Neuromancer, Case’s bodily modifications only allow him to have access to cyberspace. While being accessible to cyberspace can mentally be a weapon, it is not an attribute that appears to be physically threatening such as those Molly comprises of. <\/p>\n
Using the technology of simstim, Case has the experience of virtually inhabiting Molly’s body. When Case ‘flips’ and possesses Molly’s body, he witnesses the world through Molly’s eyes, shares her sensations, but is incapable of communicating with her. When Case is disembodied in cyberspace, he has complete control of his thoughts and body. However, when Case jolts into Molly’s flesh “for a few frightened seconds he fought helplessly to control her body. Then he willed himself into passivity, became the passenger behind her eyes” (Gibson 56). In our world today, it is perceived that men often take upon the role of the ‘controller’ or ‘driver’ in situations because these are the common ‘traditional’ masculine qualities one is supposed to employ as a man. However, in Neuromancer, Case is physically unable to acquire this role as a ‘driver’ but rather must view the world as a backseat passenger. As Foster stated in his chapter, I believe that Gibson is ultimately redefining the characteristics in which a traditional man are supposed to acquire. Maybe Gibson believes that in the future, the terms in which we define ‘masculine’ men will be altered as a result of more dominant and powerful females present in society. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
According to the American Heritage Dictionary, the term masculine is defined as “characterized by or possessing qualities traditionally attributed to men, such as aggressiveness”. In Thomas Foster’s, Meat Puppets or Robopaths? Cyberpunk and The Question of Embodiment, he proclaims that “Neuromancer defines the opportunities that postmodern culture provides for those of us who are interested<\/p>\n