The Enormous Radio Summary

Secondly, in terms of gender, the radio in Cheever’s "The Enormous Radio" reconstructs the gender identity of Irene Westcott by showing her femininity, the “culturally regulated behavior regarded as socially appropriate to women” (Barker 502). From the couple’s quarrel, it can be known that Irene used to be a so-called “bad” or strong woman who was self-centered, rational and decisive due to her resolute abortion and cruel attitude towards her sister and mother. Nonetheless, throughout the story, Irene is depicted as a “good” wife: she is domestic (staying at home to run households and listen to the radio), kind and sentimental (crying when learning of the domestic abuse in neighborhood from the radio), and dependent on Jim. Also, she overhears

Take the case of some popular social media in Mainland China like Weibo and WeChat as an example, recently many users, especially males, have started to flaunt their body shape by posting photos of their biceps, pectoral muscles and abdominal muscles. A trend of fitness is thus created. In this way, the social media hints that a man should be strong, muscular and having all these masculine features, otherwise he cannot be called a “real man”. Another instance is that many girls will retouch their selfies exaggeratedly to beautify themselves since influenced by the photos of celebrities on the social media; they think a feminine woman should have big eyes, oval face, white skin, big chest and wide hips; otherwise she cannot be called a “real woman”. They are even instigated to undergo plastic surgery such as liposuction and breast enlargement to become more attractive. It shows that they conform to these socially constructed images of a good-looking girl to be accepted into society. As a consequence, it is reflected that the mass media instructs people how they should look; harming their self-image and gender identity and making them lost in these trends of the city

At first, she listens to music on the radio for entertainment only. Yet, later she overindulges in the reality reflected and constructed by the radio, and even “[waits] that night until Jim [has] fallen asleep, and then [goes] into the living room and [turns] on the radio” (Cheever 39). Her obsession and voyeurism leads to her husband’s detestation as he tells her that “it's like looking in windows. You know you don't have to listen to this sort of thing. You can turn it off” (39) but she refuses to, turning it on all day despite the quarrel they have. Hence, the anti-communicative aspect of mass media, which is a hidden function, is shown, preventing communication between the couple. Just like the radio, the mass media is intended to make the family happy and closer together, but it turns out to be the opposite. As a result, it is revealed that the mass media, by constructing the life of city dwellers and providing gossips and entertainment, stands among people’s “intimate possessions like an aggressive intruder” (34) as suggested by the story, put their home and interfamilial relationships in disorder, depressing and alienating