Dominance of Men in "The Language of Men"

It does not surprise me that Norman Mailer is notoriously sexist. In "The Language of Men," he establishes a sexist and rather stereotypical MALE/female binary. The protagonist Carter struggles to fit into the social environment of the army until he discovers his niche as an army cook. As Carter takes on the traditionally feminine role of working in the kitchen, Mailer creates a contrast between Carter, who is characterized as sensitive and feminine, and his tough, masculine peers. He references stereotypical gender roles when Carter mutters "the age old laments of the housewife" as his confidence is shaken by the soldiers' lack of acknowledgment of his hard work. The MASCULINE/feminine binary is exemplified when Taylor, the epitome of a masculine soldier, attacks Carter's stereotypically feminine vulnerabilities, particularly his sensitivity to how much others appreciate his work.

This supposedly feminine weakness of Carter's invokes Jessica Benjamin's concept of mutual recognition. Carter yearns for recognition and is hurt when the other soldiers fail to recognize him for his work. In this scenario, Carter is the object in the SUBJECT/object binary. By defining his self worth by how much others appreciate him, he allows himself to be dominated by the soldiers.

Carter becomes a man when he forbids Taylor and the other soldiers from taking oil from the kitchen and attempts to fight one soldier in order to prove his subjectivity. By demonstrating his ability to dominate as a subject, he becomes a man by Mailer's definition. Although the story does not necessarily promote the ambiguous and somewhat combative "language of men," it implies a MALE SUBJECT/female object binary that is inherently sexist.