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Originally Posted by TTBRAHWTMG  1/ Heinlein has often been accused of being sexist...do you think Puppet Masters contributes to this criticism?
2/ One of Heinlein's recurring themes is "life-boat rules" and "there can only be one boss". What do you think of his commentary on these in Puppet Masters?
3/ Heinlein often discusses his views on the nudity taboo...what do you think about Heinlein's commentary on this theme in Puppet Masters? |
1 - I have had this discussion with other RAH fans many times. Being a woman; I am not offended by his remarks or views of women in general. For one; it was 1951 and the world was very sexist back then. In that context; Heinlein was actually very progressive for his time. Any time that I read something that I initially find offensive, I stop and think about it for a second and it usally makes sense for the character in question. I also find that there is usually another character who counters the 'sexist' behavior.
Case in point for PM: Sam, Mary & the Old Man had joined the army at the front lines and Mary wanted to join the battle. Sam said threatened to "break every bone" in her body if she didn't get back in the car. Mary said "Yes Sam" and did so. The young soldier with them responded "In my part of the country we don't speak to ladies that way". Sam growled that he should go back to where he came from then. The thing that initially jumped out at me was not Sam's comment but Mary's reaction. I thought "What? No argument?" and I thought to myself that Heinlein must have believed that women were pretty meek and submissive that they'd go along with whatever their husband/boss said. After more reflection, I realized that it was quite the opposite. Mary reacted the way she did
because she was so intelligent and decisive. She simply realized that Sam was right and that there was
nothing to argue. It would not swing the battle in any significant way if she
did go. Plus it would only draw Sam after her and she'd be risking his life as well. I don't think she wanted to do that after everything he'd already been through up to that point, including saving her from being hag-ridden twice. Besides, I have no doubt that if Mary
had felt differently than Sam on the issue; nothing would have swayed her in her purpose.
I've always felt that even though some of RAH's male protagonists may have written in ways that are viewed as sexist; he has also created female characters that are strong, intelligent, capable and quite often - superior to the males in certain ways. Most of the women go along with their male counterparts only when it suits their purpose. And when it doesn't, they simply manoeuvre (sp?) and bend the men to their way of thinking. Happens every time. I think that Heinlein had a better understanding of the nature of men, women and their relationships than most people did - especially for the '50s. Sorry for babbling on about this, LOL, but I've discussed this so many times
2 - Could you outlinethe 'life-boat rules' theme? It's ringing bells but...
In general, I agree with the 'there can only be one boss' thing. If more than one person is involved and a task needs to be accomplished; someone has to take charge. Maybe if we had some context around this one too?
3 - I think that his commentary on nudity underlined how progressive he was in his thinking. He enjoyed nudity at a time when the majority of people were very conservative in thought/dress and he often expressed that fact by stating "skin was skin - what of it?". I also think that he accurately portrayed the varied reactions from the populace when Project Suntan kicked in to effect. The thing that caught my attention the most however was how Sam observed that after a while, he stopped noticing the nudity. Attractive body or not, it quickly became just another part of the landscape around him.