LANGUAGE IN INDIA

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Volume 25:1 January 2025
ISSN 1930-2940

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         Pammi Pavan Kumar, Ph.D.
         Soibam Rebika Devi, M.Sc., Ph.D.

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Exploring Gender Roles in Nora Roberts’ Northern Lights:
A Critical Analysis

Ms. S Vishnu Priya, M.A. and Dr. P Saravanan, M.A., M.Phil., Ph.D.


Courtesy: www.amazon.com

Abstract

In order to better understand the complex representations of masculinity and femininity within the framework of a romantic suspense story, this paper will critically analyze how gender roles are portrayed in Nora Roberts’ novel Northern Lights. Northern Lights offers an engrossing setting for examining the junction of conventional and non-traditional gender relations since it is situated in the isolated Alaskan village of Lunacy. The protagonists of the book, Nate Burke and Meg Galloway, portray opposing but complimentary depictions of gender roles that complement society conventions while also defying them.

This study explores the characterization of Nate and Meg through a feminist literary analysis, revealing how their identities are shaped by the narrative and how it shapes them in turn. This paper contends that the binary ideas of masculinity and femininity that are common in the romance genre are challenged by Roberts’ nuanced and progressive depiction of gender roles in Northern Lights. This study adds to a better understanding of how modern romance novels may both uphold and challenge established gender standards by placing the book within the larger context of gender studies. According to the research, Northern Lights gives audiences a story that is both recognizable and surprisingly subversive by allowing more flexible and egalitarian gender portrayals to coexist with some traditional genre components. Nate, the male lead, defies traditional masculinity as he struggles with vulnerability, emotional depth, and the weight of past traumas; Meg, on the other hand, embodies a strong, independent female archetype, subverting traditional expectations of femininity through her assertiveness and resilience. The dynamic between these two characters is further examined to reveal how power, emotional labor, and mutual dependence play out within their relationship, reflecting larger societal attitudes towards gender roles.

To sum up, this paper’s findings indicate that Northern Lights is an important text in Nora Roberts’ body of work because of its examination of gender roles. It provides insights that are applicable to literary studies as well as the current cultural discussions surrounding gender, identity, and power dynamics. This study encourages more investigation into the ways that romance books, especially in the context of modern popular literature, can serve as a site of both resistance and reinforcement to conventional gender roles.

Keywords: Nora Roberts, Northern Lights, Gender roles, feminist theory, character analysis, gender dynamics.

Introduction

One of the most well-known writers of modern romance and suspense, Nora Roberts, has never failed to enthral readers with her sophisticated narrative and nuanced characterizations. Her 2004 book Northern Lights is a great illustration of how well she can combine suspense and romance with a profound examination of interpersonal connections. The novel, which takes place in the isolated and harsh town of Lunacy, Alaska, not only offers a gripping account of love and survival but also acts as a crucial platform for delving into the creation and portrayal of gender roles in popular literature.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Ms. S Vishnu Priya, M.A.
Assistant Professor, Department of English
Sri Krishna College of Technology
Kovaipudur, Tamil Nadu 641042, India
svpriya155@gmail.com

Dr. P Saravanan, M.A., M.Phil., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, PG & Research Department of English
Government Arts College
Coimbatore, Tamilnadu, India
p.saravanangac@gmail.com
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