Abstract

The emergence of the New Woman was one of the main issues that—besides industrialization, racism, and modernity—occupied the imagination of early twentieth century American writers. This drastic social change was depicted in the form of binary opposition, especially in the male-authored texts, which present two stereotypical images of women: the female-as-monster and the female-as-angel. This was believed to be part of the male writers’ agenda to warn against the danger that the New Women represents to the patriarchal order. John Steinbeck was one of the novelists whose female characters fall into this category. This research explores Steinbeck’s portrayal of female characters. It is an attempt to answer the critical debate over the writer’s misogynic views and to prove that his novel follows the mainstream male writing that advocates traditional images of women, who are expected to behave according to the established social norms.