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Gender Role In Andrew Marvell's 'Damon The Mower'

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In Andrew Marvell’s poem “Damon the Mower,” the protagonist describes his heartbreak after Juliana rejects him. Though Juliana’s voice is never heard in the poem, Damon freely speaks of her thoughts and actions. His monopoly of narration allows him to exploit gender roles and tell his biased side of their story. He portrays Juliana as a masculine, superhuman creature by aligning her with the typically male Sun and describing her through the use of three symbolic gifts he gives to her. Ultimately, Damon reverts the gender roles of society to characterize Juliana as masculine and powerful, thereby validating his position as a powerless victim, emasculated by an unstoppable force and deserving of pity. The setting, constant from beginning to end, is the meadow where Damon earns his living. Initially, the meadow performs as a peaceful place for the mower. However, after Juliana’s rejection, his positive relationship with the meadow changes as it becomes excessively hot and hellish. Damon does not believe that Nature is punishing him, nor does he blame it for the infernal conditions. "This heat the sun could never raise, / Nor Dog Star so inflame the days … / Not July causeth these extremes" (17-23). Natural forces, like the sun and stars, remain innocent; instead, it is Juliana and her unnatural “scorching beams” that cause the extreme …show more content…

Though the poem is a story of two people, only Damon narrates the account. With his monopoly of narration, he uses gender roles to negatively portray Juliana. He relates her to the masculine sun and describes her with the use of animals, utilizing these descriptions to represent her as an unnatural, masculine force which he could not escape. Ultimately, his characterization of Juliana as masculine and powerful serves to legitimize his own emasculation and self-victimization, attempting to inspire pity, rather than scorn, from the

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