An Analysis of Gender Representation in the Movie Green Book

This essay provides an analysis of the film "Green Book," focusing on the portrayal of gender roles and stereotypes. The essay examines the impact of gender on the characters and the narrative, specifically considering how the film would change if the main characters were gender-swapped. The analysis explores the societal implications of such a change, particularly regarding the roles of women and the challenges they face in a patriarchal society. The essay discusses the film's exploration of prejudice, inequality, and the potential for gender fluidity. It also considers how gender stereotypes influence character development and how the film challenges these stereotypes. The essay highlights the potential of gender-swapped literature to promote a more egalitarian society and shed light on the importance of recognizing and valuing individual talent regardless of gender. The essay also addresses the potential for women to break traditional roles and achieve success in unconventional fields.

Running head: ENGLISH: GENDER PERSPECTIVES
ENGLISH: GENDER PERSPECTIVES
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author Note

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Brief Summary
The film taken is “Green Book” is an American biographical comedy- drama film
released in 2018 set up at the backdrop of 1962 America when civil rights movement was taking
its complete shape (Matthews, 2019). The movie revolves around two men from different ethnic
and social background, their journey and personal development. Dr. Don Shirley, an African
American man hires Tony as his driver-cum-bodyguard (who is a white man) for his journey to
Deep South. The two men, who were from different social, ethnic and socio- economic
background, soon develop an amazingly unexpected bond while confronting their own as well as
the world’s prejudices regarding racism and danger in the time of segregation and discrimination.
I have chosen the film because if the main character of the film, the black artist Dr. Shirley, who
is a male, is swapped into a female gender and the driver/ bodyguard Tony changes into a female
character, the movie might turn complex and also socially challenging. It is because Dr. Shirley
would then be the representative of underprivileged black women, who were double oppressed,
first by patriarchy, second by racism. The female version of Tony would also depict unusual
qualities of being a female bodyguard as traditionally such jobs were assigned to men because of
their physical abilities.
Question 1
Gender stereotypes have made the lives of common people filled with prejudice and
inequality. It has made position of women even worse as they do not receive the respect, dignity
and opportunity they deserve as humans. Gender swapped literature would help people
understand gender fluidity and importance of shedding gender stereotypes, understanding that no
gender is limited to a particular way of life. It would help the society be more egalitarian.

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Question 2
When a woman is shown to be daring, unusually brave yet not able to recognize their
talent due to the inherent patriarchal internalization which makes them believe the patriarchal
“status quo” in society sometimes makes a storyline of a good literature unrealistic. It is because
it is a natural tendency (irrespective of gender) of humans to find and delve into their talent and
gain recognition.
Question 3
In the respective movie, Female character of Dr. Shirley can be depicted as a fiercely
independent, progressive and unconventional black woman artist (a pianist) who breaks shackles
of patriarchy and racism to establish herself and becomes a role model for other black women.
The female character of bodyguard Tony would depict that women to can become bodyguards,
and that their physical limitations can be overcome through dedication and training; nothing is
impossible for men and women in the world.

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References:
Matthews, J. (2019). Movie Review: Green Book.