Gender Performativity Through Language: A Linguistic Analysis of Femininity and Masculinity in The Stronger and The Dumb Waiter

Abstract

This This study aims to linguistically analyze the feminine and masculine performance in The Stronger by August Strindberg and The Dumb Waiter by Harold Pinter. It aims to examine how the gender identity is socially constructed, fluid and context-dependent and how it is expressed through the strategic linguistic choices in both one-act plays. For this purpose, the study has adopted the qualitative approach, guided by the performative theory (1990) by Judith Butler, which claims that gender is not innate but socially constituted and performed, along with the Fairclough’s (1995) three-dimensional model, as the surveillance to examine both of the one-act plays. The findings of the study revealed that in The Stronger femininity is performed through domestic self-positioning, emotional discursiveness and self-sacrificial expressions. However, silence appears as the source to destabilize the traditional femininity. In contrast, masculinity in The Dumb Waiter is performed through the authoritative discourse and conversational control while hesitation, emotional discourse and questioning appear as the subversion of the traditional masculine performance, indicating the fluidity of gender identity. Furthermore, the study contributes to the linguistic and literary discipline by combing the discourse analysis with Butler’s performative theory.